One of the most important issues with any platform is maintaining healthy relationships. You can establish an online presence with social media and advetise your book there. But unless you make an effort to interact with people and maintain a relationship, you're not going to make as many sales as you would do if you were sociable.
Another author said last week that people will buy you, not your product.
With this in mind I formed a plan.
I started to think of people who interact with me on a regular basis. People on Facebook, LinkedIn, my blog, Twitter, and Goodreads. These are all people who are already reading what I have to say, so they're more likely to respond if I interact with them further.
Whatever I do I musn't ignore these people. I look at them as fans. And why would you want to ignore your fans?
I will always respond to every email they send, and I will always thank them for retweeting information for me. After all, they are helping me to build a bigger platform so the least I can do is thank them. And I will always make the effort to return the favour.
I then started to think of people who I admire in the online community. I thought of ways I can build up a relationship with them, to show them I'm a fan. Retweeting information for them is always a useful thing to do. And I always make an effort to comment on their blogs. If you see an opportunity to do someone a favour and help build their network, they will always respond to you in a positive manner.
Tuesday, 12 July 2011
Friday, 8 July 2011
What Makes a Successful Author?
Over the last few weeks I have come across many articles that talk about successful authors. These people are successful because they have been able to make a living from writing.
I must have read at least a hundred of these articles and yet they all seem to say the same thing. Here is my conclusion:
I must have read at least a hundred of these articles and yet they all seem to say the same thing. Here is my conclusion:
- Authors have to write a lot of books. Some authors like James Patterson have had over fifty bestsellers, and this particular author now has nearly one book out every month. I think this is probably one of the most important points. Everyone who is a successful author has plenty of books to their name.
- Know what you're good at and stick to it. Names like Jilly Cooper and Catherine Cookson fit in with a particular genre. Most people will know what they write and they know what the book offers the reader. If you're a writer that likes to write under several different genres, have a different name for each. Famous names are brand names and the readers know exactly what they will get.
- Write a book which can be part of a series. If you write a novel that people love they will be eager to read more of your work. And if that book is part of a series you can almost guarantee that people who loved the book will want to buy future books.
- Overnight success rarely happens. Most successful authors have been around a while and most of them didn't find success over night. They have success now and they share one important factor: they have stuck around.
- Write in a poular genre. These books will always be of interest to the general public.
- Keep books cheap. This is true for ebooks especially. My book, although it's not in a popular genre, is certainly cheap. I've kept it at a low price because I'm a first time author with only one book out at the moment. But my book is still selling okay. I seem to sell a few more copies each week.
- Have an eye catching cover and a good blurb. Something that will intrigue readers enough so they will become curious enough to buy it.
- Be consistent with what you do. Get into the community, whether that be in the real world or online, and talk to people and try and help them. If people like you then they will be more likely to buy your book.
- Build up as many platforms as you can, especially if you've written an ebook. These online platforms enable the whole world to see your book. Good author platforms include Smashwords, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony, Diesel, Lulu, and Manic Readers.
Tuesday, 5 July 2011
Ten Ways to Write Quality Blog Posts
1. Write short, well spaced out blog posts.
It's easier for the reader to scan over the information and pick out key points in a short amount of time. Highlight important text in bold so it stands out even more.
2. Make the layout of your blog look professional.
Limit the use of flashing gadgets/widgets and photographs too. Have a neutral background with a clear, no frills font. Use black ink. Don't have white text on a black background or you run the risk of people becoming snow blind. Be gentle on your readers eyes, especially if they're anything like me and read dozens of blogs everyday.
3. Have your own unique voice.
Don't try to sound like someone else. If your posts reflect your individuality, what you say will stand out more.
4. Organise yourself.
Spend less time participating in trivial matters. Use that time wisely to post to your blog instead.
5. Don't worry about perfection.
No one is flawless. If you worry about perfection your writing will reflect this. You need to sound confident as well as assertive.
6. Take a pen and paper with you wherever you go to jot down brief notes.
You'll probably get a lightbulb idea when it's inconvenient to write it down.
