THE Group for Authors! discussion

Hey there, everyone!

I am new to the group as well as newly published. I released my first book in August, second in Sept, third in Nov.

My question is this: with so many books out there, how do you get noticed? My publisher ran a day ad on kindle and that was great but by the time my next book was out, that was forgotten. I maintain a website and a Twitter presence but I still feel like I could do more. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance!
Avery

I'd recommend reading Friedman's Publishing 101. Even though it is "a compilation of [her] best blog posts since 2008", it was published fairly recently (December 2014). I just finished reading it and it is now my go-to book for publishing and marketing advice. Not only is it comprehensive, but it has a whole slew of sources and even delves into website-building. Later, you would dive deeper into specifics on her website (janefriedman.com). Friedman is an intellectual powerhouse and you could spend weeks on her website. When anyone references Pinker's The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language in an incisive manner, you need to consider their opinions and analyses.

Friedman knows about the publishing world as she was "President and Chief Executive Officer of HarperCollins Publishers Worldwide, one of the world's leading English-language publishers, from 1997 to 2008." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Fr...)

Congrats on your new books, Avery :). If your book is available in paperback, you might consider goodreads giveaways :).

I have a similar comment. I'm considering hiring a pr agent but not sure. My book is "Why Every Black Woman Should Marry A Jewish Man: A Book for All Women Looking for the Perfect "Alpha" Male.

Please share your interracial dating stories on my blog
http://honeybrownemarriesjewishman.bl...

I've done Amazon and twitter giveaways. I didn't think about a Goodreads giveaway. Thanks, I will have to try that!

As for a PR agent, I just can't make that kind of investment yet. I'm a college instructor though and have thought of hiring an intern for experience purposes to do marketing so that's an idea.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/1695721...

Sorry to say this (even though I am trying it again) but the book giveaway thing is a little over-rated. I mailed 10 copies of my novella and got 2 reviews/ratings in return for my expenditure. If you do it, keep the number of copies low and your expectations aligned.
Also, and I don't want to sound negative, but is there anything worse than the author of a book asking people to buy it on Twitter and FB etc.? I think books sell out of word of mouth, not jamming the book in people's faces repeatedly. But....I am probably wrong! LOL. I just know how I react when an author says "Please buy my book". I'm like, "Why?" Just because it's available? There has to be some current of excitement, some X-factor involved but darned if I know what it is! I have noticed many of the people telling authors to aggressively market their books themselves are either people who are selling something online to help them do so or they are publishers who don't have any budget to do anything more than put the book on the Internet. Not everyone's book neatly falls into a "niche" like Romance, supernatural, etc. Marketing is a nightmare for those of who write fiction with multi-genre elements. I am trying to identify my audience as my books have humor, drama, romance, and always a mystical component. H-E-L-P!

Steven wrote: books sell out of word of mouth, not jamming the book in people's faces repeatedly. But....I am probably wrong!"

nope, you are right.

"Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Etc.)
A gentle touch is encouraged. You're not a salesman pushing your book on people. Rather than focusing on ways to get people to buy your book--to achieve a short-term goal--approach social media as a long-term investment in your career."
(Friedman's Publishing 101)

Friedman's book has a whole slew of marketing stuff as does her website.

it's true that not every book falls neatly into a genre, but for marketing purposes on amazon, it's best to choose the predominant one. for example, from the amazon description of "I Believe For Every Drop of Rain That Falls Someone Drowns", it might be okay in the Fantasy genre, but it also seems to fit very nicely into the Supernatural since you mention Scrooge. (you can have two amazon categories: https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/h...) With Xmas coming up, you might consider marketing it in that vein.

wow...thanks to ye. I expected a much more hostile response. That's practical.

i'm never hostile. "just the facts." if you can find other evidence or logically argue your point, then i'll change mine.

very cool not the usual snark ok I noticed you were also very specific as to titles. I consider my novella a really romantic story; but people may focus on the spiritual/philosophical angle. I have no control over this. Just be pissed off and dying inside like my character to the point where you can't contain it and you might feel this too...anger hurts

Alex G wrote: "I'd recommend reading Friedman's Publishing 101. Even though it is "a compilation of [her] best blog posts since 2008", it was published fairly recently (December 2014). I just fini..."
Thanks for the heads up on the publishing book. I just ordered it! I've been looking for a good guide on how to navigate this indie market :)

S.Q. wrote: "Alex G wrote: "I'd recommend reading Friedman's Publishing 101. Even though it is "a compilation of [her] best blog posts since 2008", it was published fairly recently (December 201..."

cool. let me know your critical thoughts.

Our book "In Julia's Kitchen" has been out just over a month. Have had signings in Boston area & now Maryland and DC. Even with a popular subject like Julia Child don't under estimate the value of good friends & contacts to drive traffic.

How does someone begin a new subject? I receive the digest and can only reply to other people's posts.

Mobile:

Tap More > groups > group name > discussion folder name> +

Where is "more"?

In the browser, click Discussions > New (above the list of discussion folders on the left

More is the 3 horizontal lines at the bottom right corner

The time to seek advice and learn how to write effectively and then promote your work is prior to seeking publication, not after.

There are books and periodicals written by professional authors and publishers that have established successful track records within the literary field. Many may be found in the local public library. They contain sound, detailed advice and information from people who have obtained considerable commercial success and notoriety within an extremely competitive atmosphere.

There are also lectures, seminars and classes, available at little or no cost through public libraries and community colleges, conducted by those who have garnered considerable experience in writing and publishing.

As when seeking to break into any new profession, seek and heed opinions and advice from established professionals within that field rather than that of those whom you have probably never heard of because they have yet to succeed in that particular area themselves.

While it's more efficient to figure out how you want to market your book before it comes out, there's a lot to be said for thinking on the fly. Avery knows what her questions are, what challenges she faces, and can head right for the info she needs. Especially with online sales, books aren't under the gun to sell as much as they can in the first two months or so (before major bookstores pull them) -- we can sell our books as long as we want.

Avery -- I do think releasing books so fast after each other risks losing momentum that can build. I don't have an ideal timeline for you (mine come out too far apart, I know that much) but giving about three months in between can allow some time to do some promotion for one before the next one hits.

If they're related to each other (all romances, say, or in a series) you might consider making one a freebie (or nearly so at .99) to get people to notice your work.

The biggest mistake people make (I'm not the first one to say this) is thinking *I need to make sales!* rather than *Where can I find readers?*

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I did much research on this matter prior to publishing but it's sort of like reading about swimming and then jumping in the pool... Sometimes research doesn't compare to the real life experience of doing. I appreciate your honesty and those who have helpful advice.

Right now, I'm playing on Twitter, gaining friends and followers so they can see my pinned tweet. Then of course they get a tweet when I run a contest or release a new book but I try not to be pushy.

Again there are just so many books out there! I have zero control over price because I'm with a publishing company so I can't run freebies but I do a lot of giveaways. I do need to run a Goodreads giveaway as previously mentioned.

The sales rank on Author Central is so deceiving. It looks like my books are riding a wave.

Anyway, thanks again and keep the advice coming! I really appreciate your expertise.