Making Your Way as an Author

Since I have published my book I have had great pleasure in meeting other authors. I can honestly say I have found an amazing group people from around the world who all share something in common with me, and that’s the love of writing and story telling.

Another thing we have in common is marketing.

Where we may differ is as vast as the ocean…and that’s anything from simple differences like being traditionally, assisted or self-published, to formally trained in writing and journalism or a moonlighter with literary aspirations.

Although I have taken writing courses, which include all kinds of training and preparation from writing short stories, articles and novels to finding an agent or publisher, one thing lacking in these courses is anything and everything to do with marketing. Now don’t get me wrong, I love what I have learned, but I would have gladly taken an extra semester that included marketing.

So, here you are the published author…I guess you could compare that to being dropped into a canoe in the middle of the woods, paddle in hand. Note that I did not say “on or near” the water. That’s because you have to start paddling right where you are, to the nearest stream that might lead to a river or lake. Then what? You are still a long way from the ocean and paddling through gravel isn’t easy.

Once you hit water, you find yourself surrounded by others, paddling feverishly toward the next segment or body of water.

Every author knows all too well the amount of work they’ve invested in their manuscript. So why not make sure what your marketing has every chance of making it to the ocean? How? By making sure some simple principles have been followed.

1) Have your work edited, critiqued and revised.

2) Make sure your book cover is a good one…too often Indie authors have slapped whatever/however on their book. Now this is where countless Indie authors will pipe in telling me just how much time/effort/money went into their covers. My point here is that a few bad ones taint the pool, unfortunately labelling the lot.

3) If you are formatting your ebook on your own and do not have the money to have it done right, then ASK SOMEONE. There are other authors willing to help. Bad grammar is one thing, but getting author name and page number smack dab in the middle of your sentence is annoying.

By following these few tips you now have a quality product to promote.

Here are some things to consider while you’re promoting:

1) Develop your author platform and begin letting people know you’re out there. Pace yourself so that you can keep on top of your pages/sites. Doing too much too fast will show.

2) Join groups and cross market one another. I was told in a webinar that more than 10% self-promoting can turn people off of you. Host authors on your blog, do fun interviews and giveaways.

3) Look into Author Solutions, Writer’s Digest and similar places to keep up with the changing trends, get marketing tips and tools, (they offer free webinars). Get onboard with Goodreads (various groups), there are more threads than is humanly possible to follow from blog tours to reviews and cross-promoting.

4) Consider entering your work into contests. The recognition gained is priceless.

5) Participate in author presentations, book signings and book fairs to give yourself the chance to meet readers and become ‘real’ to them.

OK, so let’s say we’ve made it into a larger body of water…now what?

My best advice comes back to pacing yourself because aside from paying someone to handle your marketing, there’s no way out of it. You will have to roll up your sleeves and paddle your way along the current. Once you get a rhythm going enjoy yourself. Have fun meeting other authors, bloggers, and readers. I must say there are some great people out there and I am thrilled to have made some new friends.

 We are going to be talking with author M.J. Kane shortly, and not only will she be presenting her novel Butterfly Memoirs, but she has a few stories of her own to tell. So, stay tuned.

Life as a Writer...did you know?

Over the past few months I have had the pleasure of meeting many authors. Some, like myself, have just entered the crazy literary world having published a first book, while others have more than a hundred books to their credit.

I’ve said this before, but humour me, I thought writing the book was my contribution to this endeavour. (This is where most authors can be found literally rolling on the floor laughing).

My book came out a little over 6 months ago, but it wasn’t until December that I really started to understand and get involved in the marketing of my novel. I take marketing webinars when I can, join book/literary/author groups, ask questions, share frustrations, and learn as I go…(I am always happy to share what I’ve learned. If I can help someone avoid wasted efforts, then good).

Last week I was reading about 50 authors, their routines and income around their passion. I would think I'm on the right path, but I know now that it's not an easy road to travel.

Here’s some of what I’ve learned:

-Don’t quit your day job, not until you’re income from writing is sufficient enough to support you.

