Writers Websites Wednesday - Rachel Abbott Writer

I like Rachel's blog, Rachel Abbott-Writer.  For starters, she provides lots of info on twitter in three parts to help the new/indi writer learn the ins and outs of twitter.  She reveals some great info and  helpful tools.  All in all a good site; a blog worth following to see where it goes next.

Easy Book Selling

Okay, that title might be a little reversed - what I actually want to say is writers, you need to make it easy for readers to buy your books.  And make your bookselling chore a little easier.

Things are a lot different these days as we rush forward into the digital age.

Many writers could well think, "I AM making it easy, I tweet, I have a facebook page, I have an author's page on Amazon and my book is published there in addition to Barnes and Noble and Smashwords...."  and on and on. 

No doubt all of that has been done.  Writers are generally an industrious and informed lot.

But the devil is in the details as the old saying goes. As a writer you may think you're making it easy to purchase your books when in actuality you aren't.

Now don't get insulted.  It can be tricky.

Here's the thing. You have to make it not just 'easy' but super easy.  Hardly anyone these days has time to play detective.  Have a social site where you have a promo for your book? - something like, "for a great read get..." and then there's a one click link to the Amazon product page - good job so far, but that's not where to stop. 

Amazon is a giant, true, but it isn't the be all/end all. Don't stop there and sell yourself short. What if your readers, your audience is hanging out at Barnes & Noble with a Nook?

There are other places out there.  Nook lovers buy from Barnes & Noble. Then there's the Smashwords pages where you can find many great books in a number of formats. Don't get too scattered about it, but hit the big ones for sure. Amazon, B & N and Smashwords.

Give your reading audience links to them all, maybe not all at once, but in different places at different times - or all at once if you have the space to do it. Keep the promo going.  A person with a Nook who sees a book available on Kindle will probably move on and not do the 'research' to discover it really is available on Nook as well.  You don't want that! Let them know! Give them links.

Make it easy for readers to buy your book.

Here's another thing.  If you have a facebook page and put your cover up to promote your book don't forget a link to where your reading fans can buy it!  Again, your readers are going to be totally turned off if you expect them to be detectives and unearth the information to buy your book themselves. Use social media to inform your followers of your books.  Don't try to cram it down their throats with over the top promotion, but don't make it hard for them either. Tweet a link to your book, sometimes the Amazon link, sometimes another.  Keep your website up to date and make sure a link to buy your book either directly or from the sales site is listed, prominently displayed and active. . Facebook?  Don't forget the link!  Goodreads? Set up your author page and keep the information flowing.

Think of it from the reader's side - no doubt you're an avid reader if you are a writer.  Would YOU want to waste a lot of time rummaging around the net trying to find a link to purchase a book who's cover just caught your fancy?  doubtful.  You'd move on, right? 

Don't let that happen to YOU, the writer.  Make it easy for readers to buy your published or self-published book. 

And don't forget iPad folks.

So, here's my book, Stormrider at Barnes & Noble, Kindle, Smashwords and iBooks 

Now, wasn't that easy?

Marketing Your Novel - Tips & Insights

Come on, you know you're going to have to do it.  You're going to have to bite the bullet and put some time and, yes, money into the marketing of your novel whether you've self-published or published with a House.

When I mention money it's because in all probability you'll be putting in at least some real time appearances and will find yourself in the position of being asked for take-aways either from folks at a signing or personal appearance or from folks who put together 'goody bags' for conventions and conferences or maybe from bloggers who do giveaways for their readers.

So, while you can give away a copy of your Ebook easily online with no cost to you really, there are other things that work that are going to cost you something. And you probably want to keep a few things on hand so  as to avoid the mad scramble of trying to get personalized items on short notice.

So let's talk about some ideas.

Bookmarks with a picture of your book cover and your info on them are great.  They aren't the best for bookstores or conferences since almost everyone is handing them out there.  But I woldn't say no either.

