The Writer's Sandbox: How to champion your fellow author (and not annoy everyone else...)

One of my big struggles since becoming a published author is marketing.

Not only my own (which definitely is a struggle) but how to best market my fellow authors that I want to support!

My last post I got "real" and talked about the insecurity that comes when you feel like support from other writers is "eh" at best.

So I wanted to spin it to the other side today.

There are a LOT of authors out there. And quite a few of them I count as "friends" even though we may only be acquainted on Facebook.

But there is NO way I can champion them all. I just can't. None of us can. There isn't enough time in the day. And if I shared EVERYONE'S Facebook memes, my followers would be beating a path to the unfriend/unlike/unfollow button.

I am not perfect at this. In fact, sometimes I'm BAD at this. But wanted to share a few tips, not based on what I DO, but what I STRIVE to do. There is a difference. LOL. (Kinda like when I tell my kids they don't need dessert but sneak a little ice cream when they're in bed! Shhhhh.... don't tell....)

So, my confession aside, here are my tips --

BE HONEST. Sharing a post and saying, "BEST BOOK I'VE READ ALL YEAR" when you struggled to finish it might help the author in the short term, but it will damage your credibility when your readers pick it up and see the less-than-stellar writing. Personally, I'm a fan of the "if you can't say something nice, say nothing at all" rule.

DON'T OVER PROMISE. One of the lessons I learned in the corporate world, I believe said by our CEO at the time, was "Under promise, over deliver." Better to beat our promises than not to deliver on them! When agreeing to influence/review a friend's work, don't set unrealistic expectations. "I'll have it reviewed next week" and then get to it a month later. Or worse yet, "I'll leave you a glowing review" but then actually READ the book and not be able to review it at all because nothing you could say would be positive.

SHARE SMART. Don't let your page or your timeline become a walking advertisement, for your books OR your friend's books. Your shares and "advertisements" should be balanced with engaging content, or find a way to MAKE the share engaging. "I just read this book by Pepper Basham set in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Oh my goodness it was so good and made me want to take another weekend trip to Gatlinburg! Anyone have a favorite spot to visit in the mountains? I'd love some ideas for our next weekend away!" Or something like that!

PERSONAL DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK."My friend wrote this amazing book -- go read it!" will garner a little less enthusiasm than "Oh my goodness, I'm swooning right now! Just finished When Fall Fades by Amy Simpson, SO. STINKIN. GOOD!" The first shows clear bias and may put a question in your friend's mind.... Did she REALLY like it or is she just super biased? The second is much more word-of-mouth friendly!

TIMELINE OR PAGE. A lot of authors, myself included, have both a personal FB timeline and an officially author page. Many promotions, I share both places, because only a small portion of my friends like my page and only a small portion who like my page are my friend. SO, for authors who have pages, always share from their PAGE and not their TIMELINE. This helps them get more likes, and pages are HARD to get views on sometimes due to FB algorithms. Shares help visibility of their page and ups the helpfulness of your share!

VARY IT UP. We have so many social media options. Facebook, twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, blogging.... There are so many ways to help promote. Mention their book on your blog. Share or post on FB. Retweet on Twitter. Post a pic of you and their book on Instagram. Have a board for covers and links on Pinterest. You don't have to do all of them. But varying it up will help from overloading any one site with advertisements.


But regardless of HOW you do it, supporting each other is important. No, you can't support everyone. And there is no "perfect" way to do so. But word-of-mouth is still the BEST marketing for books, and chances are that when it's your turn to be published, you'll be looking around at your fellow author friends and hoping THEY help you promote too.

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Krista is a follower of Jesus, a wife, a mother, and author of Sandwich, With a Side of Romance, A Side of Faith and A Side of Hope. AND nnow the author of A (kinda) Country Christmas! She blogs about finding JOY in the journey of LIFE at http://www.kristaphillips.com. She is represented by Sarah Freese of Wordserve Literary.

What A Writer Learns from Facebook Partying

DON'T Look at me!

Don't! ACK! Make me share my best qualities? AAAH! Not happening.

www.angiedicken.blogspot.com 

I am a self-criticizer more than a self-promoter. Writing my author bio was like torture. It was much easier to list my flaws besides my accomplishments (side note: if you're anything like me, it's always helpful to have someone "unbiased" help tweak things like that).

BUT in this social-media-driven world, it is more and more important these days to build an online presence as an author OR an aspiring one. For years, I have been nervous about "a brand" or gaining "followers". After some very good advice recently, I forced myself to step out of my "skin" and become more intentional with growing my potential audience.

