Good morning, everyone!!!
I thought today I would post a blog on the fun and exciting business end of writing. Now mind you by no means am I an expert because frankly this business changes all too frequently for anyone to be an expert in this area. I do believe in sharing what I’ve learned over the course of time J
One thing I tell all authors, published and unpublished, get your name out there. What I mean by this is, whatever name you plan on publishing under, use it like you own it. This means, put it out there, website, blog, facebook, twitter, google+, any social media you have you need to introduce your author self.
When doing so, think like an author, whether published or unpublished. Be what you wish to become. Don’t hold back. Don’t be afraid to let people know you are an aspiring author. There’s nothing wrong with that. Even if you’re not close to getting published, I started blogging long before publication to help start building a readership.
Now mind you, you don’t have to bog down the social media with your knowledge on writing, because writers are only a small part of the target audience, remember, building readership, that’s the ultimate goal.
Yes, your writer friends read too, BUT, the purpose of this is to broaden your spectrum, get your author name, genre, and happy little author face out there to people who don’t know you.
I talk with readers a good deal. I want to see what works and doesn’t work for them. So whenever the opportunity comes up don’t be afraid to ask a reader, “What are your thoughts on how authors handle social media?” You’d be surprised at some of the answers.
Is there such a thing as overdoing social media? Yes, very much so. One of the major complaints I’ve heard is the ‘buy me’ campaign. If you’re broadcasting morning, noon, and night with the same posts day in and day out, people are going to start passing you over. Be mindful, considerate, and share you not just your books.
They love to know when we have a new release, but they don’t want their newsfeeds to be so bogged down with that release that there’s no room for anything else. However, they do enjoy tidbits from their favorite new author’s life, giving them a sense of getting to know them.
We are in a day and age where people from all over the world can socialize with you at any given moment of any given day. Use this to build relationships with your readers. Word of mouth is still the best advertisement out there, especially when it comes to readers.
“Hey, have you read anything by this new author__________??? Oh my word, her book _____________ is awesome.”
This is what sales books. So always remember, write and publish the best work possible.
Social media, websites, and blogging make the author human, not mechanical, so remember that when you are putting your author name out there.
Another thing you should never be afraid of doing is sharing snippets from your works. Teasers as some call them. Most publishing houses will allow you to share 10% of your works, which depending on the size of your story could be a little bit or a lot more than you think.
If you are a brand new author, you want to get your works in front of readers. Sadly, some readers won’t try new authors unless they can get a sample of how you write. Not every style is for every reader. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this. A reader may enjoy a certain genre, however, even in that genre they enjoy a particular style. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with giving them a taste to check out your unique storytelling to help them decide if your style is something they may want to try.
Just remember, friends, cyber and otherwise, buy your books, they talk your books up, they are your biggest supporters. So use these tools to build and maintain friendships. And most of all never forget, keep writing. J
Everyone have a lovely day!!!
Blessings to all!!!
I thought today I would post a blog on the fun and exciting business end of writing. Now mind you by no means am I an expert because frankly this business changes all too frequently for anyone to be an expert in this area. I do believe in sharing what I’ve learned over the course of time J
One thing I tell all authors, published and unpublished, get your name out there. What I mean by this is, whatever name you plan on publishing under, use it like you own it. This means, put it out there, website, blog, facebook, twitter, google+, any social media you have you need to introduce your author self.
When doing so, think like an author, whether published or unpublished. Be what you wish to become. Don’t hold back. Don’t be afraid to let people know you are an aspiring author. There’s nothing wrong with that. Even if you’re not close to getting published, I started blogging long before publication to help start building a readership.
Now mind you, you don’t have to bog down the social media with your knowledge on writing, because writers are only a small part of the target audience, remember, building readership, that’s the ultimate goal.
Yes, your writer friends read too, BUT, the purpose of this is to broaden your spectrum, get your author name, genre, and happy little author face out there to people who don’t know you.
I talk with readers a good deal. I want to see what works and doesn’t work for them. So whenever the opportunity comes up don’t be afraid to ask a reader, “What are your thoughts on how authors handle social media?” You’d be surprised at some of the answers.
Is there such a thing as overdoing social media? Yes, very much so. One of the major complaints I’ve heard is the ‘buy me’ campaign. If you’re broadcasting morning, noon, and night with the same posts day in and day out, people are going to start passing you over. Be mindful, considerate, and share you not just your books.
They love to know when we have a new release, but they don’t want their newsfeeds to be so bogged down with that release that there’s no room for anything else. However, they do enjoy tidbits from their favorite new author’s life, giving them a sense of getting to know them.
We are in a day and age where people from all over the world can socialize with you at any given moment of any given day. Use this to build relationships with your readers. Word of mouth is still the best advertisement out there, especially when it comes to readers.
“Hey, have you read anything by this new author__________??? Oh my word, her book _____________ is awesome.”
This is what sales books. So always remember, write and publish the best work possible.
Social media, websites, and blogging make the author human, not mechanical, so remember that when you are putting your author name out there.
Another thing you should never be afraid of doing is sharing snippets from your works. Teasers as some call them. Most publishing houses will allow you to share 10% of your works, which depending on the size of your story could be a little bit or a lot more than you think.
If you are a brand new author, you want to get your works in front of readers. Sadly, some readers won’t try new authors unless they can get a sample of how you write. Not every style is for every reader. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this. A reader may enjoy a certain genre, however, even in that genre they enjoy a particular style. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with giving them a taste to check out your unique storytelling to help them decide if your style is something they may want to try.
Just remember, friends, cyber and otherwise, buy your books, they talk your books up, they are your biggest supporters. So use these tools to build and maintain friendships. And most of all never forget, keep writing. J
Everyone have a lovely day!!!
Blessings to all!!!