Writerly Ways

[cornerofmadness]

Let me put the cart before the horse in this writer’s blog. Marketing that book. It’s something we all have to do once we reach our goal. This has become even more important today with the heavy emphasis on ‘author’s platforms’ and publisher expectations that the author is going to play a large role in marketing their own books.

I’ve already done a post on author’s websites so I won’t be going over that again. I’ve been exploring author’s chats as of late s one promotional device and honestly, I’m unsure how successful these are as a marketing tool. Here’s a link to my chats for this week. Mostly, I just see other authors in the anthology commenting and very few others. This has been my past experience as well. On the other hnad,I don’t mind doing them. They’re easy to do and free.

I have found out through the chats, which I suppose is a no brainer, that readers like authors to respod to them. Naturally, I do, too, but I also kow that if I were to make it big so to speak my time to do so would be extremely limited. I think that’s one of the reasons some authors, like Douglas Clegg hosts a ‘ask me questions’ session once a week. it’s a pretty smart marketing tool, really. The reader feels appreciated and that way you’re giving up just a few hours on one day to interact with them.

I have succumbed to the twitter thing for my pen name. Wow, do I not see the point in this. It’s supremely annoying. Not to mention brain damanging (no, really). It is, of course, fast becoming one of those necessary evils that needs included in your author’s platform. I did sign up to follow one author related tweeter and that has resulted in me being ennudated with the sharks, the so-called movie makers, photographs and book doctors. Mostly, I decline to follow them back. The trick would be sussing out who is really going to be an assest and who is obviously there to take advantage of those who havent’ done their homework.

But I did get two bits of information from my one of the author’s groups I belong to via Dreamspinner Press. Both of these deal with approaching bookstores and what you have to do . I think both of these are going to get copy and pasted into my file folders. Now, how does something in ebook format fall into this? I don’t really know. People who’ve done ebook only have any suggestions for the rest of us? We’d appreciate it.

I won’t be putting out the lists of where I stand on all my books this week since I was only writing on the short story, Conned which is now in the hands of the anthology editor for consideration.

Here’s the yearly count though

54834 / 175000 words. 31% done!

And I decided I better start keeping track of my Saiyuki big bang. Guess who totally forgot she said she was doing this. Yeah. Guess who also forgot her plot. I rock. Saiyuki Bigbang -

880 / 15000 words. 6% done!

Comments

[marynachaotica.livejournal.com]

You provided very informative links that every writer should pay attention to. Thank you for pointing them out to us! I was only able to do a brief scan, of both places, due to homework piled up around my ears. But this coming week is a blessed light load on the homework front, so I will be reading these two in depth.

Somehow I would love to get my book out there. I'm sure we're all in that same boat.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

no problem. glad it was helpful

[silvrethorn.livejournal.com]

This is the stuff they never tell you about in those "How To Get Published" books. I'll be keeping those articles, too.

Most popular published authors will tell you up front on their websites that they can't answer e-mails because they get so many they'd never have any time to write. Having a Q&A session periodically strikes me as a very fair compromise.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

exactly and it's stuff we need to know.

yes i like that Q&A he does. it makes the fans feel connected without losing too much of his time

[marynachaotica.livejournal.com]

Right at this moment I'm thinking it's a dead point in even trying to get this book published. I got it written, and I should just be satisfied I managed to do even that much.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

getting a book done IS an accomplishment

[marynachaotica.livejournal.com]

Took me four years to finish it. And I managed to get it done about a month before Gerry died. So he got to see me at least accomplish THAT!