Couple Reminders
We have some exciting stuff starting up in February. Not only will Marketing Mondays be more topic specific (twitter, blog tours, etc). But we will be having a few special events:
1) Teen panels discussing how to best market to teens.
2) Smart Chick Kick it Tour gals (Melissa Marr, Kelley Armstrong and Alyson Noel) stop by to discuss their combined tour.
3) Many marketing experts stopping by: Daisy Whitney (New Media Guru), Carolyn Howard-Johnson (Frugal Book Promoter), The Amanda Project, and Elizabeth Bird (NYPL).
Also a SECRET CONTEST will be announced in Feb. I can't say too much yet, but I'll mention a couple clues to get you interested. Query expert, Elana Johnson, a week of Marketing Gurus, free agent query critiques, a HUGE Prize from my agent, Alyssa Henkin (for unagented authors) and Massive Marketing Prize (for agented/published writers.)
Of course you will have to be a follower of my blog and Elana's to win.
The next steps will be announced later. :) It will be fun and you will win a lot of cool stuff.
Marketing Roundup
Here are my favs for this week - it was a busy week in Marketing.
Daisy's Digital Do's and Don'ts - LILA interviews Daisy Whitney and picks her brilliant brain on the best way to do Vlogs. (BTW follow LILA - they will make you laugh!)
Twitter from an author's perspective - Lisa Schroeder, author of I Heart You, You Haunt Me, just released her third book and discusses how Twitter has helped her market her books.
Market Yourself. Or Not. Elana Roth's reiteration of today's conventional wisdom about Internet marketing and becoming an influencer.
Free advice on Publicity for your Novels - Having a personal publicist won't necessarily make the difficulty go away.
You're not spending a lot of money marketing - If you’re willing to put the time in yourself, you can do almost all of your book marketing for free.
Market Yourself, Market Your books - If you have not already ventured onto online reading communities and other sites that can help authors spread their work, there is no better time than now!
How to find your Audience - Here's how readers find you and how you can find them. Part 2 continues the discussion with advice form authors.
Discussion of Sell Through - Sell-through is something that most first-time authors don’t know much about. It's not always about the sales numbers.
Reaching Your Target Audience Online - Greg Pincus wants you to think strategically about who you’re going to reach online and how you’re going to do it.
Marketing Lessons I learned in Kindergarten - We can do more by working together than working alone. When we interact publicly, or with the public, we need to be nice.
Broaden your concept of conferences - Almost every industry--even every sub industry--has a conference each year. Your job is to find the one that attracts people who would be interested in your book.
Have a great week!
Friday, January 15, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Making Connections vs Selling Yourself
The Delurker Winner
The winner for commenting on the DELURKER post is........
ALISSA - you won!
email me your address!
Connections vs Selling
I know marketing can be overwhelming.
How do I know? Hmmmmmmm
Because people email me telling me! :)
"I'm scared."
"I don't know how."
"I just want to write."
I get it. It's hard to do marketing as a writer.
I know - you're a writer. You just want to write. You don't want to "sell yourself."
So then don't!
Building a network takes the selling out of your marketing.
This is the reason why you start NETWORKING waaaaaaaaaay before you need to sell anything. Way before you need anything.
Here is the bottom line.
You build your network way in advance of any book contract and you do it for the purpose of making genuine connections. To help people. To reach out and touch someone. (not literally of course - that would be illegal! :)
This way - over time - you build honest and authentic relationships over time. So when your book comes out or if you need something. You are no longer asking a stranger. You are asking your network.
That means you don't have to sell anything, you just have to ask for support. There is a difference.
Jill Lublin, one of the authors of Guerilla Publicity, advises her clients, “Start publicity way before you need it.”
According to Mashable.com article "Social Networking Matters", "Networking is not only about the ability to connect to people – it is also about the ability to use those connections. We call it a “two-way-street” – networking is not something you do by yourself, you always need your counterparty to be in there with you, to want to help you and assist your advancement. You only achieve this willingness by doing something in return, or even before you ever ask for anything. This is true networking – there are no shortcuts, you need to invest time and effort in order to reap the benefits of the connections you have made."
Put the system in place so when you need the word of mouth, when you need the publicity, when you need the buzz, it is organic because you have built relationships on trust. You did not build them because you needed something.
Do you have to do all social networking all?
Of course not.
