We've all seen or heard about the movie How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days (with Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey) about using reverse psychology to 'keep' a boyfriend. Reality of that movie is instead of being a 'typical' female, you need to do things different than others to be successful.
So how can this movie's premise play into promotions of a novel? Well, let's see. I recently participated in an online marketing course (one more coming up in two weeks) and, while I didn't learn much from this course that I haven't already put into place while marketing and promoting authors and myself, I do have to admit, this class made my mind really think.
Think outside the box
Don't stick with the majority. Be different. Your book is NOT like another author's book (unless you're bordering copyright infringement) so why should your marketing tactics be the same. Posting the same promo verbage and pictures? Has it helped sales? Do you find people not 'liking' it? Then maybe it's time to change your thinking process.
Start a fan club/fan page where you interact with readers and fans. Have daily chats. Post contests. Post silliness- let them see you are a real person, just like them. Post pictures and short (yes, under 200 words- readers tend to lose interest fast and want immediate satisfaction) blurbs and/or excerpts.You would be amazed at how successful this little trick can be.And don't forget when having a release day to have a special contest for the readers and fans- word of mouth is astounding.
Easy does it cowboy
Know the fine line between promoting and being a nuisance. When you start seeing the same promotions from the same authors, on the same pages and loops every day- it's time to change. People (fans and readers) become oblivious to it. Repetition is good for children that are learning but it becomes an annoyance for adults.
I have actually had this conversation with many authors and readers. When this happens, the author's TBR List becomes the Not TBR List and that author is shunned to the corner. Do you want to be that author? If your quality of writing and the freshness of your story lines are strong, you'll have that fan base and have no need for over-promoting. Word of mouth in this industry is crucial. Be the kind of author that you want to read or have loved in past years. Did they over-crowd your life with promotions? Or did their quality of work swoop you in? Think about it.
Surround yourself with equals
Belonging to writing groups, organizations or even chat loops can be beneficial, just make sure the other members are ones that you want to associate with. Does their writing style match yours? Are their main reasons for being in this business parallel to yours? Are your professional levels equal? You know the old saying, "Surround yourself with idiots..."
Just remember the old adage - guilty by association. We all have our beliefs and opinions but keep in mind if someone you are associated with has an issue with something, it could rub off onto you. Are you willing to have that conflict?
*Next in the series of marketing and promotions is the Good, bad and ugly of reviews and how it can effect sales and fans.*
Great Post, Dawne. I admit that promotion is not my strong suit. I know that there is a fine line between being a good promoter and either coming across arrogantly and being too pushy to not doing enough promoting at all. It's hard to find a good balance.
ReplyDeleteI'll definitely keep your ideas in mind. Thank you.
There is a fine line and you do need to have a balance when promoting Andi. Some people know that line and others step over it and this can cause loss of sales and fans.
DeleteThanks for the post Dawne. Writing the book is half of the equation. The other half is promotion, promotion, promotion!!!
ReplyDeleteAn author once told me writing the book is the easy part, the hard part comes after it's published and you have to promote....so true
DeleteBrilliant post, Dawne. What you say is so true...sage advice. Those who follow your advice should find their sales much improved.
ReplyDeleteIt's the simple marketing that works, not the over-zealous promotions. People need to think simple.
Deleteanother informative post - as someone who struggles with promotion I'm planning on catching ALL of these posts!
ReplyDeleteThank you Sessha- there are so many aspects and forgotten marketing tactics and I'm hoping to touch base on all the basic ones to assist authors
DeleteExcellent article, Dawne! Thanks so much for taking the time to write up this series of posts for us x
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome JoAnne- I think sometimes authors need to be reminded of promotions and how to market and I am hoping this series helps.
DeleteGreat post, Dawne. I used to over-promote and now I don't do that. It was easy to do because I always had something new up. Now I promote once or twice per week. I hear once per week is the magic amount, otherwise readers get burned out. I also look for unusual promotions like my Man Candy Tuesday posts (which I'm resurrecting next week) and my sex toys prizes for contests. Both are quite popular.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing Lizzie- the weekly repetition is awesome to bring back regular followers and sometimes people forget that. If you find a niche posting that targets certain people- stick with it
DeleteI agree with fan/reader interaction - mostly. However, I believe the best promotion is writing more and better books. And that is hampered by individually answering every tweet, post, chat that comes my way. The hard part is balance and I'm still trying to perfect it.
ReplyDeleteJMHO, of course.
Best to all,
Gerrie
You hit a key point Gerrie- the strong plot, the fresh writing style and knowing how to write proficiently and to attract the readers.
DeleteGranted many romance novels (or any genre) have the tell-tale format and story-lines so you have to make yours different, have that twist in the plot and make the readers crave more
Great tips Dawne. I think every author has to find the balance that is right for them, between writing and promotion and just being a real person.
ReplyDeleteFinding the appropriate balance is so important Kellie. If you concentrate on one area too much, the other seems to falter. Getting the correctly balanced routine is a trial and error event.
DeleteGreat post. Thinking outside the box and distinguishing oneself and one's work continues to be the challenge.
ReplyDeleteYou don't need to disguise your work Cara- but branding yourself with a certain sub-genre plays a major role in having a fan base. Branding is another topic I will be discussing in a future post.
DeleteSpeaking of outside the box one of the neatest ideas I've heard is to have an author's character create a blog.
ReplyDeleteIf you're writing a series that is a fabulous idea. If it's a stand alone book, I'm not so sure
DeleteYeah, it's hard to know what to do and when to do it anymore. (Promotion-wise, that is!) Where are the readers hanging out the most, I wonder...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips!
Celine
Finding readers and building a fan base is one topic I'll be covering in the next few weeks, so stay tuned.
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