Facebook also has groups that you can join to talk about your books or your genre. I started a group called “Fantasy Novels You Have To Read” as a way of branching out and connecting with people who love epic fantasy but who haven’t necessarily read any of my books. It gives me a chance to talk about the things I’m interested in and let people know when I release a new book. But 90 percent of the posts in that group are about books and movies that people love, not about me. And when authors join our group and simply want to spam us with ads about their book, we ban them. I say “we” because as the group grew I recruited some of the more active members to be administrators. You don’t have to do all the work yourself; your readers and fans will be happy to help.
If you get stuck or feel lost just getting started, follow these tips. Talk about what is happening to you in the moment rather than just repeating past accomplishments. Talk about what you’re reading, what you’re watching, how your work makes you feel, and the interesting things you see. Pictures inspire more interest than words, and short videos are the hot thing on social media. Most importantly, stay positive. People don’t want to follow you if you are complaining all the time. You might be struggling through the worst experiences of your life, but do your best to put a positive spin on whatever you post.
There are also gathering places online where people meet to talk about books. Many have places for authors to share their work. Readers are just as hungry to discover their next great read as you are to tell them about your book. I like Kindle Boards since my ebooks are sold exclusively with Amazon. There are thousands of people who read through the message boards. The great thing about message boards is that the people reading them are already interested in your subject matter. Once again, don’t just advertise your book. You can talk about it, but remember to share not sell: share how it is doing, share any news or updates, and share how it relates to the topic being discussed. Do your best to compose your comments in ways that open people up to talking with you about your book or the topic at hand. It may be as simple as saying, “I’m an author and when I write about crime I like my detectives to be….” Hopefully you get the picture. Don’t sell, just share by opening yourself up to people who might want to respond. That’s a great way to build a readership.
Your goal should be to spend a little bit of time each day (10-30 minutes) on social media talking about your book, your writing, or some positive aspect of your life. Think about this: if you spend a little time every day online and manage to gain just one new reader a week, in a year you’ll have 52 readers. These people will aways be interested in your next book, or in other books you’ve written. Fifty-two people may not seem like many, but imagine selling 50 books the day you publish. Those kinds of numbers can bump you onto the best selling genre lists and snowball into even more sales. You may be anxious to see big results immediately, but remember that marketing takes time and effort—it’s a marathon, not a sprint. And for every reader you get, the momentum will build and your career will grow.
Website & Mailing List
Every author needs a website and it is ridiculously easy to get one these days. Don’t feel like you need to spend thousands of dollars building something from scratch, just find a domain name that works for you and begin with a simple, template site. There are many good website hosting companies, like GoDaddy.com and SquareSpace.com. Just do a search online for website hosting. Many have an introductory offer, sometimes for the first full year of hosting.
Some writers like to blog, and if you are one of those people then go all in on a blog site, the kind that lets you not only post your blogs, but works almost like a website with different pages, a navigable menu, etc. The most important thing about your website is that it points back to your books on whatever online retailer you use. Pointing back means that there are links that take people directly to the retailer’s page with your work. On my website every book cover and title is a link back to that book’s Amazon page.
Your website should be a longer version of the biography that you use in your books or in mail outs. It’s a great place to have a full press kit, with your history, accomplishments, and links to your work. Keep in mind that Internet search engines have automated programs that read all the text on your website and record keywords. The more you have about yourself and your books, the more likely it’ll be that people will find you when they google your name or book title.
Websites are also a great way to connect with readers. My website averages about 1,500 visits a month, and I never hear from most of those visitors. They are readers who just want to know a little more about me. They check back from time to time to see if anything has changed, or if there’s information about a new book release. The more information you have online about your books, the greater your chances of being discovered. So post excerpts from your books online. Link to videos of you talking about your books. You can even have contests, giveaways, or special content that is only available on your website.
The most important part of your author website is the mailing list. Every author should set a goal to have as many people on their mailing list as possible. The old saying is true that it is seven times more difficult to sell to a new customer than to sell to an existing customer. Even if you are traditionally published your readers are essentially customers who are buying a product you are creating. It will always take more time, money, and effort to gain a new reader than to convince a previous reader to buy your new book.
The mailing list should be simple and absolutely clear. It is a way for readers to find out about your new books and that is all. Some writers like to send out a newsletter, and if that fits your goals, by all means take advantage of it, but make sure you don’t spam the people on your list. And never sell the list to other sources, your readers are too precious. If they start getting unwanted spam because they signed up for your mailing list, they will drop you and probably never read your books again. Worse still, they may ruin your online reputation, creating another barrier for you to overcome before you can connect with new readers.
