New writers are often told that
they need to build a platform, attract an audience and build a portfolio of
work – with publication they are told to market and promote the work everywhere
they can. Wannabee authors are told that in order to attract a publisher, they
need to show an impressive writing platform
and need to show up in web searches. So many new authors dive in to
social media sites, blog and web-sites, and join writers’ forums. Book
retailers are visited and asked for a chance to appear and sell books in
person. And soon they learn the hardest lesson, while they are neck deep in
trying to keep up with regular blog posts, inundated with tweets, busy
contacting book store managers, and getting lost interacting with other writers
on social media sites, they have to find the time to KEEP WRITING. Writing
something new is a crucial way to keep your readers’ interest.
It isn’t easy.
All of the above things are necessary,
writer platforms, social media and appearances (both in person and virtual)
will help to promote you and your writing. Too often writers will become
overwhelmed and not have the time to write. Many new writers will attempt to do
it all and will frequently do a haphazard job. Bloggers who need to maintain a
decent writing frequency will find huge lapses between posts. Scheduled tour
dates will be missed or the preparation will be sorely lacking. Tweets will
become tedious and sound like direct sales pitches, recipients will lose interest
and stop following. Social media interaction will be hit and miss. The writer
will feel the pressure, there will be no time to write and stress will open the
door to writer’s block.
Make a plan. Make a REALISTIC plan.
Are you holding another job down or attending school? What are your family
responsibilities? How many hours do you have available to devote to your
writing career? Make sure that 50-to-60-percent of that time will be dedicated
to actually writing and editing. Choose one or two blogs to start and plan to
blog a MINIMUM of once or twice a week on each – keep it regular. Put a time
limit on the time you spend on social media sites. Tweet 10 to 20 times daily
and mix up the content, no more than 30-percent should sound like sales
pitches, and the rest featuring new and interesting content (preferably NOT
what you ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner), interacting/responding with
others, and re-tweets. Set up a virtual blog tour to start BEFORE your book is
available and contact retailers for personal appearances; include other
interesting venues such as cafes, museums, and galleries.
To set up a virtual tour, contact
blog owners with similar interests to your book’s theme – choose blogs that
attract the audience you want to market your book to. Let the blog owner know
what your book is about and ask for permission to submit a guest post – be clear
about dates, both when the post is due and when it will appear. Follow the blog
owner’s requirements as closely as possible. Publicize the post and ask readers
to show up at the blog owner’s site; do not repost the blog on your site (not
for a few months at least) and tell people that it is posted elsewhere, the
blog owner wants the traffic. Be sure to show up at the blog on the day your
post appears and interact with commenters. Thank the blog owner for the opportunity.
Blogging is only one of the social
media platforms. Consistency is almost more important than the subject content,
although choosing a theme related to your writing or area of expertise is
recommended. Allow for comments and make a point of responding to your readers.
Use fresh content and make sure it is YOUR OWN; if your make reference to
someone else make sure that you attribute it correctly and with permission. Use
graphics that you own or that have a license to use freely (find this in things
like Google image search). Tag content so that you show up in search engines.
Use Twitter, Google-plus and
Pinterest to broadcast messages, themes, passions and photos to a mass
audience. LinkedIn is good for making professional connections and job-hunting.
GoodReads is filled with writers and readers and features several
topic-specific forums. Use FaceBook and other social sites to socialize,
interact, communicate, reconnect, and make new connections. Remember that your
presence on these sites should portray the persona you want the public to see.
Stay away from arguments and excessive foul language, don’t broadcast bad
behavior or get involved with inflammatory issues unless that is an issue you want/need
associated with your platform. As a writer you become a public figure and need
to behave appropriately.
Don’t over tax yourself with social
media and blogs. Take on what you know you can handle and do it well. Give
yourself time to plan your blog tour and if possible start it well before your
book’s release. Blast your own info, but never forget that you are not the only
author out there.
Writing Exercise:
Think back to your childhood and the people who made an impression –
good or bad; pick someone you no longer have contact with or knowledge of. Use
a few brief words, no more than two or three sentences, to describe “Johnny”
back then. Now write 2 to 3 paragraphs describing “Johnny” now, today, in the
present. Use your imagination as well as your memories of what “Johnny” may
have said he wanted to be when he grew up. Describe his home life, his family,
his job and if it seems important to you, describe his physical appearance. It
doesn’t matter if you’re being kind or mean, just make it sound real.
Writing Prompt: Choose
a career, something that you are NOT doing now, that you may have wanted at
some point in your life. What happened to make you choose your current job over
the other one? Describe the crossroads and the path you decided on to get you
where you are today. (and just for yourself, do you have regrets or would you
do it again?)
