using social media | Painting With Light

Posts Tagged ‘using social media’

Why Target An Audience?

September 18, 2013

Sell to the Right Buyers
If I’ve mentioned this before, forgive me … I’m going to mention it again because it’s important enough to repeat.

One of the biggest mistakes new indie writers make is trying to make their book appeal to everyone. New to the idea of marketing their work, many believe the larger the potential market, the greater the chances the book will get noticed.

Sadly, this is generally not true.

The larger the market, the more competition your work is likely to face. Trying to appeal to the masses, instead of understanding the needs, wants and desires of the right few is a recipe for a book flop.

It’s finding and narrowing your niche that will help you to reach more of the people that will ultimately buy your book.

Don’t assume you already know your audience, or that they’re just like you. Do the work to confirm what your readers actually want; not what you think they need.

What’s Your Appeal?
It’s difficult to tempt people with what you have to offer unless you yourself know exactly what it is, and why they should care.

I know I’ve said this before … take the time to discover your author brand. What does your writing have to offer, who would be most interested in it and why?

Face it. Your book is not a ‘must read’ for every literate person on earth, so you need a way to narrow your focus.

Where Do You Find Answers?
The answer shouldn’t be just a guess. If you currently have a fan base, consider polling your readers or asking them to complete a survey to better understand how best to serve them.

Ask questions in your comments (on your own blog and others), and join forums and clubs that discuss your topic or genre to find out more about your audience.

Find comparable books and investigate the websites and blogs for the book and its author. Who is commenting? What types of content are they sharing and what platforms are they using to share it?

Next, check out the various social platforms the author is active on. Look at the profiles of their followers … many are very likely your target audience as well.

Reader Profile
Once you know exactly who your target audience is and have streamlined your brand to be ‘in tune’ with their interests and desires, the final step is to be where they are.

A technique I’ve used to make finding and engaging with my target audience easier, is to create a highly detailed and accurate reader profile that represents my target audience.

My target audience is young adult (male and female, 16 and older), so I pitch my books accordingly. I like to think it’s working.

My novel REICHOLD STREET was a 2012 Readers Favorite Young Adult Gold Medal Winner and my short-story collection ZEBULON was a 2013 Silver Medal Winner … in the Young Adult Fantasy genre.

You can do the same thing.

Create a character sketch of your ideal reader (like you might for a character in your novel). Give this individual a name. Connect with them, understand them. Once created, this profile is who you think of, speak to and write for when creating any marketing message.

Every email, social media post, design tweak, book trailer, book cover, blog entry, excerpt and comment must be crafted with your reader profile in mind.

Monitor mentions of your book/brand online (set up Google Alerts). Stay up-to-date on news and trends regarding your genre. What are other authors, bloggers and industry influencers talking about? (Some resources: Feedly, AllTop, Google Trends and NewsMap).

Your audience is out there.

What are you waiting for?

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New York Review of Books – A Reminder
Look for the mention of my novel Reichold Street in the September 26, 2013 Fall Books issue of The New York Review.

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Creating Believable Characters
Don’t forget to click on the link in the right-hand column to get your copy of “Creating Believable Characters.” It was written specifically to aid writers with their character development and the price shouldn’t be a deterrent … it’s FREE.

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Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Tags:award-winning writing, book marketing, indie writers, self-publishing, using social media
Posted in Award-Winning Fiction, Book Promotion, Branding, Free Stuff, Market Your Book, Storytelling | 1 Comment »

How Do You Build a Publicity Tsunami?

September 6, 2013

Creative Content
I’m old enough (sigh) to remember the early 1960’s, when Time magazine called David Ogilvy “the most sought-after wizard in today’s advertising industry.”

For those who are delightfully young enough not to remember the man or his work … in his years as an advertising executive, Ogilvy created some of the world’s most successful marketing campaigns, including the legendary “Man in the Hathaway Shirt” … which still influences today’s marketers.

In my formative years in advertising, I used to study Ogilvy’s advertising campaigns trying to learn how to persuade prospects, influence readers and create memorable content.

Now, as an indie writer trying to market my award-winning books of fiction, I still look back often at some things David Ogilvy had to say, to see what I can learn from him.

“In the modern world of business, it’s useless to be a creative, original thinker unless you can also sell what you create.”

Interesting … and still true. Cleverness alone doesn’t sell books. Original thinking in marketing is great, but not just for the sake of being witty.

When you sit down to write any marketing copy for your books, whether it’s a blog, a tweet, or a Facebook entry, if you aren’t thinking about connecting with your audience and building trust, as well as selling your product, you need to reexamine your efforts.

Don’t create content just to sell, or to get credit for being clever – create content that’s helpful, insightful, or interesting.

“Do not … address your readers as though they were gathered together in a stadium.”

Just like public speaking is usually far more intimidating than talking to someone one-on-one, as writers the idea of trying to connect with a large audience can be troubling. But Ogilvy’s advice is still true.

Don’t get caught up in it. Pretend you’re writing a personal letter to each reader. After all, when people read your blog, they’re alone with your words.

“On average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you’ve written your headline, you’ve spent eighty cents of your dollar.”

Simple headlines are best. Always remember … on average, 8 out of 10 people will read headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest of the piece. If your headline is confusing, tricky, or awkward, they won’t continue reading.

“Don’t bunt. Aim out of the ball park. Aim for the company of immortals.”

This is my favorite Ogilvy quotation. What we do in our day-to-day lives might occasionally seem mundane, but remember this – every day we write, whether in our books, our blogs or other social media, we’re given the opportunity to make a difference … to teach, stimulate conversation, or persuade.

That’s pretty extraordinary.

