Guest Post: Effective Self-Promotion for Authors by Kelsey Clark

As publishers' budgets shrink, authors are now more than ever responsible for their own self-promotion. And many authors now are self-published, so they are their own marketing department. Self-promotion may seem intimidating, particularly to authors who are more comfortable writing alone in a room than getting out and talking to people about their work. But writers need not be intimidated. There are a few efficient ways to self-promote both online and offline.

1. Keep it local - Local bookstores are often interested in doing signings, readings and promotions for authors, and many local bookstores will extend the definition of "local" to a fairly large radius, so there's no need to despair for authors who live in towns too small for bookstores. In fact, smaller communities are excellent for another type of local self-promotion, the press. Contacting the local newspaper with a press release can be an effective way to wind up as the subject of a feature article.

2. Visit the library - Even more than bookstores, libraries enjoy visits from writers, and they needn't even be local. YA authors can give talks to kids and teens, but talks by adult writers will be welcome as well. Librarians may also be persuaded to order an author's books following such a talk.

3. Visit schools - YA writers should look into local school visits, and writers for adults can visit college and university campuses. These types of visits can be as informal as stopping by a friend's classroom to chat about the writing life or as formal as an official appearance as a guest of a school or campus organization.

4. Go online - Twitter, Facebook and blogs are boons for the self-promoting author. Writers should not use social media to constantly push their books on potential readers, however. A marketing barrage will irritate and drive people away. Instead, writers should use social media to engage readers and potential readers and chat about things that interest them. They needn't be too personal; blog posts and Twitter conversation can be about movies, books, cats, food or just about anything else. People interested in following writers are likely to want to read at least some about the writing life. Concentrate on connecting with people, and the rest will follow.

Authors need to offer something of value whether it's a library talk or entertaining content on the Internet. In doing so, they come across as engaging people and interest potential readers in their writing. Rather than thinking words like "networking" and "self-promotion," writers should think about connecting with people. In doing so, they will find their audiences.

About Kelsey

Kelsey is the editor in chief for www.findananny.net/. She loves to write article and ideas that parents & nannies would be interested in hearing. She helps society on giving information about nannies through nanny services. She is a professional writer & loves writing on anything.

When Asked for Apples, Don't Offer Oranges

This morning I read a post from literary agent Rachelle Gardner called, "Give Them What They Want". In it, she shares some feedback from a recent call for guest bloggers on her site. There were many pitches made that simply did not meet her guidelines. I can relate. In the last six months, I have received pitches from writers who clearly had not read my submission page. And why would someone offer to write a guest post about plastic surgery, childcare, or dating on a blog about writing? 

Offering budding authors a place to showcase their talents and build their online platforms is a great opportunity that isn't widely available. So it should not it be taken lightly. Therefore, when you find bloggers who are willing to share their space with you, it is important that your pitch is a good fit for their blog and your platform. Also, follow the guidelines for submission down to the word count and font. You may miss out on a chance to expand your audience because you failed to give them what they want.

Here is an excerpt from Ms. Gardner's post. Enjoy and take heed.

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"Give Them What They Want" by Rachelle Gardner

Back when I was in school, I embraced an important truth: If I wanted to succeed according to someone else’s standards, then I needed to give them what they wanted. It started with my teachers. To get a good grade, I needed to understand exactly what they wanted and give it to them. Using my own creativity and trying to give them something I thought was better wouldn’t always work. If I wanted to be brilliant and creative, fine, but I might sacrifice a good grade. If I wanted the “A” then I needed to give the instructor exactly what was expected.

This lesson served me well as I spent a couple of decades in various roles in the corporate and business world. To be considered a good employee and get promotions and raises, I needed to understand exactly what was expected… and do it. If creativity and innovation and big ideas were valued in that company, then that’s what I focused on. If simply doing your job was valued, then that’s what I did. As long as I was in an environment where someone else’s standards determined MY success, I always focused on what those standards were.

Success often depends on giving your boss what they want; giving your clients what they want; giving your professors what they want, giving your readers what they want.
You’re always free to write what you want, how you want. You’re free to approach the process of publication however you like. But when your success depends on other people, it’s smart to ask yourself: Are you giving them what they want? This applies whether you’re querying agents, pitching publishers, or thinking about your end reader. What do they want? Are you giving it to them?

Read the entire post.

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Keep your pen to the paper! Remember, inspiration is everywhere...

Book Marketing: Why I Gave Up Trying to Build a Big Social Media Following

This is a fantastic post. I've learned that quality over quantity reigns supreme. If the point of social media use is to network, then it does me no good to play the "Follow Back" game with online personas that have nothing to do with what I am trying to accomplish. Social media is time consuming, so I try to be strategic in my approach to it. I share information, promote projects and people I believe in, and let relationships build organically. I like a tight circle of people who matter as opposed to a big circle of those who don't. Well done, Mr. Miller.

The full post appears on Joanna Penn's "The Creative Penn" at http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2012/05/02/book-marketing-giving-up-social-media/


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Problems with Building a Social Media Following
First, building a following consumes lots of time.

Social media guru Chris Brogan recommends a minimum of two hours a day. Think of J.R.R. Tolkien, who taught full time and hung out with his family after work, writing books after his children went to bed. Had he spent those two hours blogging and Tweeting, we may have never read The Lord of the Rings.


Second, there’s no proof that building a large following can work for every author.

Granted, it works for some authors, but that’s not the proof we need. Compare social media to the California gold rush. Had I lived in New England in 1849 and read regular newspaper reports of people striking it rich, I’d need better evidence to warrant selling the farm and moving west. I’d want to know, “out of the last thousand people who made the move, what percentage struck it rich?” If eight out of ten, I might move. If one out of 1,000, I’d keep the farm. But that’s precisely the statistical information we lack concerning authors trying to build social media followings.


Third, when I studied low profile authors who sold a lot of books, I found very few taking this approach.
When authors reported on book marketing forums, “Twitter works for me,” I’d ask, “How many books are you selling as a result?” Typically, they sheepishly replied “a few” or clarified that they were defining “success” in terms of how many people they drew to their blogs through Twitter.


Read the full post here: http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2012/05/02/book-marketing-giving-up-social-media/


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NaPiBoWriWee Update!
Yesterday, I wrote my first of 7 picture books for this challenge. Already, I am tired of meaningful, warm and fuzzy stories. Today, I am going for something silly and fun with no lessons--maybe even rude and irrelevant. Time to shake things up! Won't you join me?

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Sketch the Story! Contest

Deadline for entries is Friday, May 4, 2012! Enter my illustrator's contest today! Details here!