Self-Publishing 2017: Building Your Audience

by

Jennifer Jett-Prezkop



In reviewing my list of 10 tips for self-publishing in 2017, one of the most intimidating tasks for me is the idea of creating a fan base. Where does one begin? What works, and what doesn’t? My head spins at the thought of accomplishing such a big task.

Despite my questions, I’ve been assured by several authors that it’s important to have this done well before the book comes out. From author websites and blogs to social media accounts and mail lists, we’re going to take a look at how to overcome this obstacle on the road to successful self-publishing.

Blogging

It takes a long time to write a book. When the actual writing process is through, there are still several rounds of edits to get through before a manuscript is ready to be published. Once the first book is out, writers are encouraged to get to work on the next story because your readers will want more—and soon. Blogging is a great way to build your readership before the book launches and also maintain front-of-mind awareness so your followers don’t forget about you.

Gail Ingis, author of Indigo Sky, writes a blog post every week. “For those who want to market themselves through a blog, writing about the (novel’s) subject and sharing opinions and suggestions is probably wise,” she says. “My blog is purely entertainment. From time to time, I blog about writing, designing and historic events. I try to make the posts more personal rather than informative.”

Eric Vance Walton, a novelist, poet, and blogger, recommends blogging about your book’s characters as well as the behind-the-scenes process of writing a novel and your frustrations with the process. “People are fascinated by all of this, and it creates a lot of anticipation for your book,” he says.

Social Media

When it comes to social media, author Nina Mizner advises that it’s never too early to create your social media accounts. You can use these accounts to promote your author website and your weekly blog posts, although Mizner warns that your content should be about more than just promotions for your book. She recommends doing some research on your favorite authors to see the different ways they utilize social media and the types of fresh content they share.

Ingis utilizes social media in addition to her weekly blog. She uses The Killion Group, a marketing company with experience in publishing, to post for her on Facebook and Twitter five days a week. From her experience, following those on social media who follow her also helps grow her reach.

When creating your social media accounts for promotional purposes, make sure you are using the sites that are popular with your targeted audience. For instance, if you write young adult novels, Instagram—NOT Facebook—is where you want to set up camp. This will require some research, but it’s something you definitely want to get right in order for your efforts to be worthwhile.

Mail Lists

Mail lists are a great way to stay in touch with your readers, and Constant Contact and MailChimp are great sites that simplify this process. Both sites will manage your email database for you. Constant Contact has a monthly fee, but MailChimp is free once you reach a certain number of subscribers. Beware: when you use these sites, the subscribers must sign up. You cannot add whoever you want to the list without their permission.

Sandy Tritt, founder and CEO of Inspiration for Writers, uses Constant Contact for marketing and says creating a mail list is important because newsletters are a great way to keep your name in front of your followers. There is a link to a sign-up form on Inspiration for Writers’ website. “Whenever I set up at a book festival or some such thing, I often do a door prize drawing for those who fill out the subscription form at my booth,” she says.

Walton drives people to the subscription form on his website through links on his social media and blog posts. “This way, I can build my own lists for free, and I know the people on the lists have at least a mild interest because they signed up.” His newsletter offers exclusive content, such as updates on new releases, speaking engagements, and workshops and classes. He uses the newsletter to make this information available weeks before sharing it anywhere else so there is incentive for fans to subscribe.

Best Practices

Out of all of these marketing options there are bound to be things that work and things that don’t. Here are a few these authors have had good experience with.

Steemit: “Steemit has been the best for me by a long shot,” says Walton. “My target audience is on Facebook, but that platform has become too expensive to be viable. I recently paid to boost a post on Facebook so people who’ve already liked my page would see it, and it only got 47 clicks out of an audience of almost 3,000. On Steemit, not only do people who’ve followed me see my posts, but I get paid for writing there. There’s no comparison.”

Networking: According to Ingis, networking is a great way to build a fan base. While we all have one main group—family and friends—we need to expand our reach to writing groups, social groups, church groups, membership organizations and clubs.

Intended Audience: Author and editor Deborah Holmes says to always keep your intended audience in mind and be aware of which social media sites your readers use. “Make sure you always write with your intended audience in mind, which is critical to good reception whether you’re tweeting or penning an article for a peer-reviewed journal.”

As for what not to do, Walton weighs in on where he wouldn’t waste any more time. “Probably the least effective thing I tried was a live Q&A on Facebook a few years ago,” he says. “The other thing is trying to get physical books in brick and mortar bookstores. I don’t even focus on trying that anymore because there’s zero profit in it. All of my content is available exclusively online.”