I kept track of all the people on my mailing list until I had over 300 people and then I got smart. Just like with so many other tasks online, there are companies that specialize in mailing lists. I use a service called MailChimp, which allows you to use their services for free until your mailing list surpasses 1,000 people. It also offers me an easy way to create professional-looking emails to announce the publication of my new books. I can add pictures with links back to Amazon, which makes the process of purchasing my book simple for everyone on my list. MailChimp even keeps track of how many people open the email, and how many of those people actually click on one of the links. It’s great information and a simple way to stay connected to my readership.
MailChimp also offers a link that I can put right in my website that allows people to sign up directly to their service, which is completely maintenance free for me. In the last two months over 20 people have joined the list with zero effort from me, simply because I had the website and mailing list set up. When my next book comes out I’ll create an email on MailChimp and then, with a single click, send it to all the subscribers on my mailing list. The whole process from composing the email, embedding the links, and sending it out takes less than half an hour.
Remember when I talked about hitting the top 100 genre lists? Well, the more people you have that will buy your book in the days following publication, the greater your chances are of ranking high enough to get your book in front of new eyes. I have over 700 subscribers to my mailing list, and almost as many followers on my author Facebook page. That doesn’t mean that every person buys every book the day it comes out, but I do end up selling well over that number of books, usually within the first two weeks of publication. And keep in mind that I’m a solid mid-list author, not an international best seller. None of my books have ever been on the New York Times best sellers list. There have been no movies made about my books. My physical books are in just a few bookstores, yet
I make a comfortable living because I have a solid marketing plan and I’m willing to do the work.
Ads & Appearances
Now we’ve come full circle to the subject that most people think of when they think of marketing. Advertisements are the most recognizable marketing product in the world, but just like any other tool you have to consider whether they are the right fit for the job. Think about it this way: when was the last time you bought a book because you saw an advertisement for it? Most writers report that paid advertising produces substandard results. In other words, the amount of money spent rarely earns a return.
As writers we want to sell books, but more important than a sale is gaining a reader. Advertising promotes our latest product, but it does little to connect us to the reader. I’d rather gain one hundred readers than sell one thousand books to people who won’t read them. Why? Because those one hundred readers will most likely want to buy my other books, and since I have over 20 published books, those one hundred readers will most likely turn into two thousand sales. It’s not that advertising our books isn’t important, but it isn’t as productive as connecting with readers. You have to learn to look at marketing books differently than marketing other products such as furniture or clothing. Readers are extremely loyal, and the more dedicated readers you have, the more successful you are going to be.
Advertising works well on some products, but with so many free marketing opportunities, you will be much better off spending your time using social media to connect with potential readers. Once you’ve done that and you feel that advertising is a logical next step, start small and test the market. Make sure the dollars you spend on advertising are made back in book sales. If a paid advertising campaign doesn’t result in an uptick of sales, try a different avenue.
The final aspect of marketing to consider is personal appearances. Book signings of the past were a way of getting the word out about a book and letting people connect with authors before the Internet. Many authors report that book signings are lonely, sometimes discouraging events. Perhaps you’ve seen an author sitting at a table, looking hopefully at the people who come into the bookstore, but trying not to seem desperate. Signings, readings, and other author events, are indeed ways to connect with people, but in my experience I meet more aspiring writers through these events than I do potential readers. That’s not to say you shouldn’t make public appearances. Any time you have a chance to promote your books, you should take it. But a little prep work can make the difference between a disappointing event and a popular success.
I have a friend who had a great first book signing after the local paper did a front-page story about his book. Other book signings have not been as successful, but he has a wonderful relationship with the book store he signs at because of that initial success. They allow him added shelf space and even an upright display, all because his leg work on the first signing was so effective.
I’ve been to larger, sponsored author events that failed miserably because there was very little marketing done about the event. Putting up a flyer in the book store isn’t enough to really draw a crowd. You should get creative about spreading the word if you’re fortunate enough to have an opportunity to sign books, share about the writing or publishing process, or speak at a convention. You should obviously share that information on your website and social media platforms, but don’t hesitate to contact local media outlets as well, such as the newspaper of the community where you will make an appearance and the regional television news stations. Post about the event in local message boards and groups. Remember that marketing takes work and even the biggest Hollywood stars and best-selling authors have to put in the work to ensure marketing success.