7. Don't feel you have to know absolutely everything when you blog.
Your experiences are learning curves and you want to share your information with others to make it easier on them if they go through similar things.
8. Ask questions to generate conversations.
Make your followers feel like they're part of a discussion.
9. Write when you want to and you're feeling lucid.
You're more likely to type interesting and intelligent articles then.
10. Keep in mind the questions people ask you for future posts.
Consider expanding the questions so you can use them as a base for the next article you post.
It's easier for the reader to scan over the information and pick out key points in a short amount of time. Highlight important text in bold so it stands out even more.
2. Make the layout of your blog look professional.
Limit the use of flashing gadgets/widgets and photographs too. Have a neutral background with a clear, no frills font. Use black ink. Don't have white text on a black background or you run the risk of people becoming snow blind. Be gentle on your readers eyes, especially if they're anything like me and read dozens of blogs everyday.
3. Have your own unique voice.
Don't try to sound like someone else. If your posts reflect your individuality, what you say will stand out more.
4. Organise yourself.
Spend less time participating in trivial matters. Use that time wisely to post to your blog instead.
5. Don't worry about perfection.
No one is flawless. If you worry about perfection your writing will reflect this. You need to sound confident as well as assertive.
6. Take a pen and paper with you wherever you go to jot down brief notes.
You'll probably get a lightbulb idea when it's inconvenient to write it down.
7. Don't feel you have to know absolutely everything when you blog.
Your experiences are learning curves and you want to share your information with others to make it easier on them if they go through similar things.
8. Ask questions to generate conversations.
Make your followers feel like they're part of a discussion.
9. Write when you want to and you're feeling lucid.
You're more likely to type interesting and intelligent articles then.
10. Keep in mind the questions people ask you for future posts.
Consider expanding the questions so you can use them as a base for the next article you post.
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Qualities Needed For Online Marketing
28th June
Using the internet to connect with potential fans of your book is a brilliant marketing strategy. But before you start perfecting your social media plan, consider these points.
If you have all the qualities mentioned above then you are already several steps ahead for creating an optimistic strategy. But to ensure your marketing plan stays healthy, your expectations must remain realistic.
The most important thing to remember is however many people you may engage with, however many potential fans you may meet, you still might not have great sales. If you're willing to invest the effort in social media to spread the word about your book by building relationships with readers and other writers, you'll always have the potential to build more sales. Serendipity also plays a part. People may come across you with no intention of buying your book, but they might tell someone else, and so on. If you're active online, a positive person, and you believe in your book, there's no saying where you might end up.
Using the internet to connect with potential fans of your book is a brilliant marketing strategy. But before you start perfecting your social media plan, consider these points.
- Do you have the energy to invest in the time that it takes to engage an online audience. To effectively build an audience, you have to spend a certain amount of time each day on sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and You Tube.
- Are you willing to take time out to interact with your fans, and respond to them on a personal level. Your fans are the most important people of all time, so you should try your very best to build up a relationship with them.
- Do you want to share the wisdom you have gained from writing with other people. If you help people in the short term, they're more likely to respond to you in the long term.
If you have all the qualities mentioned above then you are already several steps ahead for creating an optimistic strategy. But to ensure your marketing plan stays healthy, your expectations must remain realistic.
The most important thing to remember is however many people you may engage with, however many potential fans you may meet, you still might not have great sales. If you're willing to invest the effort in social media to spread the word about your book by building relationships with readers and other writers, you'll always have the potential to build more sales. Serendipity also plays a part. People may come across you with no intention of buying your book, but they might tell someone else, and so on. If you're active online, a positive person, and you believe in your book, there's no saying where you might end up.
Friday, 24 June 2011
How to Handle Criticism
24th June
Authors have a fantastic job of writing things down and putting these stories out for the world to see. People read our work all the time but sometimes their response to it isn't what we had hoped for. Writers love to get feedback off their fans, who doesn't love it when someone else thinks their fabulous? But what happens when people leave negative remarks or spiteful comments. How are you going to deal with them?
