Blogger: Mary Keeley
From the comments in Part 1 of my interview with author Karen Whiting last week, many of you felt her tips were geared primarily for nonfiction books. Well, today in Part 2 fiction writers will not feel left out. Karen offers tips that work for all writers.
Mary: Where do you look for influencers and endorsers?
Karen:
- I tend to look in the communities of the readers for that book—which is not usually other authors. For my newest release, Stories of Faith and Courage from the Home Front, with co-author Jocelyn Green, I found admirals, generals, heads of Christian military organizations, Blue Star Moms, etc., plus a few select authors who write on the topic but not in conflict with the topic: fiction authors who write about war, authors who write about the military, not the home front, and so on.
- I look for bloggers who have followings. My daughter, Rebecca White, co-author of Faithgirlz Guide to Going Green (release date Spring 2014) is following several green and earth care blogs now to see which ones do contests, promote products, and have guest interviews and also have large followings.
- I look for people who talk a lot and are influential people. They may head organizations or just be party people who like to share news of what’s happening.
Mary: Whether you write fiction, nonfiction, or children’s books, there are valuable tips here:
- By connecting not only with authors but also experienced people or authorities who are associated with the kinds of things you write about, you’ll attract their followers to you and your book.
- Find blogs with a large following that relate to your book in some way and start commenting; build a connection. Offer the blogger a few of your books to use in contests. Invite those bloggers to do a guest interview on your blog or be a guest blogger. This benefits both of you.
If you’ve already tried any of these methods, what has been your experience? What other approaches have you used to connect with potential endorsers?
Mary: What is added value and what can authors do to add value for marketing books?
Karen:
1. Those are the freebies people get from an author. So, on a radio show it may be a few great inside tips or tidbits. People are watching their money and spending it wisely and want more value for their money.
For the Home Front book, as my co-author and I wrote the book, we also wrote couple’s questions for each story. We put that in a file and have a QR code in the back of the book so people get a couple’s study for free. We also did a file of homeschool tips and exercises to go with the book and have a QR code in the book for that. Two different audiences with value for each.
2. This can be done with tip sheets and handouts when you speak. I met a woman who self-published a children’s book. She took my class on marketing and did it all. But the price of the book was too high. She had to charge $7 for what looks like a $3–$4 book. I suggested ten things she could give away when she speaks. She implemented the first one within a week. She copied the art of the characters in the book (she owns it) and made them into the same size where 8 fit on a sheet of paper. She printed the sheets on cardstock. The children can cut the figures and use them as finger puppets or add a Popsicle stick for stick puppets. With that one added value item her books started selling out at each event. And she has lots more ideas to implement for more value. If she does them all, she can probably sell the book with a kit for $10–$12.
3. Added value can be like belonging to an insider’s club. This means the audience gets to know more about your characters and book than other people. It can be done in interviews or subscribing to your blog, or with free, downloadable files that tell more about the characters and the behind-the-scenes of a book. It can be a QR code to the author’s inside look into the book as a file that is free.
(Note: Lifeway and other stores will not carry any book with a QR code if the book links are to sell something. So, you need dead end websites for the files.)
Mary: What creative ideas for your book came to mind as you read Karen’s suggestions?
Mary: Are there groups a writer can join that help writers to promote their books?
Karen:
- For those of you who have at least two books published or contracted by CBA, traditional, royalty publishers, Christian Authors Network (CAN) is a group available to you. CAN is connected with the Munce Group (a company that does the ads for about 500 independent Christian bookstores). They have author spotlights in their publications and authors help to fill content for their online magazine for readers (over 350k subscribers/over 200k hits a month), as well as other connections in the industry. Here is their website.
- It’s also great to start small marketing groups where you live. Draw from published authors who are in critique groups with you. Do group book signings at stores, banks, fund raisers, and so on. Review one another’s books for local outlets.
Mary: What ideas are new to you? Which ones do you think would work well for your book?
Thank you, Mary and Karen. This information is gold! Hanging my head as I admit that most of this information is new to me. I haven’t studied a lot about how to market my book. Mostly because I’m still writing and re-writing.
I have a question. In the post, you mention a “dead end website?”