Social Media Platforms: Are They Really Necessary for Writers?

by

Rhonda Browning White

Short answer? Yes! But because you’re smart, you want more than the short answer, right? You want reasons. You want to know that taking time away from working on your novel, your memoir, your short story collection, and your self-help-slash-how-to book to update a Facebook status, tweet on Twitter, or write on your author blog is worthwhile and productive to your career as an author.

First, know that even the most well-established authors are embracing social media as a way to acquire new readers and maintain relationships with current and past readers of their work. Don’t believe me? Check out megawriter Stephen King’s regular posts on Twitter, or bestselling author J.A. Konrath’s blog for writers. 

Not everyone has time for regular blogging or cares for Twitter and its 140-character limitations, however; author Karin Gillespie reminds us that each author should choose the form of social media that works best—and is the most fun—for them. “I’m very sociable, so I love Facebook,” she said in a recent email to me. “I rarely think of it as promotion. In fact, very few of my posts have a promotion element; they are more about naturally foraging relationships.” 

Because of Karin’s active blogging and Facebook posts, she’s received opportunities to write elsewhere. “I got asked to do a Drinking Diary interview (if you saw my FB posts you’d understand). At least it gives me some name recognition. The world is all about connections, and people like doing business with those they feel like they know on some level. Thus you never know what social media might reap.”

Inspiration For Writers, Inc., client Don Kesterson recently learned firsthand what social media efforts can reap when he received a phone call from a London television director who—unbeknownst to Don—followed his author blog and subsequently offered him a spot as an expert witness on the American Heroes Network national TV show Myth Hunters. Keep in mind that Don’s a fiction author, yet his excellent history research—about which he regularly blogs and that is the basis for his novels—pegged him as an expert. (You can check out the episode’s trailer in which Don is featured here.)

In multiple chats with agents and publishers, I’ve been told repeatedly that a new writer’s social media presence is especially important, because the publisher equates Friends and Followers with potential book sales. It also demonstrates that the unproven author is familiar with self-promotion and networking—two activities that are crucial in driving book sales for unknown writers. Author Leslie Pietrzyk recently moderated a panel of agents, editors, and publishers at the Hub City Writers Project’s “The Writer’s Show,” in which panelists discussed the importance of social media for writers. You can watch the very informative episode here for great advice: 

So how much time should one devote to creating and maintaining a social media presence? This is a tricky question to answer, because it’s different for every writer. If you find yourself spending more time on Pinterest and Instagram than pounding out paragraphs for your work in progress, you may need to rein it in. Some authors set aside half an hour in the morning and a half hour in the evening to Tweet and update their Facebook statuses. For others, a couple of times a week are all they can devote to building a social media presence. The important thing is to begin. Get started. Familiarize yourself with a variety of social media platforms (browse a book on them, do a Google search for more information, or—when all else fails—ask a teenager), then choose one, and set up your account. It’s okay to start slow; just get going! When you determine what platform works best for you, commit to it, and post regularly.

Though I’ve been active on Facebook for several years, started a Twitter account about a year ago (@RBrowningWhite), and have regularly blogged here and at www.WhyTheWritingWorks.com, I’ve only recently started my own author blog: www.RhondaBrowningWhite.com. I have to tell you, writing a couple of blog entries for my personal blog each week, in addition to ghostwriting and editing for Inspiration For Writers— while still making time for my own personal writing—is tough. It didn’t take long for me to figure out that I had to get up half an hour earlier each day to fit everything into my schedule. But that’s okay—we make time for what’s important to us, and writing is a huge part of my life! 

I’m not suggesting that you set your clock half an hour earlier and guzzle coffee along with me—though I welcome your company!—but I do believe that if, like Karin Gillespie and Don Kesterson and Stephen King and scores of other breakout and bestselling authors, you want to get and keep the attention of agents, publishers, producers and, most importantly, readers, then it’s time for you to consider establishing a social media presence. 

Remember that Inspiration For Writers, Inc. is here to help you every step of the way, and this includes assisting you with establishing a social media presence. Whether you want social media coaching via email or phone, or simply need a professional editor to proofread your blog essays, we are available to you. 

And, since we practice what we preach, don’t forget to Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter (@WriterInspirer). You’re already reading this blog post, so we know you understand the importance of connecting with other writers and readers, so while you’re here, click on the Follow link to the right. 

Once you establish your social media accounts, don’t hesitate to post a link in the comment section below, so we can connect with you, as well. See you on the Web!