I took a deep breath and asked myself, what do I have to offer an audience, besides stories that have yet to be published? Well, I have a mom blog and a bit of knowledge, and a love for graphics. I decided to re-design, zoning in on myself as an "author" as well as a "mom-blogger". Funny, but it was just a matter of choosing to actually USE my existing corner of the web and answer some of the questions friends have asked me over the years...
the Whats, Whens, Wheres, Hows, and Whys of being a mom and a writer, and how they co-exist.
After I started playing with "the look" I decided to share it all with a Blog Kick Off (and this was as much for announcing it, as holding myself accountable to committing to it)!

I am sure there are a gazillion ways to promote a blog. I chose to throw a Facebook Event since I had experience with a direct-selling company which uses this tool.

So, I sat down and decided that it could not just be about telling people all my stuff. That's just a little heavy on the self-promotion side of things. I had to make it worthwhile for my guests. I needed a purpose greater than announcing "redesign":

My Event Purpose: To SHARE, SOCIALIZE, and UNDERSTAND my guests in light of my passion for books, my season of mothering, and as potential readers.

Here are some things I learned as I went through the prep and actual party-throwing:

1. PARTY "DECOR" & GRAPHICS:  I wanted my "look" to be memorable and meaningful. I had some head-shots done a while back, and so I decided to use them in several different ways as I posted and promoted. I shared my first attempt with some very trustworthy friends --the Alley Cats--and they were honest in telling me it just didn't seem like "me". It is very important to know that WHAT you are putting out there is WHO you want to be known as! Here is my first attempt at branding myself as a Historical Author and Mom Blogger:

I like this crisp look, but my Cats know my style and my stories,
and they gently steered me in a different direction.

Here is what my new blog banner became:

This has a bit more historical flare, with the artsy fartsy stuff that I love. :)

I also created my own images and clipart to promote my party and add to my posts to pop up across newsfeeds. This kept that "decor" going throughout the party period.:)

2. POST LIKE YOU MEAN IT: As far as my actual POSTS went, I first made a script for myself to be sure to have something productive and informative to say to keep the day-long party going. I looked over my script the night before the party and read, "blah, blah, blah." It did not sound like me one bit! Who wants an infomercial on Facebook?? There are PLENTY of those. So the next two points are how I *tried* to keep it fun and authentic:

3. TREAT IT LIKE A PARTY!  An event must be fun in my opinion. I go to social media for information, sure, but I want it to be worth my time too. Instead of using the script, I chose to include what I was actually doing at the moment of my post, or talk like I would at coffee shop instead of as a salesman. I'd like to think that my Blog Kick Off party was a social affair...and not just self-promotion. Facebook parties should be just as much about conversation as promotion.

My points list: Fun way to get friends involved and start up conversations!

4. GAMES AND GIVEAWAYS!  I said fun right? Games are a great way to get those conversations going, especially those, "What kind of....are you?" quizzes (But, be careful to review them first...some can be a bit inappropriate)!  The giveaways were a blast! I LOVE giving stuff to friends...especially when they are so supportive. I didn't feel like I was expecting too much attention from my audience when I knew I could make it a true party for them.

I must say, it has been an exciting time post-party as I have watched my numbers grow...it is a slow climb, but I am getting to connect with some amazing people, and not just share about my venture across social media, but learn about other writers, mom bloggers, and all kinds of people as I connect! My Facebook Event was a great tool to get the party started...and I feel like the party just keeps going as I explore the worlds of writing and motherhood!

What tools do you use to strengthen your online presence?

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Angie Dicken is a full-time mom and lives in the Midwest with her Texas Aggie sweetheart. An ACFW member since 2010, she has written five Historical Romance novels, has a Historical underway, and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of The Steve Laube Agency. Angie also spends her time designing one-sheets and drinking good coffee with great friends. Check out her author page at www.facebook.com/dicken.angie, her personal blog at angiedicken.blogspot.com and connect at:

Twitter: @angiedicken
Pinterest: pinterest.com/agdicken

Web Relations the WRITE Way for the New Year!

Publication? Does it elude you? 

Perhaps you've been waiting for months...more likely years.

I'm sure you've noticed our Pepper has an exciting publication story after a wait! 

Even award-winning authors can have challenges breaking back into the market at a time when title acquisition seems to be at an all-time low. 

