tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post5042232159790238875..comments2024-03-18T06:16:18.802-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Guest Post by Chris EverheartJA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-82560233830410588742013-07-19T00:09:34.010-05:002013-07-19T00:09:34.010-05:00Most of my twitter followers are other authors spa...Most of my twitter followers are other authors spamming away with links to their books all day. I don't do this because that form of marketing not only doesn't work on me, it pisses me off and turns me off of that product.<br /><br />Do what works on you, and then go from there.Alistair McIntyrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08549555602692910018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-88259397070684148802013-07-18T22:48:31.344-05:002013-07-18T22:48:31.344-05:00Reading all the comments points out that a ton of ...Reading all the comments points out that a ton of us hate social networking and, in some cases - like mine - the very thought makes us physically ill. That's because we're Introverts. I suspect most writers are. Why else would we spend our days alone staring at a screen? I have seven romance novels on Amazon (most originally trad-published) but don't make enough to keep paying the gal I hired to put me on Facebook, Twitter, goodreads, etc, and can't force myself to do it. Catch 22.Phyllis Humphreynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-22189309624350548702013-07-18T21:39:34.762-05:002013-07-18T21:39:34.762-05:00I'm no good at the social media thing, either,...I'm no good at the social media thing, either, and even kind of dread it. But I'm even less good at the hand-shake schmoozing. Probably that means I'm screwed and will never be able to make a living from my writing, but on the other hand, there seem to be plenty of social-media maniacs and hand-shake schmoozers out there who aren't having any greater success than me. In the end, I'm hoping Merrill Heath is right, that what it really takes is a "damn entertaining book" and a lot of luck.<br /><br />But then again, even a "damn entertaining book" doesn't seem to get too far on its own. That's what I took from the J.K. Rowling/Cuckoo's Calling news-story that broke a few days ago. Supposedly it's a great book (I haven't read it myself), with plenty of critical acclaim. And yet it only managed to sell 1500 copies in eleven weeks. Then someone leaked the news that Rowling is the author, and the book sold 25K copies overnight.<br /><br />So maybe what you need is a damn good book and a lot of luck and a big name. But then again, there have been plenty of underdog author success stories making it rich with Kindle, too.<br /><br />So maybe it's luck that you need, more than anything else.M.F. Sorianohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07701702635814547705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-73708001974438213462013-07-18T20:18:58.778-05:002013-07-18T20:18:58.778-05:00I do content marketing, SEO, and social media for ...I do content marketing, SEO, and social media for a living and, like many others out here, write the rest of the time. I actually enjoy it, but I'm still spending all of my time trying to write the best book I can, get it edited, get myself a great cover, etc. I'll have a website and do social and email marketing when the time comes, but it's not a focus right now. When that time does come, I'll most likely concentrate on building an email list.<br /><br />Anyway, here's my take: Whatever social marketing doesn't feel right is probably something you shouldn't be doing anyway. I see a lot of people doing everything they can to build their following on Twitter (which often consists of other writers they traded follows with). That's sort of useful, I suppose, if you want to impress a potential agent with the size of your platform. But simply pumping "buy my book" messaging to other authors probably isn't worth as much effort as writing good books is.<br /><br />So write good books. And build an email list. And get your books in front of reviewers and blogs, but concentrate on getting your Amazon categories and your Amazon author page right. If you want to take the social dive, pick one, and get good at that. But there's nothing worse than compounding what you see as a failing by beating yourself up for that perceived failing.<br /><br />You can't do it all—not well, anyway. So choose your battles.<br /><br />Again, just my take. What do I know? I'm still finishing my first novel.Michael Alan Peckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17757406702223683469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-82167053777322023962013-07-18T18:07:22.586-05:002013-07-18T18:07:22.586-05:00I tried Twitter for about a week, and then gave up...I tried Twitter for about a week, and then gave up after I read a statement (and experienced it as well) that has resonated since .. I don't remember the exact words, but it was something along the lines of:<br /><br />Your twitter message has about 30 seconds to be seen, before it disappears in a pile of other twitter messages.<br /><br />30 seconds? Probably less on more active accounts. It was too temporal for me, and would have taken too much time away from actually writing, so I stopped.<br /><br />I have a Facebook fan page (its the URL I link to when commenting on blogs :D) which keeps me in the loop with people who like my work. It's still a challenge to get people involved, but it only takes a few minutes per week. <br /><br />I have a mailing list, and I am actively trying to add to it. I'm currently running a giveaway tied to my latest work, which is working well to capture email addresses of people who are already reading my books. It's been growing steadily in the 6 months I've been published.<br /><br />I have a full-time job. I can only write with the free time that is left during a week, so I have to be really thoughtful in terms of ROI. I've seen Joe say it before, and it's dead on... the best ROI you can have is to just keep writing. If you want to advertise - use Bookbub or Bookblast and hope for the best.