Today I have the awesome Gary Gauthier from Literary Snippets! I'll be hanging out at Pam Hawley's blog so don't forget to wing by there when you've finished here. Take it away Gary -
Putting the CartBefore the Horse
You’ve made the decision to publish your manuscript as an ebook. Your work is amanifestation of creative genius. Your prose is polished and the manuscript hasbeen professionally edited. Your book cover is a work of art and the contentsare all properly formatted as an ebook. You’ve got a winner! You launch yourbook with great fanfare, your friends and relatives purchase it, and after afew weeks you begin to realize that nobody is interested in your book.
You’ve made the decision to publish your manuscript as an ebook. Your work is amanifestation of creative genius. Your prose is polished and the manuscript hasbeen professionally edited. Your book cover is a work of art and the contentsare all properly formatted as an ebook. You’ve got a winner! You launch yourbook with great fanfare, your friends and relatives purchase it, and after afew weeks you begin to realize that nobody is interested in your book.
In a different scenario, everybody’s heard of the author whobelieves they have a great manuscript but can’t get a publishing house to signa book deal with them. This situation can only become worse in an environmentwhere large publishers are facing mounting competitive pressure fromindependents. Publishers increasingly want the authors they sign to have arecognizable brand or a following. This helps them to reduce the risk of makinga bad investment in a new author.In both cases, there may be nothing wrong with your book except that you didn'tcreate a market for it. Last month, I read a blog post by author, Julia King,which answers the provocative question “Who is the only person who can sellyour book?” Her answer is “Youand Only You!” Yep, that’s right, it’s YOUR job.
Here are some items to keep in mind:
o You don’t have to be among the best writers.
o Anyone can build a social-media following.
o Social media allows you to market your brand for free!
o Your followers are interested in you and your brand.
o Marketing your brand means sharing what you care about.
Let's address the first point. What’s that? Your prosedoesn’t compare favorably to that of Edith Wharton? Don’t worry about it!Download and read the free previews of Amanda Hocking’s books. You may bepleasantly surprised to find your prose does compare favorably to hers. Shesold over a million books in less than a year. Remember: You don’t have to be the best.I am convinced that anyone canquickly build a substantial following using free social-media platforms.How do I know? Well, it's working for me and I’ve been at it fewer than threemonths. And if someone as uninterestingas I am can build a following, just imagine what you can do!
One of the reasons theestablished publishing houses are feeling the heat of competition is thatsocial media allows anyone to market their brand essentially for free. Sure,you’ve got to be creative and work at it. No one is saying it's easy. But theupside is, it works and there are lotsof free tools.
Marketing Your Brand
All your Facebook friends and most of your twitter followers won’t buy yourbook. Sorry, I hope I didn’t disillusion you. But a percentage of them will buyit and a smaller percentage will love it. Why is that? Most likely, your bookwill touch on topics, themes and values that, in one way or another, are a partof your life. Your social media interactions should also reflect who you areand some of the things that you value. If your friends and followers love youfor who you are (your brand), some of them will love your book for the samereasons. Your social media followers areinterested in your brand. Find ways to build on that interest. Share what you care about with your followers.A worthy goal for yourupcoming book career as a writer is to make asmany people as possible intimately familiar with your brand.
Marketing Your Brand
All your Facebook friends and most of your twitter followers won’t buy yourbook. Sorry, I hope I didn’t disillusion you. But a percentage of them will buyit and a smaller percentage will love it. Why is that? Most likely, your bookwill touch on topics, themes and values that, in one way or another, are a partof your life. Your social media interactions should also reflect who you areand some of the things that you value. If your friends and followers love youfor who you are (your brand), some of them will love your book for the samereasons. Your social media followers areinterested in your brand. Find ways to build on that interest. Share what you care about with your followers.A worthy goal for your
Do you sometimes see social-media interactions as a waste ofyour valuable time and not as an investment in your brand?
***
Gary is working on his first novel, a crime thriller set in New Orleans just beforeHurricane Katrina's landfall. His blog, Literary Snippets, gives him anopportunity to express and share his appreciation for art and literature. Heoccasionally posts articles as well. Some of his favorite writers are ThomasHardy, Charles Dickens, George Eliot, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe.But this changes from time to time. Stay tuned! Follow him on Twitter and Google Plus.
41 comments:
Social media is an incredible resource for writers (both published and unpublished). It's never too early to start building your platform!
Wise advice today. Branding is so important these days as a recognizable quality to our work. It does identify us to our readers. Thanks for sharing!
Excellent advice. Social media is definitely a great way to spread the word, and I agree with Ava Jae--it's never too early to build your platform and readership!
