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Tuesday, July 16, 2013

WHEN NOTHING WORKS in your book's marketing

{Courstesy of Embellishedminds.com}
 
CONVENTIONAL WISDOM:

 An author has to have a personal relationship with readers and a strong social media presence!

 By all means a writer has to blog, blog, blog. 

You have to get out there and do guest posts!
 
 You need to start a conversation with your readers!

REHASH OF THE OLD IS NOTHING NEW ... OR USEFUL.

There is one thing the writers of such articles tend to have in common:
They are not famous authors.

In fact, when you start to really examine things,

you will find that most tend to have fewer social media followers than you do.
 
WAKE UP CALL:

The idea that succeeds is not the one with the most truth,
but the one that has something in it that aids in its transmission.
 
In this case, people hunger to learn how they, too, can succeed.

I cannot stress this point enough: outside of your circle of friends no one cares who you are–

until you give them a compelling reason to.

People read because of who THEY are, not because of who YOU are.

HOW TO LOSE and HOW TO LOSE MORE SLOWLY:

1. Frittering Away Hours On Social Media Without A Plan

It is better to use social media than not to use social media. It is free, so you have nothing to lose.

If you tweet “here is the interview I did with such and such blog” it will not get many clicks. 

If you said something in the interview that was funny, topical, deep put it in quotes with a link.

Someone who is interested in the thought will click on the page and might be interested enough in who the writer is who said it to read the whole thing.

This may not sell books, but it has a better chance than the other way.

HOW TO LOSE MORE SLOWLY WITH #1

Set up a schedule.
 
A writer’s life is a business, not an arty dreamscape. Your time investment is valuable.

2. Impatience – You Quit Before Your Book Has A Chance

Too many authors give up after a few weeks. They complain sales are slow even though they’ve done extensive book ‘promotion’ on Twitter, Facebook and their author blog.

HOW TO LOSE MORE SLOWLY:
 
Persist, and push on -





Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
Calvin Coolidge. 30th President of the United States (1923–1929)


3. Waiting To Promote Your Book Until After It’s Published

 
The day it launches is way too late to start marketing your book if you want to see a significant level.

HOW TO LOSE MORE SLOWLY:

Famous Strip-teasers knew better than to come out naked right at the start.  Tease.  Over a period of time.

4. Writing A Lone Book

You launch your book, it starts out well then fizzles. Sales slump, and it disappears down the Amazon rankings to languish at the bottom of the well.

George RR Martin SeriesHOW TO LOSE MORE SLOWLY: 
You need a whole series of books.

It is not obligatory to do this, but the results speak volumes. 

Your books are attractive products to which people become addicted and increasingly want more.

Furthermore, the third book is when success often starts to appear.

It takes time for an author’s work to find its audience, but when it does, the books all then begin to sell each other.

5. Writing Each Book In A Different Genre

Many writers claim “I write what is in my heart and soul. My books will fit where they want to. I can’t focus on the audience as well.”

H P Mallory - ParanormalTrue enough, except for the second part.

You can’t in fact write for everyone. Instead your books need to be written for a specific genre to build a broad readership.

HOW TO LOSE MORE SLOWLY: 

Pick your fiction genre.

Write your books to appeal to those looking for a specific genre.

For example, bestselling Author HP Mallory focuses specifically on the paranormal genre. This played a major role in her hitting the New York Times Bestseller list.


6. DEPEND ON BLOG INTERVIEWS:

The only reason anyone would read an interview with a person he has never heard of before

is to learn something about how to get his own books published, or about your book’s subject, or about the creative process. 

HOW TO LOSE MORE SLOWLY:

Be like a politician -

HEAR WHAT YOU NEED TO HEAR AND ANSWER THAT QUESTION --

 A blogger sends you a list of questions about whether or not you have pets, try to do what the politicians do when they do not want to answer something.

 Change the subject.

  “You bring up an interesting point about pets, I’m glad you asked that. It relates to a problem I had in the third chapter of the novel and what other writers can do with a similar problem …”


7.  You believe your karmic scoreboard is over-due for a blessing.
 

I believe in the concept of a “karmic scoreboard” actually –

that what you put out in the world will come back around to you.

Just not necessarily in the ways your dreams pine for.

 Self-publishing solely to advance yourself reduces your “karmic score.”

