I loved Sandra's post yesterday & it got me to thinking about promotion.
I've been introduced to authors & their novels via book bloggers and Twitter and I've been turned off of authors and books by the same. To me, as a reader, promotion works best if it is honest and not a constant drum beat. I don't really know how to explain it, but "genuineness" comes across. What do you think?
9 comments:
Um, okay, not sure what's going on above but I agree completely. It's a total turn off to be over promoted, which is why, in my opinion, you have to limit how much you talk about yourself and push your work.
How do you get genuine?
This has been my greatest struggle. When is too much, too much? When do you cross the line from promoting to being a pest?
If someone asks me "Can you recommend a great book to me?" Is it terrible if say "Mine!" LOL I ask because this happened to me online last night. Instead I recommended this blog. But I'm being genuine when I say I think my book is great. If I didn't think that I wouldn't have spent ten months of my life writting it.
I don't know the answer to this. I promote much less than I did before because someone told me I was being annoying. I didn't think so but in the long run, it saves me time.
As for recommending my own books, there again, I was told it's bad form to do this. Do I think it's a hard and fast rule? No. I've made a couple of sales that way too.
Personally, it doesn't seem to matter how much or how little promo you do. You can't make a person buy a book.
Just my take on the whole thing :-)
The trick is to find the appropriate time and place to promo. On or near release date, put a small blurb out to loops that allow it (please read the rules! most sites have them to avoid annoying members) or simply a link to your blog or website--where you're allowed to promote ad nauseum. Go on a blog tour: query blogs related to what you write and ask if they could use a guest blogger or interview on or near your release date. Readers tuning in to those posts are LOOKING for promo, therefore your promo reaches the right audience. Many other smooth ideas exist. Look at what does not annoy you as a reader, and emulate that.
I've been to many a writer's blog where they only post excerpts of their stories, reviews of their writing, or notifications of when they have a book coming out. You post a comment and they do not respond. I do not typically revisit these sites. I blog for the interpersonal contact, to learn more about a writer/author. I think it's fine to say Hey, I've been published. Or my book comes out.... I even think a copy of your cover posted in the margin with a link to Amazon is fine. But your blog needs to be about more than just Buy My Book!
I agree. Being yourself (in a nice way, not an ugly way) might be the best way to get people interested in what you write.
Hi Rebecca - I'll try to make my future posts clearer & the prose tighter.
Hi Annie - Your vibrancy and humor comes across in your comments, tweets, etc. I would have laughed at the "Mine!". :)
Hi Sandra - That's very true you can't make anyone buy a book but you can influence them. When so many book bloggers are raving about a certain book it makes me itch to read it. (ie Hunger Games, etc).
Hi Kelly - I totally agree. Very well put. I hadn't thought of it that way, but you are so right!
Hi Wendy - I've been to those blogs too and agree that interaction is a key.
Hi Kristen - That's very true! I've bought books because I like an author I've "met" online. (Luckily most are well worth the $)
:)
Lots of great comments and suggestions. Nice post, RK!
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