Jeanne, thanks for your question. Others might be wondering about this as well. Lifeway and other stores don’t allow books to have QR (Quick Response) codes for a couple of reasons. They take you to another website where a reader may find discounts or coupons somewhere else, potentially losing a sale for Lifeway. It can easily be done these days using smartphones. Another reason is that QR codes can also be used to store personal information for use by advertisers or even government.
In that context a dead end website refers to the author’s or organization’s site, not to a site offering coupons or discounts.
Thanks for the great explanation! 🙂 Hope your weekend is relaxing.
My computer rebelled and posted my comment before I was done. I was going to say that suggestions on how to make a book more appealing (Karen’s example of making the kit to go with an author’s childen’s book) was great, or using a QR code for readers to be able to access other resources. Thanks so much for the wonderful ideas!
You’re welcome, Jeanne. Have a great holiday weekend.
Fabulous ideas! I love the way to expand your book to add greater value or a larger audience. Really clever! Having discussion questions at the end of the novel is a great way to get it picked up by book study groups. Lots of awesome ideas here to think about.
Michelle, I’m glad Karen’s ideas are helpful. I sense they are stirring you own creative ideas. You also can use discussion questions to build curiosity for your next book in a series.
What great ideas! I really like the idea of visiting blogs and gathering a tribe of people who are experts or passionate about one of your subjects, even if you write fiction. Thanks for the tips, ladies!
You’re welcome, Lindsay. Yes, that tip can work quite effectively for fiction writers. Happy blog surfing.
Building connections with influential people is really key. I would add not to comment on those people’s site simply because you’re looking for an endorsement, but to genuinely become friends with them.
I know that I didn’t do it intentionally, but when I opened up my blog design shop, it really helped when my more influential friends helped get the word out. (Totally not related to writing, I just saw a correlation). I hadn’t built those friendships for what they could get me, but when it happened, I was certainly grateful.
Great point and personal example, Tiana. The purpose is to build a community, not merely a backdoor way to get an endorsement. An influencer will see right through that approach and be unlikely to respond. But he or she will remember you in a negative way.
Fabulous information, ladies. Thanks for sharing it. Can I ask how you are judging if a blog has a large following? Are you using certain sites to verify it or are you going by the number of followers listed on the blog’s home page or a link to a site counter?
I know a few writers who tie their books and activities into odd holidays. I’ve never tried it because my book is about the Christmas story, but their creativity always inspires me.
Cheryl, good question. Karen uses a combination of the followers as well as checking the google search that lists the top blogs for the category. Go to google and type in a search for the “Top __________ blog.”
She says another way to get an idea of followers is to see if there’s a Facebook link and then see how many followers are on Facebook.
For more detailed ways check out this link:
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/identify_top_blogs.php
Or http://janefriedman.com/2012/03/07/research-top-blogs/
Thanks for the post! I’ll have to start brainstorming ways to add extra value.
One question. (I’m sure I should know this…) What is a QR code?
Happy brainstorming, Leah. QR stands for Quick Response. A QR code is a two-dimensional digital barcode. When scanned, it will take you to a website where you can purchase a product. Lifeway won’t allow these in books they publish because the code could take a potential book buyer to another site where the book can be purchased at a discount or with a coupon. I’m sure you’ve seen these black squares with smaller squares in each corner and squiggly (technical description 🙂 lines within the square.
Another blog post full of insight and practical ideas…thank you Mary and Karen.
I had never heard of CAN. Sounds like a fabulous resource for published authors.
Have a blessed safe Memorial Weekend..we have much to be thankful for in this country…and may we remember to say “Thank You” to those who go and those who stay on the “Home Front!”
Thanks, Kate. I hope they are helpful to you.
Amen to your Memorial Day thoughts. Have a wonderful weekend.
Great post. Thanks. I had no idea there were 500 independent Christian bookstores in this country. That’s good news.
And CAN sounds awesome. 350k subscribers? That’s fantastic.
Always happy to pass along encouraging information. Thanks, Sally.
This is an excellent post. I think it’s key that Karen points out looking for blogs that pertain to your target audience, not just other authors. This is the core of all your marketing, knowing who your target audience is and going to where they already are.
I also love the idea of adding value to your book. I’m working on a Bible study to go with my fiction book, following the things the main characters work through.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Being a self published author of children’s books myself, I loved her ideas of adding value.
I think I will try some of those ideas! Thanks so much for posting this.