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Agreed, Rachael. Slow and steady wins the race. It is amazing how many “serious” authors have a fit at the idea of paid advertising. As you said, write more books. Finish a series. Finish two series. Finish three series…and all the while build your fan base. I have fans now, real fans, who actively engage with me on my author Facebook page and who are happily standing in line waiting for the next one. It will continue to grow, and one day, just maybe, i can go full time 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
ReplyThanks for commenting, Susan. Yes, it’s a long process. I’ve been at it for about 5 years now and with all the ups and downs, still can’t live on my profits. If I wrote only for profit, I’d be in the wrong business! With four books down (two that sell decently but nowhere near great), and two more due out this year, hopefully that will change, but I’m in this for the long haul as well.
Having realistic expectations in a crowded market is important for any author, and marketing smart is crucial. thanks again for reading and break a leg, girl.
ReplyI follow a lot of authors on Twitter, mostly because it’s my platform of choice for reaching authors … who are the target readers of my non-fiction books (I’m loving Instagram as a way of connecting with fiction bloggers and readers).
The sad result of this Twitter strategy is that my feed is full of boring “buy my book” tweets. A handful of authors (e.g. Rayne Hall) have managed to make these interesting … mostly by tweeting content from their books that persuades me it might be a good idea to buy/read them. But most of the rest? No.
ReplyYes, that can be frustrating, Iola. My business demographic is also authors and I do see a lot of the same on Twitter however, through building relationships and interacting, and providing helpful, practical content, I’ve built a strong fan base who are eager to purchase my first business book (sent out in a free ‘challenge’ via email earlier this year) — my non-business books are branded differently and under a totally different author account.
It’s all in the process and again, identifying your demo and building those relationships. Subscriber lists are key, I find, for successful interactions if you’re looking to connect with readers at a business level.
ReplyAs usual, great tips here. I am slowly working my way through them! Agree about blog tours..I host many -and VERY FEW of the authors bother to take them up and repost links ..tut tut..I can’t be expected to do all the work! Another area I’ve found very useful for exposure is blogging for a bit established site. I’m now a featured blogger for SixtyandMe ..they have over 30 thou followers and let me have a full bio with links. It’s a great way to connect with other people who might not necessarily seek your books, but might once they read your stuff. Keep up the good work!
ReplyThank you for the lovely feedback, Carol and insights into your own experience! Having a regular gig like that is GREAT — good on you! That’s terrific exposure and visibility for you, and as you say, opens you up to an entirely new audience. Perfect example of increasing visibility and also, building relationships with a new readership.
Yea, as for blog tours, it’s a tough call — many authors just don’t do the work to make the most of the blog tour stops (visiting each stop, sharing and posting, interacting with the blog tour host), so it’s kind of a ‘meh’ overall. However, it can be helpful from a visibility/SEO perspective so for that alone, could be worth it. xx
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ReplyI’ve always seen Twitter as being the place to hang out and chat to people. Sure, I share blog links to my content, and I share the links of other people, but I rarely do those “BUY MY BOOK PLEEEEEEASE!” tweets because they irritate me when I see them – why would I do them myself?! I’ve met a lot of cool authors on Twitter whose books I’ve gone to check out purely because I enjoyed chatting about random stuff with them, or I liked their blog. Relationship marketing goes a long way to helping you connect to potential readers, but also just good people.
ReplyExactly, Icy! Twitter is a great discovery and relationship tool, as well as listening and market research as well. I’m always amazed at how the constant spamming of links gets people very little interaction, yet they don’t notice because they’re so automated. Their loss, I guess!
ReplyIt honestly all seems awfully overwhelming. I have to remember that there’s no rush, which is good because with a full-time job, a wife who works and is in a double Masters program, and various and sundry just life things, I’ve got my hands full just trying to get enough sleep. I’m still listening to you though and trying to get back into writing because I miss my characters, and there are so many more stories for me to tell.
ReplyHi Doug! You do have a lot going on, and that’s something all of us deal with. Making the time, right? That’s where tools like Hootsuite, Buffer, ManageFlitter, and others come in handy. A little here and there can help us make and grow connections. Be selective and protective of your time, keep writing, and it will happen as you make it happen. Sending you good vibes, fella.
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