Table of Contents
Marketing Options So, What Do I Need on My Web site? Social Media Platforms Authors and Writers Should Explore Blogging Micro-blogging Social Networks Video Audio Document Sharing Your Online Presence. Go for it! About the Author 3 7 11 11 13 14 16 17 17 18 19
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Marketing Options
Who better to tell about your book then you? I want you to keep that in mind whether your book is published through a traditional publisher or self-published. If your book is contracted with a traditional publisher, they will do some marketing for you, but they will expect you to push your book too. Many publishers will ask for marketing plans as a part of the proposal. If you choose to self-publish your book, understanding marketing is even more important to you. Being aware of the various marketing tactics, new and old, will benefit you either route you take on the road to publication.
Traditional Marketing Methods ARE Still Important
Now let me be clear, while I work from the online part of an author’s brand, I must emphasize traditional marketing methods should still be a part of your budget. Many of the Web 2.0 platforms introduced in this guide are FREE, but DO NOT solely depend on these platforms to market your book. My main goal is to educate you on where the Internet is going since more and more people are online thanks to high-speed access. Personally, I rarely watch TV or even read magazines, so most of the information I receive about book releases and upcoming author events are from online marketing. Now know one can’t be on the computer 24 hours a day. When you meet potential readers in person (salon, your child’s school, church, grocery store, etc), you need to consider having business cards, bookmarks, postcards, and other print materials as line items in your budget. Research your local print shop or online places like VistaPrint.com for pricing. You probably don’t need to order more than 250 at a time which is usually the minimum amount. Make adjustments as you go along. PLEASE don’t create print materials from your personal printer. Invest money in materials that showcase your book cover and your photo professionally.
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Start with a Web site
The first thing you need for online marketing, which I hope you should know by now, is a Web site. On his blog, literary agent Terry Whalin mentioned, “Several years ago, it was OK for an author not to have a website. In fact, there was a great deal of skepticism about anything online and whether it was true or not … in today’s publishing climate, the Internet is often the first place that people turn for information about anything and anyone.” Read the full article Why Author’s Need a Web Presence It doesn’t matter how you obtain a Web site. You can design it yourself (if you have the creative and graphic skills) or choose to hire someone. If you choose to do it yourself, keep it professional. In the next section, I will share some no, no’s when it comes to building a Web site. If you hire someone, compare prices. I purposely keep my prices at Tywebbin Creations for people on a budget. DO plan to include two line items in your budget. For a Web site, you need a domain name and webhosting. If you do not currently have a domain name, go to godaddy.com (or another inexpensive company – hostmonster.com, dreamhost.com). When you find the name that you desire, purchase the name immediately to make sure you have it in your possession. The second thing that most people don’t seem to be aware of is Webhosting. This is just as important as the domain name. Webhosting is basically renting space online for your Web site files to sit for the whole world to see. You can purchase both the domain name and webhosting at the same time on godaddy.com. There are web design companies that will take care of all of this for you, but it’s always a good idea to understand what you are purchasing and why. I always prefer clients to purchase these items on their own. You can also be sure that you are the “owner” of your domain name too, which is very important.