Postcards are a great item.  They give you a bit more space to work with - book cover on one side, your book & personal info on the other, and maybe some space left to give to a fan with an autograph.  And I've seen a lot of folks using them as bookmarks so that postcard might have a longer life than we might expect. VistaPrint is one resource, there are many others. You can even  make a calendar there if you have enough material to creatively fill 12 'spots' of the year - then offer them as prizes or giveaways.

Buttons can be kind of cool and people frequently leave them pinned to things like totes, backpacks and vests.  Thing is, don't get one too clunking large and avoid the very tiny. Design is very important here.  Maybe just a bit of your cover and the website.

Magnets remain popular with people and they frequently find their way up onto refrigerators or stuck in cars or on the side of filing cabinets. That makes them a great giveaway and not too expensive either.

If your book is in  hard copy, be prepared to give some copies away.  Take advantage of the special price your publisher gives you and get them into the hands of reviewers, contest winners and the like. People love free stuff.  Ebook?  Even easier. And with an Ebook you can have cards printed up with a website where the book can be downloaded free.

There are plenty of other ways to promote yourself as well.  You can blog and work with other bloggers to do some cross-promoting and cross-bloggng.  If you don't want to have your own blog (and that's all right) you might be able to do the occasional 'guest blog' at a sight you like.  Contact the site's owner and ask. 

Do participate in some social networking - Twitter, Facebook, and others are out there. The goal is to make that persomal connection with your readers. To be real, and accessible.

What about personal appearances.  Yep, it's a good idea to do some of those as well.  The Book Tour isn't what it used to be, but getting your face out there is a big help.  Book signings are okay, and can be fun, but not the first line of attack these days. 

Book festivals are better.  Conferences are good.  School visits, if you write for that  age group are good too.

 You might think about getting a few T-shirts or coffee mugs with your book cover and info as giveaways.  That can get pricy, but a few, as contest prizes or special bonuses can be a good idea.  Cafe press is one place you can design and create your own 'stuff.'  There are others, maybe even locally, look around.  The advantage of Cafe Press is you can order as little as one or two and you can create a store right there online if you want to 'sell' those T-shirts and mugs, etc. as a sideline. 

So make some effort, be creative, think of little things like pens or pencils, cards or postcards, notebooks and such you can stamp with your personal book cover and get into peoples' hands. 

 

Darn the Promotion, Full Speed Ahead!

It's Monday, I have my work schedule in front of me (one I created, so I have no room to whine) and I'm tripping right along. Already did several items on my list and now it's down to posting to my blog (which I'm doing right here), some time promoting my Ebook, Out Of Thin Air, and some time to be spent working on my romance novel.

I really want to be working on my newly revised/old screen script idea, but I didn't put that on my list, and if I'm not careful I can get pretty scattered.

It's amazing what we do as writers that we don't feel like doing. I mean, don't most folks think writers are free to sit around all day and write whatever comes into their heads? Well, at least a goodly number of them do.

So, as I ramble here a bit I'm actually planning in my head what promotion items I'm going to tackle today. I try to do at least one and usually two or three small things a day to promote a book that's already 'out there'. I have a website for my Ebook, I'm selling it through Booklocker as well. I've promoted locally and through some newsletters on the web.

There are free book listing sites on the web as well. Some better than others, but I'm going to list with a number of them. I've already listed with the Goodreads Author Program and I have a page at Amazon's Author Central which I will have on a list to update soon.

Today I think I'll send out a press release regarding the release of Out Of Thin Air - most likely to Open PR as it is a free press release site and a good place to start.

And all that's just for the Out of Thin Air, the Ebook geared to helping new and young writers. I'll be doing some work to tie in some of my other releases such as Stormrider and To Hell and Back, both Ebook releases with Fictionworks, and The Eye of The Hawk, a Hardcover release by Five Star Publishing. (if you scroll further down this blog you'll see photos of the fabulous covers so no need to stick them in here again). Wait, I take it back, here's To Hell and Back cover.

Now all of this is a general pain in the neck (and other places), granted, but for today's author, a necessity. So grouse and grumble all you like, but remember to make time for promotion when you're a writer - and not just for one day, but as a steady, scheduled necessity.

And now that I've gotten you on the right track, time for me to actually do the work.