But you must have a web presence and you must do at least one form of online networking.
Do you have to blog, tweet, FB, ning, lit chats, after party lit chats, email, interview blah blah blah?
No.
But you have to do something and it HAS to be online. Because that is where everyone is nowadays. Online. So to lose that opportunity just isn't business smart.
Pick one or two and do them really really well. Not half ass. But well.
The important thing is to do something that you are excited about. Have fun with it.
So here is my brilliant advice:
The winner for commenting on the DELURKER post is........
ALISSA - you won!
email me your address!
Connections vs Selling
I know marketing can be overwhelming.
How do I know? Hmmmmmmm
Because people email me telling me! :)
"I'm scared."
"I don't know how."
"I just want to write."
I get it. It's hard to do marketing as a writer.
I know - you're a writer. You just want to write. You don't want to "sell yourself."
So then don't!
Building a network takes the selling out of your marketing.
This is the reason why you start NETWORKING waaaaaaaaaay before you need to sell anything. Way before you need anything.
Here is the bottom line.
You build your network way in advance of any book contract and you do it for the purpose of making genuine connections. To help people. To reach out and touch someone. (not literally of course - that would be illegal! :)
This way - over time - you build honest and authentic relationships over time. So when your book comes out or if you need something. You are no longer asking a stranger. You are asking your network.
That means you don't have to sell anything, you just have to ask for support. There is a difference.
Jill Lublin, one of the authors of Guerilla Publicity, advises her clients, “Start publicity way before you need it.”
According to Mashable.com article "Social Networking Matters", "Networking is not only about the ability to connect to people – it is also about the ability to use those connections. We call it a “two-way-street” – networking is not something you do by yourself, you always need your counterparty to be in there with you, to want to help you and assist your advancement. You only achieve this willingness by doing something in return, or even before you ever ask for anything. This is true networking – there are no shortcuts, you need to invest time and effort in order to reap the benefits of the connections you have made."
Put the system in place so when you need the word of mouth, when you need the publicity, when you need the buzz, it is organic because you have built relationships on trust. You did not build them because you needed something.
Do you have to do all social networking all?
Of course not.
But you must have a web presence and you must do at least one form of online networking.
Do you have to blog, tweet, FB, ning, lit chats, after party lit chats, email, interview blah blah blah?
No.
But you have to do something and it HAS to be online. Because that is where everyone is nowadays. Online. So to lose that opportunity just isn't business smart.
Pick one or two and do them really really well. Not half ass. But well.
The important thing is to do something that you are excited about. Have fun with it.
So here is my brilliant advice:
- If you don't know how, learn it
- If you do something crappy, do it better
- If you hate doing marketing, don't do it if you don't care about selling books
- If you think your publisher will do it for you, you're wrong and in la la land
- If you think you don't need marketing b/c your book is great all on its own, wake up
- If you don't have time, turn off the tv and make some
- If you have a question, ask me. :)
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The WTF Blanket takes on the Bluggie
For those who love the new Bluggie video.
When snuggie meets bling!
Here's the new WTF Blanket!!
I love the Snuggie but this is too funny! Watch at your own risk!!! (There are a few bad words! :(
When snuggie meets bling!
Here's the new WTF Blanket!!
I love the Snuggie but this is too funny! Watch at your own risk!!! (There are a few bad words! :(
Monday, January 11, 2010
Marvelous Marketer: Aimee Friedman (editor/bestselling author)
First Things First
I did a random drawing on the people who gave me feedback on my blog in last week's post. The winner is.....
Elana J!
You won a free copy of Christina Katz's book "Get Known before the Book Deal". Please email me your address and I will mail it out to you :)
Congrads!
Leave me your questions!
I have an interview coming up with Elizabeth Bird from School Library Journal Fuse 8 to discuss marketing to librarians. She is the children's librarian at the Children's Center at 42nd Street of the New York Public Library system. Please include any questions you have in the comments or email me offline.
Marvelous Marketer: Aimee Friedman
Hi Aimee! Thanks for coming here to answer a few questions. First, tell me a little about yourself.
I am the author of seven books for young adults. My first novel, SOUTH BEACH, a New York Times bestseller, came out in 2005, and my latest novel, SEA CHANGE, was released in the summer of 2009. My primary publisher is Point/Scholastic though I do have one book--A NOVEL IDEA--with SimonPulse at Simon & Schuster. I am also a children's book editor at Scholastic, a job I still love to this day!