Online Advertising
In the age of text-messaging, email is still the dominant form of online communication for adults. NEWSLETTERS (HTML EMAIL): If you have the time, definitely consider starting a newsletter or mailing list. You can keep readers updated with your new book releases, speaking or book signing events. Here are a few popular newsletter companies to explore:
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• • • •
campaigner.com constantcontact.com getresponse.com icontact.com
• • • •
myemma.com mynewsletterbuilder.com streamsend.com ymlp.com
EBLASTS: As you grow your personal mailing list, you may want to consider hiring online publicists that concentrate on sending eblasts or ecards. There are quite a few dynamic public relations firms like Good Girl Book Club Online, TheGRITS.com, etc. These companies have hundreds, in some cases thousands of subscribers. If you can afford these services definitely consider having a professional eblast created by a graphic designer. BANNER ADS: Some popular Web sites offer ad space in the form of banner ads. Definitely ask these sites if they can provide statistical reports or be sure to add Google Analytics (or some type of stats system) to your Web site so you can monitor your hits and inbound sources (where people are coming from to get to your site). Below are some standard sizes for banner ads you should keep in mind http://www.bannercreator.nu/banner-size.html
Don’t
OTHER: forget
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about press releases and media kits (usually you post these on your Web site). You never know who may be seeking information about you – so make sure you “sell” your image to potential media outlets. Sample Media Kits: http://pamelasamuelsyoung.com/content/presskit.html http://www.tiamccollors.com/content/mediakit.html
Online Promotion – Virtual or Blog Tours
Virtual or blog tours consists of a number of online stops (usually bloggers), all committed to posting about the same topic. The purpose of a blog or virtual tour is to generate “good oldfashion word of mouth” about your book. An author will ultimately increase their book sales, but a commitment to promote online is required. Authors who want to do virtual tours should: 1) Decide whether they want to coordinate the tour or hire a coordinator. If you want maximum online coverage and you don’t have a lot of time to do it yourself, you should hire an expert. Feel free to check out Tywebbin Blog Tours. 2) Plan to start the preparation for the virtual tour at least 3 months in advance. Why? • • You need time to research blogs that have the readership and traffic. You need time to mail review copies to bloggers. If you want book bloggers to endorse your book – you need to give them time to read or review it. The number of books you can provide will help determine the number of participants you can recruit. In order for tours to be included on certain blogs, you need to schedule in advance before spots fill-up.
•
3) Strive for uniqueness. Virtual tours are all about placement to attract readers. Content maybe interviews, excerpts, articles, audio – any type of content that (1) introduces readers to the author and (2) information about the book release.
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So, What Do I Need on My Web site?
Domain name and webhosting
There are two things you need to get started on a Web site. 1) You need to budget for a domain name and Webhosting. The domain name is usually yourname.com. For branding purposes, it’s always best to use your name unless you are writing under a pen name. There are other extensions like “.net”, “.tv”, “.us”, etc, but most people recognize “.com” as a company and you are in a sense a company or a brand. When you do a domain name research, sometimes the name you want may be taken so it’s good to have a list of alternatives. For example, author Monique Miller wanted moniquemiller.com for her domain name, but it was already taken. She opted for authormoniquemiller.com. As you explore domain names think about whether people will have a hard time spelling your name or if someone shares your name. Author Tia McCollors ran into this issue and uses not only TiaMcCollors.com, but also TiaWrites.com. Both domain names are directed to her author Web site. If you decide to use a free Web site service like say Blogger.com, I recommend at least purchasing and forwarding the domain name so readers can find you. A NOTE ABOUT BLOGS - Most sites now are run on a blogging system, so I don’t object to people using blogs for their Web sites. I’m actually encouraging people to go this route more and more.
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I would like to recommend that you consider Typepad.com (pay) or Wordpress.com (free) instead of Blogger.com. It’s a lot easier, especially with Wordpress to make your Web site appear to resemble normal Web sites. Plus if you use the combination of Wordpress and your own webhosting, the customization you can do is truly mind-blowing and fun!
Elements needed for a Web site
Here are a few websites to take a look at sherrilewis.com, rhondamcknight.net, tiamccollars.com, stacyhawksinsadams.com and maritateague.net. Some of the common elements or the basics: Home: A homepage is the landing site for your website. First impressions count. Your latest book release should be a focal point when visitors enter your site. A lot of authors still want you to be aware of their other books so they will probably still include those books on the page. Bio/About the Author: It’s up to you how much information you want to include. Definitely not TOO MUCH PERSONAL INFO. It’s the internet and you still have to use commons sense. Books: Always if possible include a description, post an excerpt and have links available for Amazon, BN, etc. If you are selling the book, you might want to look into getting a PayPal account. Tour dates or calendar: This is a must. Include your book signings. Any conferences where you will be speaking? Are you going to be a guest blogger somewhere? Are you going to be on television, radio, participating in a podcast? The key with a calendar – keep it updated. Contact Page: I recommend getting a gmail or yahoo account. Keep it separate from your personal email if you can. Spammers can easily grab or harvest your email address from your Web site. Yahoo and Gmail do pretty good jobs of catching spam. Simply, redirect yourname@yourdomain.com to your personal email account. What are you offering? If you have the time and expertise, consider how you can expand your site meet a need or offer a service. A great example is Rhonda McKnight’s inclusion of her Legacy Editing
Services on the “For Writers” page.
to
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DO NOT put or request irritating things on the site that will drive visitors away like … • • • • • • flash intros with no skip – preferably no intro at all especially if you want repeat visitors music that loads as soon as the visitor enters the page huge graphics with large file sizes – yes some people still use dial-up blinking animations large fonts clashing colors schemes
I could go on … but you get the idea.