There are other ways to market your books as well. Blog tours involve writing guest posts for other bloggers. You can do interviews, or take part in podcasts or virtual conferences online. My experience has not been good with these methods so I won’t spend much time on them, but they are a popular form of marketing in indie publishing circles.
Finally, many retailers offer authors the opportunity to run specials on their books. When I first began publishing, the free book was the most popular promotion. I offered the first book in my Five Kingdoms series for free twice and gave away thousands of copies both times. I hit number one on Amazon’s Epic Fantasy best seller list for free books, but I didn’t see a corresponding rise in my sales. In my opinion, people will take a free book, but they rarely make the time to read it. We don’t compete with other writers per se, because a reader who is interested in two books will read them both. Instead, we compete with time and when a reader makes an investment in a book, they are much more likely to put in the time to read it.
There are also services which will include your book during its promotional, discounted, or free period, such as Bookbub and many Facebook groups. More of these promotional companies pop into existence every day. They make money when you pay to have your book included in their daily or weekly email. Bookbub is the most popular and shares the numbers of people signed up to receive their recommendations by genre. They also give information on the average number of readers that will actually purchase your books. Unfortunately, the most popular of these services require books to have met certain criteria, such as having a pre-selected number of favorable reviews on Amazon, or to be vetted by their staff. You also need to contact these companies well in advance of the promotional period, usually months in advance. The writers I’ve heard of who had the most success with these types of promotions usually have a large number of books they have written so that the promotional book works to draw in readers who then purchase their other books at regular price. It might be something to look into once you have at least four or five books published.
The most important lesson to learn is that marketing takes work. You have to put yourself and your work out for the masses in some way. I highly recommend that you outline a few ideas of how you will market your book then spend some time every day working to reach readers. Remember to share, not sell. And in the meantime, keep writing.
Chapter 9
Your Brand
I’ve mentioned before the paradigm shift that has taken place in publishing. In the past, before ebooks, printed books had a shelf life. If a book didn’t sell well, it could be returned to the publisher for a refund, and would then go out of print. In fact, most of those unsold paper books were pulped. That meant that you couldn’t find the book at most bookstores and you couldn’t order it—only used copies were available if you were lucky enough to find one.
Not all books went out of print. Books that continued to sell were kept on hand, and in some cases were even included in anthologies, but for the most part the book was no longer part of the publisher’s business. That meant that if an author’s books didn’t sell, they lost all hope of making money from the work they had created. The author might have gotten a decent advance, but once the book was out of print it no longer had the potential of making them money. The only option for the author was to sell another book to the publishing house, and since most publishers are restrictive in how many books they want from an author (usually no more than one per year), most writers had a very limited potential for making money.
Publishers understood this business model and so they put all their efforts behind each newly printed book in hopes that it would find an audience. They learned to gain the maximum amount of profit potential within a given time frame for each book. Even when a book continued to sell, the marketing push for that book disappeared after a certain amount of time. So the old way of thinking about publishing was cyclical. It was based on individual books, not the author’s entire body of work.
Today things are different. With ebooks, your work will last forever. There is no cost to offer an ebook for sale, no need to stock or warehouse back titles. The digital book will forever be “in print.” The new way of thinking about how to make a living from writing is no longer based on the hope of one runaway hit, but rather of building a str
ong catalog of books that will all earn money for the author year after year.
In the old system the publisher was the brand, and while many people didn’t give the publisher much thought, each publisher and publishing imprint focused on producing books of a certain style and genre. In some cases the authors themselves were secondary. Take Harlequin Romance novels for example. Many had the same covers. I remember seeing the white covers with the round color picture on the front when I was young. These books, usually by different authors, sent the message that they were the same. The publisher was the brand, the readers knew what they were getting with each book, and the authors had the incentive to publish with Harlequin because the publisher’s loyal readers would read almost any book they published.
The new thought in publishing, despite what most publishers want to have us believe, is that the author is the brand. An author builds a following of loyal readers; in fact, traditional publishers look for a strong platform of followers before they publish new authors in many cases. You may think this is common sense and wonder why I felt the need to write about it here. The reason I believe it is so important is because understanding that you are a brand will change the way you write and the way you market yourself.
If you choose to publish traditionally, I would strongly urge you to fight for the removal of certain clauses in your contract, specifically the non-compete clause, and the right of first refusal clause. If you’re a first-time author you may not have much clout in the negotiations, but it is imperative that you have the freedom to build your brand. As authors, we build our brands by writing books. That is what readers want from us, and the more we can produce, the greater the audience satisfaction will be.
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