On the other hand, being kind, generous, and helpful –

being of service to others as your first goal – increases your karmic score.

If your motivation is to help others with no expectations of what you’ll get in return, you’ll find that the process is also self-supportive ... and you will make wonderful new friends.

How cool is that?
 

8. The 20% author and the fine art of self-promotion:
 

In a world with lots of talent, success requires more than simply being great.

HOW TO LOSE MORE SLOWLY:

When blogging, tweeting and Facebooking you should spend 80% of your time posting about things other than your book, and 20% selling.

That's right – 80% of what you post should not be a sales pitch.

Why?

Because readers are human beings,
who long to make connections with others. 
 
They join social networking sites
not to receive non-stop reminders to buy,
but to develop relationships.

I hope this helps a  bit.
***

17 comments:

  1. Another great post. So much awesome advice here. One thing you didn't mention, but you do quite well on your blog is quality writing in all that social media. Your posts always have a strong voice that helps me know you are a good writer. I love this: "A writer’s life is a business, not an arty dreamscape." Of course Jack Kerouac got away with it, but look where he ended up...

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  2. Shell Flower:
    Your words made a weary blood courier much happier. :-)

    I try to entertain, help, and maybe show a wandering book reader that my prose could be worth a look-see.

    Yes, poor Jack got away with it ... in a sense ... just like Hunter S. Thompson.

    Thank you again for the smile you gave me. I needed it tonight, Roland

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  3. I probably spend less than twenty percent of my time talking about my books on any medium.
    Waiting to promote when the book comes out - that doesn't work as well either. Now I know why my publisher told me to get my butt online a year before my first book was released. One needs to plan for the release before it happens.
    More books. Yeah, probably could've dome that better...

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  4. Alex:
    You are a model example of how to do it right. Your publisher was right in asking you to blog, but you were creative and intelligent in how you did it.

    More books will come. You have worked too hard to fertilize the online ground not to take advantage of it. :-)

    Besides I know you have more stories in you.

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  5. Lots of work on this post. Thank you for all the information and advice.

    It's hard watching our babies just sit around.

    Heather

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  6. Heather:
    Glad you enjoyed this post. It IS hard watching our prose children not garner the attention for which we know they are worthy, isn't it?

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  7. Excellent points, Roland. Though I disagree about the multi-genre point (but then I would, because I write in several). :)

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  8. Such AWESOME advice :) You made the best points in this post.

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  9. see somehow i think you are speaking directly to me and my books. i am feeling the love from my friends letting host/guest on their sites and that is my fear. i filled the dates for three months and your help, wisdom helps open another thought doorway for me. since my stuff is art/design, i am hoping to have a newer audience or at the very least many now book cover design jobs...

    Jeremy H.

    New Look, New Name and Same Stuff...
    [Being-Retro]

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  10. Cate:
    I write historical and urban fantasies with one Noir Native American crime thriller -- so I cannot point fingers. But staying in one genre at the beginning of your career is a wise move I'm told. :-)

    EC:
    Thanks so much. :-)

    Jeremy:
    I will help any way that I can. I wish you the best of success in this venture!

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  11. Thanks, Cherie:
    Loved the book excerpt on your blog. :-)

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  12. Excellent advice. I especially like the 80% and 20%. I'm working on a series now too, because stand alones as a self pub don't move too much and because the story needs more volumes. :) Thanks for stopping by my blog!

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  13. Hey Roland,

    A lot of good practical advice on offer here.

    I also like to think that a blogger and a book should be written in such a way that it isn't written to an audience. Intimate writing and caring as much about the reader as the characters is a sharing approach.

    Promotion by not promoting. I find that anybody who constantly pitches about their books, becomes tedious. Indeed, a good balance here, my friend.

    Thank you,

    Gary

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  14. my whole life, i find an author and gobble up their books. even if it's not a series. just have more! great advice.

    love the video :)

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  15. Thank you Roland for this informative post :D
    So much wisdom comes from being brave~ Yes, great advice!!!

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  16. Ella:
    It's hard being brave. It's harder living with not being brave! :-)

    Words Crafter:

    Like you, I search for authors with whom I can follow from book to book. :-)

    klahanie:
    You're right. The best books are written to just one reader in the author's mind, making it an intimate, warm affair.

    Libby:
    You have a fun blog. And sometimes a great story takes several volumes to tell, doesn't it? :-)

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