Branding – Your name is the brand
Whenever I sit down to create a mock-up for a site I always start with colors. I like to get a feel for a person so his or her personality shines through their brand. Whatever colors, logos, fonts, etc that you use for your Web site, keep the same concept as you work on print materials and online promos like eblasts. Remember if you are a debut author or if there is a certain amount of time that has passed between your books, you have to teach people your name. Publishers spend a lot of time on creating the perfect book cover. Use those same techniques for marketing your brand.
Platform (Nonfiction)
Many writers are speakers. Platform may be more important for nonfiction writers, but it's probably helpful for fiction writers as well. Do you talk about domestic violence, cancer, parenting, divorce, etc in your fiction or nonfiction book? There is a possibility you can speak as an expert on this topic at a conference, on a radio show or on television. You can at least write articles for print or online publications. Web sites to check out: flourishleadership.com, marriagesuccess.org, toniaspeaks.com
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Audience
You need to know your audience. CamillePeay.com. Camille’s YA book, Brittani, is marketed to young adult females. So, when we talked about her Web site, she wanted something not too cute, but would appeal to a young girl. When you are talking to a web designer or if you are searching for a template, think about your audience. Do you want something that attracts a younger audience? If you write suspense, shouldn’t you think about darker colors versus pastels (even if you really like pastels)? Plan for the future. KellyStarlingLyons.com. Children's book author, Kelly Starling Lyons, has mainly written children's books, but when it came time to put together a Web site, she wanted to make sure it would appeal to young adults as well since she’s planning to write for a YA audience. If you are going to write for more than one type of audience, you may have to think about branding yourself two different ways. Several authors who write adult books, have separate Web sites for their YA books. Example: Victoria Christopher Murray Adult Fiction - http://www.victoriachristophermurray.com YA Fiction - http://www.thedivinedivas.com Feel free to request a FREE quote for a Web site or a customized blog at Tywebbin Creations.
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Social Media Platforms Authors Should Explore
Wikipedia states Web 2.0 is a term which describes the trend in the use of World Wide Web technology and web design that aims to enhance creativity, information sharing, and, most notably, collaboration among users. These concepts have led to the development and evolution of web-based communities and hosted services, such as social-networking sites, wikis, blogs, and folksonomies. For more information, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0 Another term for you … Social media is an umbrella term that defines the various activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. This interaction, and the manner in which information is presented, depends on the varied perspectives and "building" of shared meaning among communities, as people share their stories, and understandings.
Let’s Explore … Blogging
Watch this video by The CommonCraft Show. What is a blog? http://www.tywebbin.com/next/2007/11/whatis-a-blog/ Popular platforms: blogger.com, wordpress.com or wordpress.org (self-hosted), typepad.com (pay) Many authors will use blogs to help other writers by posting about their personal publishing journey. Visit www.stacyhawkinsadams.com to view how her blog was seamlessly included in the site’s design. If you have a certain niche or topic that you write about in your books, you can use this a jump off point for creating a blog. A good example of this is Linda Leigh Hargrove and her 17seeds.com blog where she talks about racial reconciliation. This is a topic also found in her Christian Fiction books, The Making of Isaac Hunt and Loving Cee Cee Johnson can be found at http://www.llhargrove.com/ (self-hosted wordpress).
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Okay, so suppose you are not published yet. IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY TOO MARKET! I would still encourage you to set-up a blog as starters. Two author friends that I know developed a “following” online BEFORE they were published.
Camy Tang (blogger.com) Read Camy’s publication testimony at http://camys-loft.blogspot.com/2006/03/i-gotcontract.html. She also gives back to other writers, with an excellent blog for writers called Story Sensei.
Claudia Mair Burney (blogger.com) Claudia’s, Ragamuffin Diva blog has a rare, but beautiful story of being discovered through her blog. SO, IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY TOO MARKET or at least get your name out there as you network and learn more about the industry.