I started my author website over 2 years ago and I've gotten lots of great feedback and lots of traffic since its inception. Please visit me--and write me! I love to get email from readers, and I try to respond as quickly as I can.
I have a blog but I don't blog nearly as much as I'd like (it's hard when juggling two full-time jobs), but I do spend a lot of time on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter (more on this below).
Scholastic has a blog that you can also follow on Facebook or Twitter. The imprint at which I publish, Point, also has a great website. You can check it out for book recommendations, author bios, links, giveaways, and more! You can also follow it on Twitter.
Wow, it must be very hard juggling being an editor and author. I can barely be an author. In your expert opinion, what are the top three things every author should and must do to promote their book?
A website is the a great basic place to start-- I think it's important for authors to have a home online where they can be found and contacted. Plus, a website can be relatively inexpensive and easy to set up and manage.
If social networking is your thing, Facebook and Twitter and the like are free, tons of fun, and a fantastic way to reach out and find fans, fellow authors, librarians, book-sellers, you name it. Blogging and being in touch with bloggers can be useful too--there's a whole, passionate community of literary bloggers out there who have a lot of reach and influence.
If social networking ISN'T your thing, there are lots of other options, too: saving the email and mailing addresses of your fans and sending out regular blasts and newsletters, etc. (Or sending these addresses to your publisher and asking them to send out email blasts).
Personally, I am a big proponent of social networking for authors! When I first joined MySpace, I got my very first bookstore event out of it! A bookseller who was a fan of my books found me on MySpace, and through that connection I ended up doing a reading. That would have never happened otherwise! Facebook and Twitter are great spaces in which to announce giveaways, appearances, pub dates, post reviews, and just generally get buzz going. It's important, though, to work in tandem with your editor/publicist on the timing of these kinds of things so that you're not posting covers or excerpts too early or too late.
I also love GoodReads since it's just about the good stuff: BOOKS. :) It's always fascinating for me as an author to read my reviews, and I love seeing what my friends are reading and what people are excited about.
I'm with you on the social networking thing. I love it. Since you seem to have a huge online presence, do you google authors when evaluating whether to take on a book?
I generally do--I feel like Googling has become almost a kind of reflex at this point--or maybe that's just me! :) It's mainly for me to get a sense of what this author is like beyond their work: if they've published previously, if they blog, etc.
What I find online, however, almost never influences whether or not I acquire the project. When it comes to that, it is 100% about the writing, about the story. An author can have a fabulous web presence, and a huge devoted blog following, but if the manuscript doesn't hold up, I'm probably not going to be able to acquire it.
Likewise, if an author doesn't have a web presence at all but the manuscript is whiz-bang fantastic, then it's a no-brainer. A web presence can ALWAYS come later.
As an editor, what marketing things do you automatically expect an author to do on their own?
It is always wise for an author to continually loop their publicist in about any promotions, giveaways, interviews, etc. they may be doing--just to be sure everything is kosher and nobody is working at cross-purposes. Communication is key! A great way for an author to start the process is to compile a list of all your ideas for promotions, as well as a list of any contacts you might have (alumni magazines, bloggers or journalists, etc.) and share this list with your editor, who can then check in with marketing and publicity and go from there!
And as an author, besides what you've listed above, what creative things have you done to promote your own books?
I've held signed galley giveaways on MySpace and Facebook (my publisher will provide the galleys to, say, the first 10 people to email in). I've sent out email blasts about upcoming events and publication dates, and I'm vigilant about posting reviews and book news on my social networking sites.
And of course in the end there's nothing quite like good old-fashioned word-of-mouth buzz: if someone I know has a teenage relative or friend, I'll be sure to pass my card or website to them and encourage the teen reader to check out my books! You never know where your next fan might crop up.
Thank you Aimee for stopping by!
Thanks Shelli!
I did a random drawing on the people who gave me feedback on my blog in last week's post. The winner is.....
Elana J!
You won a free copy of Christina Katz's book "Get Known before the Book Deal". Please email me your address and I will mail it out to you :)
Congrads!
Leave me your questions!
I have an interview coming up with Elizabeth Bird from School Library Journal Fuse 8 to discuss marketing to librarians. She is the children's librarian at the Children's Center at 42nd Street of the New York Public Library system. Please include any questions you have in the comments or email me offline.