1. The most important thing to do is keep everything said in perspective. Negative feedback is not how the entire world sees your writing. It is one persons view. There are people out there who won't agree with the review because every single person is different. And unfortunately this means that there will always be negative feedback towards your writing, as well as all the positive reviews. No matter what we write, there will always be people who dislike it.
2. Look for positives. Once you're over the initial sting of the criticism, read the review again. Is there anything that's constructive that you can learn from? Does the person try to help you with advice? Thank them if they do and keep their advice in mind. If it's a personal attack then nothing can be gained from listening to their spiteful remarks so the best thing you can do is move on.
3. Do not stoop down to their level. If the criticism was malicious, just ignore it. If you don't respond at all, the person responsible for the attack can't get any more pleasure from seeing you hurt. Dealing with these sorts of people is usually just a waste of energy anyway. Direct your energy towards more positive things instead.
4. Don't let it get to you. After we've seen harsh criticism, our confidence is knocked. We don't want to write anymore, we don't want to promote our next book. But if we don't write anymore we have let this person win. Don't let that happen.
Remember, if our work is available online there are more opportunities for negative criticism. People who post nasty remarks often do so because they can remain completely annonymous. They might not feel so brave if everyone knew who they were.
Authors have a fantastic job of writing things down and putting these stories out for the world to see. People read our work all the time but sometimes their response to it isn't what we had hoped for. Writers love to get feedback off their fans, who doesn't love it when someone else thinks their fabulous? But what happens when people leave negative remarks or spiteful comments. How are you going to deal with them?
1. The most important thing to do is keep everything said in perspective. Negative feedback is not how the entire world sees your writing. It is one persons view. There are people out there who won't agree with the review because every single person is different. And unfortunately this means that there will always be negative feedback towards your writing, as well as all the positive reviews. No matter what we write, there will always be people who dislike it.
2. Look for positives. Once you're over the initial sting of the criticism, read the review again. Is there anything that's constructive that you can learn from? Does the person try to help you with advice? Thank them if they do and keep their advice in mind. If it's a personal attack then nothing can be gained from listening to their spiteful remarks so the best thing you can do is move on.
3. Do not stoop down to their level. If the criticism was malicious, just ignore it. If you don't respond at all, the person responsible for the attack can't get any more pleasure from seeing you hurt. Dealing with these sorts of people is usually just a waste of energy anyway. Direct your energy towards more positive things instead.
4. Don't let it get to you. After we've seen harsh criticism, our confidence is knocked. We don't want to write anymore, we don't want to promote our next book. But if we don't write anymore we have let this person win. Don't let that happen.
Remember, if our work is available online there are more opportunities for negative criticism. People who post nasty remarks often do so because they can remain completely annonymous. They might not feel so brave if everyone knew who they were.
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Should You Ever Stop Marketing Your Book?
So I have published my book online as an ebook. I have researched all I can about marketing, and noted the importance of doing most of the marketing work myself. And then I've started to think that this is what my life will be like from now on. This is what I'll have to do for eternity. From the amount of work I have already put into my first book, I am already exhausted. What on earth is my life going to be like when I publish the next ten. Am I actually going to have a life outside writing and marketing? Living my life as I am currently doing, the answer is no. But then I remember a few things to make me feel slightly better.
- My book will take a long time to age because my content is not dated. I haven't written a book on how to ensure you get a ticket for the London Common Wealth games in 2012. Even if my book takes twenty years to find its reader, to them it will still be brand new.
- As I have placed my book online, it will always be there and people will still be able to find it if they follow the hyperlinks to it.
- Generations keep growing. There will always be new people who have never heard of my book. The world does not stop turning.
- I can relaunch my book if I want to. By re-releasing it, I can hopefully capture the buzz that was there when I first released it. I can promote my book all over again by participating in new book tours. Other writers' can relaunch their book if they have written about an event in the world that has just happened in real life. For example, if an author has written about a severe earthquake in Japan.
- I can still mention my old book when I am promoting the new ones. I can still Tweet about my old books, and I can still mention the books in my blog. Writers generally say that when they've got more books out, they sell more of all of them. If a reader likes a particular author, then there's more chance of them reading the entire work of that author.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)