How to Keep Readers Coming Back
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Do keep in mind if you decide to blog, post content regularly at least 2-4 times a week. People do get busy, so even if they have your blog bookmarked, they might not always remember to visit. That’s where RSS Feeds and feed aggregators, like Google Reader and Bloglines can help. I could go into more details about how you use RSS feeds to keep people updated, but that could take a whole other seminar. Keep in mind if you don’t want to put together a newsletter, you can use services like Feedblitz.com or Feedburner.com to send your blog posts out to people via email. Remember email is still the major form of online communication for most adults.
Let’s Explore … Micro-blogging
Popular platforms: twitter.com, plurk.com By you may have heard about the phenomenon Twitter. Don’t knock it until you try it. I think I had a twitter account for months before I decided to really check it out. Most people that I know, once you get started, it’s a whole lot of fun – and easy! Twitter is like blogging, but it's different. Microblogging is a concise way of posting information in a few characters. So, if you’re not interested in creating a full-blown blog, but you want to jump into using social media, you might like Twitter. Other microblogging platforms that compete with (or tried to) are Pownce and Plurk account. Pownce went out of business end of 2008. There are microblogging platforms like Yammer created especially for businesses. Twitter officially went mainstream. Mainstream means that it's no longer a tool for just the "geeks" or business minded folks looking to network heavily. You are allowed to send or tweet 140 characters. This seems strange, but as a writer you are encouraged to write tight and this is the perfect platform to put that skill to work. You can almost thinking of it like pitching or like the elevator conversation, because you want to say something meaningful to encourage people to follow you in as few words as possible. Twitter is the best when it comes to networking. You can follow other people and if people like
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what you are saying, they will follow you. Sounds a bit like stalking I know, but really just try it. You can control who follows you, by blocking unwanted persons. If an author has posted an excerpt for their upcoming book release to their Web site, you can draw traffic to your site by posting a twitter announcement. For more about Twitter, please feel free to download Twitter Tips for Authors.
Let’s Explore … Social Networking
Popular platforms: myspace.com, facebook.com, ning.com Watch this video by The CommonCraft Show. What is Social Networking? http://www.tywebbin.com/next/2007/06/what-is-social-networking/ There are so many social networks these days. You really have to check them out for yourself to see what you really like and are comfortable joining. The KEY is to find one you enjoy, participate and network. I recommend choosing at least 3 social networks to participate on a regular basis. In this guide we will explore the top two, Facebook and MySpace, and a few other bookworm hubs.
Facebook.com
Facebook is now the largest social network. I can see why? It’s by far the easiest one to set-up a profile and connect. It only takes one person requesting to be your friend and then you are connecting with who they have connected with and vice versa. This is a basic break-down on how to use Facebook in your marketing plans: Facebook Profile Page Most authors I see, use their own individual page as the main spot for fans to see their activity. If you only stick with using your individual profile, you are limited on the number of people you can send a message to. You also have to keep in mind whatever you post on your wall is visible to people who you may not want as much knowledge about your life as you would like. I am connected to family and friends, but I decided to use my profile page mainly for professional networking and book promotion. Every once in awhile, I will post something outside of that realm, but it’s pretty obvious I’m all about literary projects. If you are an author who prefers to keep your profile page more for family and friends you actually know, then you definitely want to go the fan or group page route.
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Facebook Group Page Since I started coordinating blog tours or virtual book tours for authors this year, I have tried all types of social media campaigns. I chose the Facebook Group route for most of them, mainly because as a bookworm and a writer, I felt authors would want a sense of community with a reader’s group. I do like the inclusion of traditional type forums on the group pages for discussion. If the author doesn’t manage their group, you will want to think about including a moderator or virtual assistant to help keep the group active. I found out there is a limitation to the number of messages (limited to 5000) you can send to a group. This may not be a problem for authors unless you are really big-time already. I would like to see if Facebook will redesign the group pages in the future. There is a lack of intimacy you expect for a group, but the functionality is there. Facebook Fan Page As a business I set-up a Facebook Fan page for the blog tours. With the recent redesign, I really love how the interface for the fan page resembles the individual profile page. With each blog tour, I switch out the graphics to bring focus to the author being promoted that particular week. By importing the blog tour rss feed, all the day to day activity for the blog tours are included on the fan page wall. In a lot of ways, the fan page can be set-up to run with relative ease without a lot of manual interaction.
