The days of the artist writer are not over by any means, but those writers who want to develop a following are having to learn skills they may not have expected. I like the term "authorpreneur," because it encompasses the challenge that we have to develop the often atrophied left brain of business acumen. When you love to write, you may not have the desire to think of what you create as a product. Writing and publishing are very different things. If you want to write for your own pleasure that is a very noble thing. We all know that the drive to have people read what we write is strong. Unfortunately, not all of us have studied marketing and promotion. I hope to share ideas and suggestions, but also would love for you to share your successful endeavors. Success for one is success for all as we increase the exchange of ideas and keep the publishing industry vibrant and prosperous.
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I don't think there are enough hours in a day for an individual to do everything they'd want when it comes to being an authorpreneur.
I write a blog, syndicate my blog, maintain a website and Facebook page, tweet several times a week, participate in online conversations, blog hops and giveaways, follow many many people on social media, request book reviews, and hope that these efforts will translate to sales some day soon. Facebook has been rather helpful in attracting fans and followers, but Twitter hasn't quite taken off for me yet. I'll be starting a series of speaking engagements locally -- hopefully that'll kick up some buzz.
I'm big on patience, persistence, and positive thinking, so I'm going to keep powering on.
Thanks for reading. Come by and visit me when you can at:
https://www.facebook.com/InnerPilgrimageTenDays
http://rajilukkoor.blogspot.com/
Best Wishes,
Raji
Two great ways to get reviews are through working with other Indie authors (I've met so many great people on Twitter), trading books and then reviewing. Another great way is with a blog tour. For little more money than buying books to send out, you can tour through a company and all the blogs you hit will review your book! So a 3 week tour, for example, will give you 15 reviews. Networking on Goodreads is also helpful. There are actual groups you can join on GR that hook up authors with readers who will review.
The other thing that comes to mind is that the skills we gain as an authorpreneur are transferable to other jobs such as social media coordinator, graphic designer, online communications coordinator, etc... I know I'm adding these skills to my resume as I seek part-time work.
I have a background in communications (journalism and PR) so I know the basic tools for promoting my books. However, my biggest challenges are lack of financial resources and time. And because I'm a writer first, I would rather spend my time writing rather than wearing all the hats of self-publishing.
On the one hand, I think authors need to develop a brand. Writing a series of books that refer to each other is one way to help with your personal brand. Keeping a blog in which you maintain a consistent voice can also be part of your personal brand. This is one way to develop a loyal following of readers, and it is the method most people think of when they discuss online book promotion.
I think all of that is good, but you also want to appeal to readers who don't follow particular authors and who have a strong commitment to well written books on a specific subject. In order to do that, you need to become acquainted with the topic of keyword research, so that by writing articles with just the right keywords in them, you will attract potential readers who have never heard of you or of your book. In today's blog, I mentioned one way to win new readers through keyword research of tangential subjects: subjects you are not actually writing about, but that are related to your book.
Quiniece,
You may want to check out my blog on "reviews" at: http://www.ariverofstones.com. Ten years ago, when I published my first book I sent out many review books, paid for them myself (yes, at a discount, but I still paid for them) and received only a few reviews for my time and money.
This time around I am looking for reviewers who are open to a PDF version of my book. I am also sending out my books, but not near the amount I did the first time around.
Again, check out my blog. It may just give you those free ideas you need and new ideas on getting the reviewers you want. And good luck with your book!
Kathryn, We would be so happy if you would post your blog here. You can add a link back to your own site, but many writers would benefit from it. Thank you so much.
Is there a way to put a link to my blog here or would it be best to enter it here also?
I'm a newly published romance author and my biggest challenge has been figuring out where the readers are in cyberspace. I use several different social networking sites to promote my two releases but I've ended up with mostly fellow authors as my friends/followers. That's not a totally bad thing because the support from fellow authors has been great but I'm striving to find avid romance readers.
What social networking sites do you use? Maybe we can get a few folks here to list those they use and increase your list? I find that sharing what works can help someone else in a big way! Here's my list:
The obvious ones:
Twitter
Facebook
Amazon--CreateSpace
The not so obvious ones:
LinkedIn
Writers Net
Utah Directory of Writers
Books a Million
(Let me get back with you after I find my list)
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