Marvelous Marketer: Aimee Friedman
Hi Aimee! Thanks for coming here to answer a few questions. First, tell me a little about yourself.
I am the author of seven books for young adults. My first novel, SOUTH BEACH, a New York Times bestseller, came out in 2005, and my latest novel, SEA CHANGE, was released in the summer of 2009. My primary publisher is Point/Scholastic though I do have one book--A NOVEL IDEA--with SimonPulse at Simon & Schuster. I am also a children's book editor at Scholastic, a job I still love to this day!
I started my author website over 2 years ago and I've gotten lots of great feedback and lots of traffic since its inception. Please visit me--and write me! I love to get email from readers, and I try to respond as quickly as I can.
I have a blog but I don't blog nearly as much as I'd like (it's hard when juggling two full-time jobs), but I do spend a lot of time on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter (more on this below).
Scholastic has a blog that you can also follow on Facebook or Twitter. The imprint at which I publish, Point, also has a great website. You can check it out for book recommendations, author bios, links, giveaways, and more! You can also follow it on Twitter.
Wow, it must be very hard juggling being an editor and author. I can barely be an author. In your expert opinion, what are the top three things every author should and must do to promote their book?
A website is the a great basic place to start-- I think it's important for authors to have a home online where they can be found and contacted. Plus, a website can be relatively inexpensive and easy to set up and manage.
If social networking is your thing, Facebook and Twitter and the like are free, tons of fun, and a fantastic way to reach out and find fans, fellow authors, librarians, book-sellers, you name it. Blogging and being in touch with bloggers can be useful too--there's a whole, passionate community of literary bloggers out there who have a lot of reach and influence.
If social networking ISN'T your thing, there are lots of other options, too: saving the email and mailing addresses of your fans and sending out regular blasts and newsletters, etc. (Or sending these addresses to your publisher and asking them to send out email blasts).
Personally, I am a big proponent of social networking for authors! When I first joined MySpace, I got my very first bookstore event out of it! A bookseller who was a fan of my books found me on MySpace, and through that connection I ended up doing a reading. That would have never happened otherwise! Facebook and Twitter are great spaces in which to announce giveaways, appearances, pub dates, post reviews, and just generally get buzz going. It's important, though, to work in tandem with your editor/publicist on the timing of these kinds of things so that you're not posting covers or excerpts too early or too late.
I also love GoodReads since it's just about the good stuff: BOOKS. :) It's always fascinating for me as an author to read my reviews, and I love seeing what my friends are reading and what people are excited about.
I'm with you on the social networking thing. I love it. Since you seem to have a huge online presence, do you google authors when evaluating whether to take on a book?
I generally do--I feel like Googling has become almost a kind of reflex at this point--or maybe that's just me! :) It's mainly for me to get a sense of what this author is like beyond their work: if they've published previously, if they blog, etc.
What I find online, however, almost never influences whether or not I acquire the project. When it comes to that, it is 100% about the writing, about the story. An author can have a fabulous web presence, and a huge devoted blog following, but if the manuscript doesn't hold up, I'm probably not going to be able to acquire it.
Likewise, if an author doesn't have a web presence at all but the manuscript is whiz-bang fantastic, then it's a no-brainer. A web presence can ALWAYS come later.
As an editor, what marketing things do you automatically expect an author to do on their own?
It is always wise for an author to continually loop their publicist in about any promotions, giveaways, interviews, etc. they may be doing--just to be sure everything is kosher and nobody is working at cross-purposes. Communication is key! A great way for an author to start the process is to compile a list of all your ideas for promotions, as well as a list of any contacts you might have (alumni magazines, bloggers or journalists, etc.) and share this list with your editor, who can then check in with marketing and publicity and go from there!
And as an author, besides what you've listed above, what creative things have you done to promote your own books?
I've held signed galley giveaways on MySpace and Facebook (my publisher will provide the galleys to, say, the first 10 people to email in). I've sent out email blasts about upcoming events and publication dates, and I'm vigilant about posting reviews and book news on my social networking sites.
And of course in the end there's nothing quite like good old-fashioned word-of-mouth buzz: if someone I know has a teenage relative or friend, I'll be sure to pass my card or website to them and encourage the teen reader to check out my books! You never know where your next fan might crop up.
Thank you Aimee for stopping by!
Thanks Shelli!
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