MySpace.com
I think authors should definitely consider having a MySpace page. One big asset to being on MySpace, there are a lot of readers, especially book clubs. If you are going to start a MySpace page, you don’t have to stay on there all the time, because some of that stuff isn’t healthy for you – but spend some time updating your page or ask for assistance. Request friendships from time to time, send bulletins or add a blog post.
Social Networks for Book Lovers
Social networks authors would benefit from joining are: • • • • • shelfari.com goodreads.com
Book Blogs Book Event Center Book Place
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These sites are great for meeting bookworms and other authors. You can find a great support system willing to help you promote your book – using that word of mouth art form that has been around for years and years.
Let’s Explore … Video-Based Social Media
Popular platforms: youtube.com, vimeo.com, 12seconds.tv You might think of Youtube.com as a place where people post silly videos. If you have the time and the skill (or you can budget for this) create a book trailer. The cool thing about most video sites, you can take the embed code for your video and add it to your Web site. So you don’t necessarily have to draw traffic to Youtube, but you can still bring readers or future readers to your Web site. Post your video on as many places as possible that would attract readers. This is a part of viral marketing. Sounds gross, but here is a definition. Viral marketing and viral advertising refer to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives (such as product sales) through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of pathological and computer viruses. It can be word-of-mouth delivered or enhanced by the network effects of the Internet. Viral promotions may take the form of video clips, interactive Flash games, advergames, ebooks, brandable software, images, or even text messages. The basic form of viral marketing is not infinitely sustainable. If you want to experiment with making a movie trailer, here are Web sites • • http://animoto.com/ http://www.onetruemedia.com/
Some book trailers Web sites you might want to explore for ideas: • • • http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/fiction/index.asp http://www.bookvideos.tv/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_rX2Io4RjQ (unique video, very creative)
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Let’s Explore … Audio-Based Social Media
Popular platforms: blogtalkRadio.com, utterli.com, snapvine.com You don’t necessarily have to start your own podcast or radio show, but if your platform calls for it, go for it! There are sources out there for you to get started. All you need is an account, and an assigned phone number. Like the videos, these sites provide embed codes so your audio files can be included on your site. You definitely want to consider being a guest on someone’s show as a part of your promotional tour.
Let’s Explore … Document Sharing Social Media
Popular platforms: docstoc.com, scribd.com, slideshare.net People like FREE stuff. Anytime you can provide a free resource that’s a promotion opportunity. Use these sites to upload excerpts, discussion questions for book clubs or articles.
Now do you really have to try all of these social media platforms?
No, but you should explore different types to find out what works for you. Remember I said, you should choose at least 3 social networks for regular participation (be sure Facebook is one of them). Stay active in your favorite community whether it’s around your personal blog or on a social networking site. The key to social media or Web 2.0, it should compliment your Web site, where your main online presence is located. Promotion should be more than posting announcements or PR releases. This is the time to get out there to meet your readers and let them meet you. Social media allows you to connect to people you might never meet in person. When a person has an experience with you, hopefully a good one AND then enjoy reading your books, you’ve created an INFLUENCER.
Someone who will tell others about your book.
Now that’s marketing you can use!
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Your Online Presence. Go for it!
Choose a social media platform that you have not tried yet. Here are a few below that I covered in this workshop. 1. Set up a blog. Free accounts are available at Blogger.com and WordPress.com. Set-up a schedule that works for you. Plan to blog for a month, maybe once or twice a week. Think about a topic you are passionate about and dive in. 2. Set up a Twitter account. Start following people. Feel free to follow me at www.twitter.com/cookieaisle (my writing blog). 3. Setup up a Facebook or MySpace page (or try another social network mentioned in this guide.) 4. Create a book trailer. Post to Youtube.com. It doesn't have to be a published book. 5. Set up an account with Utterli.com. Record a message by phone. If you want to jump into your own radio show, sign up for www.Blogtalkradio.com.
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About the Author
Tyora Moody is an online book promoter, graphic designer and writer. For the past ten years, her niche has been to assist authors and writers with establishing an online presence. A teacher at heart, she loves to share quick tips and teach newbies about internet marketing. She also is a social network enthusiast. You can find her online at two of her favorite social networks, Facebook and Twitter. Visit her online at Tywebbin.com.
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