THE BEST WAY

To get People NOT to LISTEN

Is to talk about YOURSELF

1.) People want to hear about something that will help THEM not you.

Write a post on how to connect to a larger segment of the internet and readers will flock to your blog.

Write a novel that speaks to THEIR dreams, hurts, insecurities, and yearnings  ... and people will buy your book ... if they hear of it.

Your horn will sound louder when someone else toots it than when you do!

2.) INSTAGRAM

People aren't on Instagram to find books but to connect to like-minded, fun people.

3.) FACEBOOK

2007 -- oh, those were the days! 

You posted something to your personal page or your Fan/Author page, 

and everyone who was your Friend or Follower saw it. 

Since then, however, Facebook has recognized the error of allowing us to speak to our friends for free, 

and now, of my Fans, only 3-10% see any given post on the Author page 

that they have chosen to follow for the express purpose of reading my posts. 

 If I pay $20, I could bump that number up to 30%. 

I would have better luck randomly

 mailing postcards to strangers!

4.) PUSHING

SOCIAL MEDIA pushes ...

And NO ONE LIKES TO BE PUSHED into liking a movie, liking a candidate, or BUYING A BOOK.

5.) PULLING

 I want a book to tug me into wanting to read it.

Remember what I said of others sounding louder than you tooting your own horn?  

If I see an evocative cover and read a fascinating hook, I am pulled to read that book.

6.) FISHING

What if, as you fished, dozens of fish leapt out of the lake and kept slapping you in the face?

That's what it feels like to me when I go to Tweetdeck ... 

dozens of authors leaping out at me to

shill their books like barkers in front of a carnival show.

How about you?

WHAT TO DO?

1.) CHILL AND BEGIN TO WRITE YOUR NEXT BOOK

I just started on my next book: 

WITHOUT MERCY OR NAME

It is focusing me on the one thing I can control:

Writing the best, most entertaining book I can.

2.) BE KIND TO YOUR FELLOW BLOGGERS WITHOUT REGARD TO WHETHER THEY CAN HELP YOU OR NOT.

People who are smart enough to write a book are smart enough to see when you try to leverage them.

Besides, none of us have enough true friends, right?

3.) REMEMBER FEW FAMOUS WRITERS KNOW WHAT MADE THEM BESTSELLERS.

And the few I read who said they did were wrong about why I liked them!  :-)

4.) HAVE FUN in your writing.

It will color the tone of your work and splash over into the minds of your readers.

OH, AND BUY MY BOOK!

JUST KIDDING!

But I won't whine if you do,

and I might if you don't!