So aim high. Make sure you’re always thinking, how can I make enough difference? Ogilvy’s work continues to inspire us, and his world-famous marketing campaigns live on.

But some of Ogilvy’s best lessons are about how he approached his creative life, and how he aimed for greatness instead of settling for second best.

Hmmm. Perhaps my headline should have read: “I Don’t Always Read Fiction, but When I Do, I Prefer Ron Herron.”

It has a catchy ring to it.

Tags:award-winning writing, book marketing, indie writers, self-publishing, using social media
Posted in Award-Winning Fiction, Book Promotion, Branding, Market Your Book | 5 Comments »

Why Go to A Writers’ Conference?

August 16, 2013

Writing Groups and Conferences Can Help Shake Rust Off Your Muse

Thinking About a Writing Group
For an old car guy like me, participating in the world’s largest car event during this week’s Woodward Dream Cruise, is something that should be monopolizing my time. I mean, I’ve got my summer car (a silver-over-blue 1981 Corvette) all shined up and ready to go, and the weather looks like it’s going to be absolutely perfect.

Even so, I’ve still been thinking about the local writing group meeting I’m supposed to facilitate next Tuesday. The regular host of the group, Michael Dwyer, asked me to sit in for him. I’m a little nervous, although it really isn’t a super tough gig.

I mean, the meeting is all set up, Michael will send out the reminder emails, and the people who come … mostly writers or folks who want to be … usually generate more than enough questions to keep a lively discussion going on the business of writing for a couple of hours.

Mike’s a local writer who goes to a lot of trouble to set up and facilitate these monthly meetings. I go to most of them, always enjoy myself and never fail to come away with some positive learning. I’ll be content if I’m at least half as good at it.

My Favorite Writers’ Conference
Michael also puts together my favorite annual writers’ conference, which I just realized is now less than two months away.

October 5, 2013 will mark the date for the sixth annual Rochester Writers’ Conference at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. It’s a one-day conference with a variety of sessions and guest speakers. I’ve attended every one so far, and even co-hosted a break-out session last year on self-publishing.

Smaller, local conferences like this are a great way to network with other writers and industry professionals.

They tend to be much less expensive and far less intimidating than big national conferences, but I guarantee you’ll still occasionally meet agents and publisher reps, make some great connections and get an intense one-day course in the craft of writing.

Get the Most Out of Your Conference Experience
Even if you’re a raw beginner, I recommend you attend at least one writers’ conference and here are some things to remember to get the most out of the experience:

DON’T dress up. Wearing something distinctive may help people remember you (Bohemian writer look maybe?), but even a one-day conference can seem long and intense and you’ll be glad nothing is chafing your neck. Wear comfortable clothes.

DO a Google search of as many presenters as you can identify, and learn as much about them as you can. That way you’ll have good subjects for conversation if you have a chance to chat.

A lot of indie authors see conferences as a means to move into traditional publishing, but don’t pitch your project to publisher reps or literary agents you may meet unless you happen to be in a specified pitch session.

However, it will never hurt to ask anyone how they’re enjoying the conference, or to offer to get them a cup of coffee. Just being friendly can make you memorable.

DON’T bring all 1,759 pages of your sci-fi/horror/zombie/romance manuscript and try to thrust it on conference presenters or fellow attendees (do I hear critique session, anyone?). And if it’s really a 1,759 page sci-fi/horror/zombie/romance manuscript … don’t bother anyone else with it. Particularly me. Please.

DO get business cards printed if you don’t have any yet. I think they’re essential for networking. I’ve lost count of the people I’ve met who don’t have any … and I’ve also lost the scrap of paper where I wrote their contact information.

DON’T forget to prepare your “elevator pitch” beforehand, so you can tell any literary agent, editor, publisher or fellow writer what your book is about in three sentences.

Have your logline, your hook and your pitch ready to go. Don’t expect to get a chance to use any of it, but have it ready, just in case.

Some Helpful Definitions
I realize some definitions might help (I do edit this blog, even with my tendency to ramble).

A Logline is a term that once applied only to screenplays, but has been creeping into the literary world. It consists of one or two sentences describing the story’s premise, like a film description in TV Guide.

Here’s the basic formula for a logline:

When_____happens to____, he/she must____or face____.

A Hook is longer. The hook should be the main component of a query letter to an agent or, if you happen to be an indie author like me, is essential for your Amazon blurb. It’s usually a paragraph or two giving the main characters, premise and conflict.

A Pitch can contain either or both of the above. It tells what your book is about and why somebody should buy it. It’s what you memorize before you go to a Writers’ Conference, especially if hoping you’ll get trapped in an elevator with Sister Five editors.

A good pitch answers these questions: Who? Where? What’s the conflict? What action does the protagonist take? What’s at stake? How is it unique?

DO take a notebook and several pens. Bring your laptop, if you must, but it’s very often something people hide behind. Bad idea. Besides, wifi at some conferences can be iffy, and batteries die.

DON’T be intimidated by recognizable authors, agents or editors. They’re people too. Try to tell yourself they’re as afraid of you as you are of them. It’s true. Honest.

DO remember to have fun. You’re there to make friends as well as learn. Connections will probably be the most important thing you take away from the conference.

The Business of Writing
Writing is hard work, and I really believe most writers keep writing to feel the joy of the process. I know I do.

I’m in it for those moments when the muse tosses words from my brain onto the page and they actually assemble in a somewhat meaningful way.

Publication is a nice bonus and a sale is confirmation that someone might really want to read those muse-driven thoughts we’ve all written down.

Attend a writing conference if you have a chance. It’s a pleasant surprise to realize how many others are mesmerized by the same thing. A conference tells us we’re not alone.

Keep writing. It feels good. Enjoy the journey.