Virtual Writers discussion

Hi everyone

I'm a new Indie author and have just published my first collection of short stories on Amazon: amzn.to/UyH6Al though I have no idea really how to promote it now that it's out!

I'm also new to Goodreads, and am looking forward to connecting with other authors and readers.

Nice to meet you all!

Karen

Hi Karen, promoting can be a pain, but worth the birth. There is a lot of advice on Amazon Kindle, or createspace that gives you some pointers on how to promote. Good Luck.

Hi Barbara

Nice to meet you. Thanks for the reply. I'll check these out.

I haven't done a Createspace version of my book yet - so it's good to know there's some good advice out there.

Karen

Hi Karen,

Promoting is time consuming.... You can't just pop into Goodreads, FB or Twitter and say "Read my book". It doesn't work. People don't want to hear that. I am sure you knew that already.

So the thing many of us do with some success is to join groups of authors- some of which include readers, too. Authors support each other. Join groups here in GR and make your existence known by participating in discussions. Some will look you up and see what you have written, or it can be mentioned from time to time.

Follow authors and others on Twitter, and respond to some of their tweets. The most effective groups are on Facebook (according to my blog stats). Most of the visits to my blog come from mentioning posts on FB.

Which brings us to blogging. Do you have a blog? It should have a purpose, a niche, so to speak. Something that relates to your books. Mine is about English history, for example, because I write English historical fiction. You can mention your blog posts on FB, Twitter and GR, and people who are interested will visit. You should also have info about your books on the blog so people can look into them.

On FB, look for author groups- one is called Author Central- a very supportive group. I am not on it any longer because I am too busy in English historical groups.

I hope this helps!

Excellent tips, Debra!

Don't forget to find us on Twitter and Facebook! We also have a writing meet at 6am and 6pm PST every week day in Second Life and an open mic event every Saturday at 2pm PST. This is a great way to meet other writers, share tips and get some instant feedback. Check out our site for more details: http://vww.virtualwritersinc.com

The Second Life meeting sounds like fun! I'm not on it, but was on Furcadia and one time- loved it.

I'll check your site.

I had to back up to those bunnies five times to read the message. It would be nice to have that permanently in some spot- maybe the sidebar? I can't get that link from there, either.

Thanks for all of the fantastic tips!

I have a Twitter account, which I'm getting quite addicted to but I'll have to look into Facebook groups and Second Life - that all sounds like great fun! I'd be interested to see how the open mic event works. That sounds like a nice way of getting used to sharing your work. Sorry to be an idiot - but where would I find the information on this? I looked on the Virtual Writers website but couldn't find it.

I am thinking about a blog (perhaps about books, writing or London theatre) but I imagine it's a big time commitment and I'm not sure I'm a good enough authority on anything.

It's great to be able to meet so many other fellow writers who understand the obsession to write. Looking forward to chatting with all of you, perhaps, in the other discussions.

Karen

One thing I forgot to suggest: do a Goodreads giveaway. I had six hundred put my book on their TBR list during my first GR giveaway. That is probably the single most effective tool to get started.

You can do more giveaways afterward, though they are not as likely to get you hundreds of new readers. Some though!

Karen, look at my blog. I have fifty or so authors who contribute, and we have an English historical post every day. They are allowed to mention their books in their posts, or tie them in historically. The authors all help by promoting the posts. In just over a year, we have had about 90,000 unique visitors. Many have said they come back daily with their morning coffee.

http://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot...

If you started a similar blog on a topic that lots of people are interested in and that fits into a niche (or genre) you might be able to have a similarly successful blog. If you have an idea and want suggestions for getting started, message me. :)

If not, I'd be happy to have you guest post on the history of London theatre! We get about 1500 page views per day, and you can mention your books.

Great tips Debra for promoting thanks :))