Great advice! :)
Angela @ The Bookshelf Muse
Interesting. Thanks for sharing your encouragement and advice!
Does blogging cause it's fun count?
This is awesome Jennie. Very informative. :)
Interesting post. Thanks for sharing!
I really liked this. Lot's of sound advice that makes even the less known feel they can market themselves before the product is out. Thanks, Jen!
Wow, I just got my education today! Thanks, super informative.
@Ava Jae I agree with you Java, social media is an "incredible resource," and like all resources, we have to put it to wise and productive use. Thanks!
Thanks for commenting Joanne. You are right in recognizing the importance of branding. It's not just for Coke and Pepsi. An author is going to end up with a brand, anyway, for better or for worse. So, why not take an active role in molding and building a strong, positive brand?
Hi Cortney, Thanks for commenting. Couldn't agree with you more regarding "it's never too early." Time is a precious commodity, and if we wait til the last minute, there won't be enough of it!
Thanks for commenting Angela. I'm glad you found the post helpful.
Thank you Faith. I'm glad you found the post encouraging and helpful. Sometimes, a little encouragement can go a long way!
Sarah, Blogging certainly counts, and if it's fun, so much the better! In my opinion, your blog is the premier way to market your brand. It's there you'll have the best opportunity to share and to showcase your talents.
Thanks for visiting, Abby. I'm glad you found the post informative.
Thanks for stopping by and for commenting Cherie.
That's great advice! Thanks for sharing, Gary, and thanks for hosting, J.A. :)
ER King, I'm glad you found the post helpful. What's good for car and computer companies (marketing your brand) is also good for authors!
Thanks. This was great advice.
Hi Jessie! Thanks for visiting and for the awfully kind sentiments. I'm glad I was able to shed a little light on the topic.
I'm happy you stopped by, David. Thanks for commenting. I'm here to serve!
All excellent tips! I just wish I had a book to launch right now. Soon....soon.
Thanks for visiting Erin, and don't wait for the launch!
Good points :)
I'm with Sara...if it wasn't so fun, I wouldn't be blogging.
And you need to give yourself a bit more credit Gary. Re: "if someone as uninteresting as I am can build a following, just imagine what you can do!" << OUCH!
Marketing is my least favorite thing in the sense that I NEVER want people to think that I'm only following them for the follow back. BUT on that same note - I've met some really fun people while spreading word about my book.
@Rachel CotterillThanks for stopping by Rachel. I hope you found the article valuable.
@jennyhansenauthor Hi Jenny! Thanks for visiting. I thought I'd use myself for some comic relief. Actually, I have a handful of friends who find me interesting on occasion. Plus, I know you think I'm interesting!
@Jolene PerryHi Jolene, there was a period when I was testing my comfort zone also. My suggestion is to do what comes naturally at first and see where it leads. I couldn't see any value in twitter until just a few months ago and certainly didn't see it as a mode of communication that suited my personality. Now, I use it a couple of times a day.
Thanks for being part of the conversation.
Great overview of social media's importance to author brand. I'm amazed at some success stories out there. James Redfield drove cross-state for months handing out and networking with private bookstores for months before a Publisher picked up and reprinted his book The Celestine Prophecy, which has a been a bestseller for 3 years. That's a pretty amazing story!
@jesswords10Thanks for commenting, Jess. I read the Celestine Prophecy years ago. I had no idea there was such an interesting marketing story behind it. I probably never would have heard of Redfield's book if he didn't market it to bestseller status.
I don't see any social platforms as not valuable... It's just that some *cough*blogging*cough are WAY easier than others *cough*twitter*cough*.
Thanks Gary for sharing your insights. Social networking is important, but so time consuming that I find I spend more time on my platform then writing. That frustrates me. Great advice. Can't believe I've met someone who has read Edith Wharton. My husband's uncle is a composer, and he wrote an opera around one of her short stories, "Roman Fever."
Peggy, I think you exceeded the 140 char limit. :) You are certainly right in pointing out that some platforms are easier than others, and each has its limitations. Some folks swear by twitter; I'm just starting to figure it out.
Thanks for visiting! #willfollow
Hi Patricia, thanks for your comments. I agree 100 percent. Sometimes I spend a significant portion of the day on social media postings and I feel like it's taking me away from more important things. We have to find a balance that works.
Good advice. and that dog cartoon is real funny.
Thanks Aguilar for your supportive comments. The cartoon is a classic!
great post and good luck with your novel :)
V, I'm just seeing your comment now. Sorry it took me so long. Thanks for visiting and for the good wishes. I just finished writing my guest post for this week's LLC Friday. See you at the event!
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