<br /><br />That's my .02. I hope it helps somebody :D<br /><br />M.R. Forbeshttp://www.facebook.com/mrforbes.authornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-28591467831096366162013-07-18T16:10:02.385-05:002013-07-18T16:10:02.385-05:00Thanks for the article! I get overwhelmed with soc...Thanks for the article! I get overwhelmed with social media, too. By the way, Chris - when/where are you going to be in the Twin Cities? (I live in the area). Thanks again!Joel Arnoldhttp://authorjoelarnold.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-27691765058159775602013-07-18T13:19:07.126-05:002013-07-18T13:19:07.126-05:00My social anxiety is acting up, and to be honest I...My social anxiety is acting up, and to be honest I'm dreading even getting on Goodreads to make an announcement for my newest when I release it. (Dreading it more than the editing--I know, right?)<br /><br />So, for right now, I'm not even going to try. Just focus on what I can do right now and let the social media wait until I can handle it, or else do without.<br /><br />It seems to me that book giveaways do more to get my name out there than tweeting and such anyway, so I may stick with that. :)<br /><br />By the way, I have totally never heard this advice before:<br /><br /><i>Pass pout business cards. </i><br /><br />That is awesome. I've often wondered what the point of business cards were for writers, but now I know! To Pout! Possibly also smize. Oh yeah, I am so going to writer purgatory for that one... ;)<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-83476949795524718622013-07-18T12:18:56.891-05:002013-07-18T12:18:56.891-05:00Thanks for the great feedback and resources, you g...Thanks for the great feedback and resources, you guys! Glad to know there are others out there like me :)<br />Merrill - excellent comment! On the "Rogers Technology Adoption Curve" the Facebook-type communities of people you personally know would probably be the "Late Majority" - NOT who you want to be promoting to if you're trying to get a book/author to catch fire. <br />There are definitely better online options - like "Innovator" book bloggers, maybe the *right* people on Twitter ("Early Adopters"?). <br />That's another reason I like the idea of getting out there and meeting people - the ones who care enough to leave their couch and show up for an event may actually WANT to get a book, meet an author, have an experience, and advocate for you. <br />You can shake hands and take a pulse at the same time. <br />Now, I better get back to working on this next book!Chris Everhearthttp://chriseverheart.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-55805619294639211302013-07-18T12:00:50.097-05:002013-07-18T12:00:50.097-05:00If I sold my next novel to ALL of my facebook frie...If I sold my next novel to ALL of my facebook friends and twitter followers and subscribers to my blog I'd sell about 250 copies. In reality, most of those people don't buy my books.<br /><br />Word of mouth advertising sells books. By this I mean someone (who doesn't know you) reads your book and likes it enough to recommend it to other people (who don't know you). You accomplish this by writing a damn entertaining book and getting lucky in that some people stumble across it, read it, like it, and tell others about it.<br /><br />I rarely buy a novel based on what I read on facebook or twitter or a blog. I do occassionally buy books based on what I read on the author's web page. But, typically, the reason I'm on an author's web page is because I've already read something by him or her that I liked and I want to learn more about the author.<br /><br />To make a living in this profession you have to sell books to people you don't know, who don't follow you on twitter, or read your blog, or friend you on facebook. How much time do you want to spend on social media courting a few hundred people (who already know you) when you could spend that time writing another book that might actually be purchased by a whole bunch of people (who don't know you)?Merrill Heathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00164361657325279390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-63501213157499462942013-07-18T11:31:45.109-05:002013-07-18T11:31:45.109-05:00This was a particularly good post. I'm relativ...This was a particularly good post. I'm relatively good at blogging, but I can't keep up with Twitter. I like Pinterest, but not for promotion purposes. Facebook is fun, but I don't know what I'd do with it if I was actually trying to sell something.<br /><br />Your library idea caught my interest. I live in a small town. I know the library people; I even know some of the school people. This could work.<br /><br />Thanks for showing that there are multiple ways to do things. Let's make use of our strengths!<br /><br />{Also...I just downloaded The League of Delphi! Will definitely be reviewing on Goodreads once I finish.}Melodyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08846251713093236356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-70143737482943727082013-07-18T11:18:32.395-05:002013-07-18T11:18:32.395-05:00Chris, this is an area I struggle with, too. Touti...Chris, this is an area I struggle with, too. Touting myself and my work on the web is 100% uncomfortable. But being present and having fun with social networks can be a good break from writing, and reminds me how much support I've received and continue to receive from friends online. I've met so many great people, and had virtually no negative interactions in my two years as an indie author. Just keep having fun and reaching out. Best of luck with your books!J.R. Pearse Nelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00163199989017556255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-64585466287952757752013-07-18T10:57:19.281-05:002013-07-18T10:57:19.281-05:00Chris,
Sing it, brother!