-Learn how to use your computer, you will be spending hours on it every day…no, not writing, but marketing, answering emails, preparing blog posts, and answering interview questions about the strangest things…Most writers do this every day, easily up to 20 hours a week (and this is besides the writing we are thought to do. Wait! We have jobs, families, responsibilities…)

-Authors have to buy their own books. Just because we wrote the book doesn’t give us free access to the book…so if an author gives you a book, chances are they’ve had to purchase it. Relish it.

-Those who publish with a traditional publishing company can benefit from a cash advance, most wisely used to market the book. (If it’s a huge amount, you might want to look into a publicist.) Chances are, regardless of HOW or with WHOM you have published…YOU have to market the book.

-Learn all you can learn about marketing. As great as your book might be, no one will be banging on your door to buy one if they don’t even know it exists.

-If you’ve always wanted to write a book, but just never had the time, start. Things won’t get any better once you publish, so roll up your sleeves and get on with it.

-Writing a book takes time and money. The money might be to have the book critiqued, edited, published or marketed. It can be to support you while you write…but somewhere along the way, you’ll need to invest in your writing. (At least until you’ve become the next household name).

-Rejection is part of writing, don’t take it personally.

Louis L’Amour, author of over 100 western novels had received over 300 rejections before publishing his first book

John Creasy, author of 564 mystery novels had received 743 rejections before publishing his first book

Ray Bradbury, author of over 100 science fiction novels and stories had received around 800 rejections before selling his first story

The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter had been rejected so universally the author decided to self-publish the book

If you get feedback (from rejections, reviews, critiques), learn from it. Don’t hesitate to talk to other authors about it. Never give up. If you need to find a sympathetic ear, try another author…they know what you’re going through.

-Be proud of yourself, you have accomplished something great.

Lost at Sea or Thrown to the Sharks

Admit it, neither one sounds like an ideal situation…yet it is a good analogy of what it feels like after you come down from the high of holding your book for the first time. Regardless of how your book came into print, if you don’t have a marketing plan, you’ll quickly find yourself lost at sea…holding your book.

Who knows about it? Well, you have certainly shared the news with friends and family. You might have asked them to do so as well. So, now what? How can you tell the world about the amazing creation in your hand? Were you simply planning on sharing your book with a small group, or were you hoping to awe the world?

If you have read my earlier post about marketing, and followed some of the suggestions, you should have a facebook page, a blog or website and maybe even a book trailer. Good, things are rolling. Now you need traffic. You need to reach out continue letting people know about the book. If you have the budget (but not the time), then hire a publicist or purchase a marketing package. Between time and money, time is the one thing you must invest (hence the publicist if you are too busy…and if your mom is free, get her to do it ;o)).

Go to local your library and offer them a book. Go back to your former school, and do the same. Give time for presentations in schools, bookstores and libraries. Join local author groups. (They often have activities that give you the chance to promote your book).

Local bookstores are often more open and have the ability to allow you and your book in their store, not like large chain operations where everything has to go through the head office. If you stop here, maybe 100, or even 500 people have now heard about you book, but if you think of it, it’s just a drop in the bucket.

If you haven’t already joined Goodreads, stop what you’re doing and get to it. Make an author page, set up a giveaway and join communities. You’ll be amazed at the boost in traffic. From here you are given the chance to meet more authors, get some visibility, have your book reviewed and more. The more reviews you can get, the better.

A word of advice, don’t be afraid to give a few books away. If it’s to friends, give it in exchange of a review and some word of mouth, or even a facebook post. Give some away for reviewing on blogs and other sites, and if they share it with friends, then good. You want the most people possible to read it, see it, and hear about it.

Oh, the shark analogy…trust me, if you can’t get it out there, your hard work will have been swallowed up as fast as a bit of fish at feeding time, and will be sitting on a shelf somewhere collecting dust.

Look up the Author Learning Center, Writer’s Digest and don’t be afraid to ask questions!