I've been on social...Chris,<br /><br />Sing it, brother!<br /><br />I've been on social media because I'm "supposed to" but I don't find it fun for the most part. Facebook I can deal with but Twitter and the others confound me.<br /><br />Best of luck with your new release! Downloaded and will give a read as soon as I can.Alan Tuckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06003811594552160836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-35929071920833987702013-07-18T10:54:06.740-05:002013-07-18T10:54:06.740-05:00It's easy to get overwhelmed with the social m...It's easy to get overwhelmed with the social media thing. I have twitter and facebook accounts, but I'm rarely on them. I jump on a couple of times a week for less than five minutes at a time. It's just such a time suck.<br /><br />I think that your best form of promo are your books. <br /><br />Grabbed The League of Delphi. Looks great! Tracy Sharp - Author of the Leah Ryan Serieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12239533451929739327noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-28313728792479480472013-07-18T09:27:31.784-05:002013-07-18T09:27:31.784-05:00Chris,
First off, congrats on your book! The cove...Chris,<br /><br />First off, congrats on your book! The cover is very appealing, and I hope a lot of people buy your stuff so you become super rich! :-)<br /><br />I'd like to point you to Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch's blogs. (Google the names, because I'm too lazy to do the linking thing. ;-)) Their basic suggestion is to wait on the promo until you have a lot of books out there, that the best promo for your books is...to write more books!<br /><br />The more books you have available, the more of a chance you have of readers finding you. (And you already have one of Joe's things under your belt, in that you have a great cover.) Once you have around 8 or 9 books out there, then you can start to think about promo. (BTW, Dean and Kris have an online class on Promo coming up. Check Dean's site for all the details.)<br /><br />And, just on a personal note, I'm not a technophobe, but I rarely go on Twitter or Facebook simply because I usually don't find it fun. That's my tip - if you don't find it fun, don't do it. (My occasional forays to tweet or go on FB is strictly for fun, not promoting my latest book.)<br /><br />Again, good luck to you, and thanks for the interesting post.)Nancy Beckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06214579721075450777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-91943840352210929612013-07-18T09:27:15.973-05:002013-07-18T09:27:15.973-05:00In my experience, the most important thing is to s...In my experience, the most important thing is to set up a Facebook fan page (the internet moves quickly, so who knows what the next MySpace or Facebook will be - for now, it's Facebook) and then communicate with fans. Invite them to ask questions, and make sure to respond to as many people as possible. A lot of the diehard fans I have came from my willingness to communicate with them.A.R. Wisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14848895060244306645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-10280567584528137692013-07-18T08:59:33.313-05:002013-07-18T08:59:33.313-05:00You can still connect with people one on one in th...You can still connect with people one on one in this digital age. I have 4,000+ Facebook followers and I carry on individual off-line (PM) conversations with several at a time. <br /><br />And when their individual birthdays come up - FB alerts me and I send them a personal message.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-65352168041467410082013-07-18T08:58:14.645-05:002013-07-18T08:58:14.645-05:00I understand Chris. Still working on my novels, I...I understand Chris. Still working on my novels, I decided to hit social media hard last year and get my name out there beforehand. 500 followers on Twitter, updating my blog as fast as I could think of something to say (even if it was just reviewing movies, TV Shows, and books or telling embarrassing stories about myself), and getting my Klout score to name but a few ways I did it. I spent entire days I wasn't working (at the time I was averaging 60+ hours a week at work) doing the social media thing instead of actually writing, trying to get myself ready for the day that I would be published. 14 or so months later I'm still working on getting myself published, barely commenting on my blog, rarely posting on Twitter (aside from what Goodreads is allowed to post on my behalf), and I don't even have Klout favorited anymore. Not the same things, but I get how frustrating and hard the social media thing can be. <br /><br />I'm going to post a link to your free book on Amazon on my FB and Twitter though (I still have 500+ followers on Twitter) and try to help you get your name and book out there some more. Best of luck!<br /><br />TimTimothy S. Villa aka TGCVersion3Point0https://www.blogger.com/profile/00711911105181873453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-82171169452076948372013-07-18T08:48:09.012-05:002013-07-18T08:48:09.012-05:00I collect my favourite links on marketing here: ht...I collect my favourite links on marketing here: http://esther-ijustlivehere.blogspot.com/p/marketing.htmlEsther Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07688983385593428361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-14795908833916203142013-07-18T08:46:53.348-05:002013-07-18T08:46:53.348-05:00THANK YOU Joe, and to everyone who donated to the ...THANK YOU Joe, and to everyone who donated to the Alzheimer's campaign. Not only did we reach our goal, we exceeded it, and more donations are still coming in. I'm thrilled to be sending my own check for $25,000 to Scripps Research Institute, to match the funds that many of you so generously donated. The scientists at Scripps thank you too!<br /><br />Joe, if there's ever anything I can do for you -- you got it.<br /><br />Tess Tess Gerritsenhttp://www.tessgerritsen.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-43198718787963872202013-07-18T08:25:17.551-05:002013-07-18T08:25:17.551-05:00Agreed. The social thing is hard to do. This is ev...Agreed. The social thing is hard to do. This is even more true for those of us with kids and have not yet been able to make a living from our writing. It's nice to see someone else that is achieving success has had the same difficulties. Being a writer that wants to write and not socialize/pimp his stuff 24/7, I envy Joe for his lifestyle and thank Chris for admitting his "problem" to us all.Barryhttp://www.barrynpaier.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com