So what can you do in the meantime? How do you keep on the virtual radar as you wait to hear a "yes" from the quiet agent who has been passing around your story? 

Be intentional about your web presence now. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

-What about blogging?

Karen has a strong presence as a home blogger sharing brilliant ideas for your decor and how to make it cozy.

Mary has a spot on the web where she shares ministry ideas for kids. As a children's writer this site is not only a ministry but also a great springboard.

Casey is passionate about purity and books, those are the things you'll find on her blog. And these are just a few of the writers who call the alley home on the web.

I've chosen not to have a personal blog, but instead have a web presence on several blogs. 

My question to you is what is the best use of your time in terms of blogging? What type of time commitment can you make to blogging? Think about WHERE you are on the WEB and WHY? 

Which pursuits are fruitful to your purpose? Is there anything you should prune back or maybe something you should add?

-What is your writing purpose?

Simply put: Why do you write? And what writing ministry does God want you to pursue? 

I long to write stories that will feed hurting women's souls and be used to help them realize their father's love for them. My heart's cry is for women who are hurting because of life's trials and circumstances to find peace. 

Yes, maybe if I write fiction that sees the light of day that will happen. But right now I can still be used in this way. Through the web we can minister to women AT THIS VERY MOMENT. Don't forget what a gift that is by getting caught up in the future of your story.

So who is it God has put on your heart? What does your heart ache for? That's part of why God gave you a writing gift. A BIG PART.

Do you hurt for unwed and teenage mothers? What about writing for Compass Care newsletter or another similar ministry? 

-What story do you have that needs to be told NOW?

There is an answer today. Perhaps its the email to another mom who is hurting. You know what its like to have a prodigal child. 

Maybe its a handwritten letter this holiday season to a friend who needs to know they are forgiven, not just by you...but by God.

God doesn't ask you to share your stories when you get published, he asks you to share them with the world now. That's why He gave you THIS gift.

Be obedient and tell it!

-Make sure your social media use isn't "me centered."

What's on your facebook page? Are you always looking to self-promote your posts, your ebooks, or perhaps strategically "sharing" with those you view as influential? 

There are a few things I've noticed about other's facebook posts that I appreciate:

1) They contain words from others. 

Not just other authors from their "tribe" but old dead theologians and more importantly God's word which can speak truth that nobody else's ever can.

2) I like posters who don't have "brag" book pages, but have a bit more humility.

The truth is I'm not Martha and I don't really want to read about her either. If you can make a wreath out of your children's toenails or make a fruitcake that isn't best used for a doorstop, OK. Just make sure all your posts aren't designed to put forth an image of yourself for others.

3) That being said, I do love ideas.

If you want to share a recipe and better yet it fits into the colonial setting for your books that seems like a great use for your page. I love Karen's website because she shares these beautiful ideas for the home. I know I don't have the artistic talent in my pinkie that she does, but she mixes these posts with everyday life posts on being an Aussie mum. I think she has the balance just right.

4) Have a sense of humor.

Alley Cat Krista's facebook page is full of her trademark sense of humor. As I read, she never has to tell me to buy her books I want to because I LOVE her voice!

5) Ask questions.

People love to share their opinion. I sure don't know it all and I love when those on the web can tell me what I can make with all the parsnips my neighbor gave me or what's the best destination for a hot dinner date with the hubster. Make your website a bit of a community page where everyone has fun and all opinions matter.

Whether on facebook or the blogosphere, a strategic presence will help you not only navigate the writing road but enjoy it along the way. 

Julia enjoys writing women's fiction whenever she can find a chair free of smushed peanut butter sandwiches and lego blocks. She is a wife and homeschooling mama of two littles. She also enjoys writing for Library Journal magazine and the blog Wonderfully Woven. 

How to Grow your Blog Platform: Guerrilla Facebook marketing

I kicked off this series by sharing the story of how I started my personal blog from scratch one year ago and have since grown it to 150,000 page views a month. In my previous post, I shared some key fundamentals that you will need to put in place FIRST, before you do anything else:

• Identify your readership
• Invest time to study blogging
• Create shareable content

Those things are huge and can't be overstated. Why? Because:

• Until you know who you are writing for, your efforts will lack focus and clarity. 
• Until you're willing to invest time into studying a new area, you can't expect the same results as people who've put in the hard yards. It takes four years of study to get a university degree, and years of practice to master an instrument, but most people seem to think they can succeed at blogging without any applied learning whatsoever. The truth is, you can't expect a return in any area of life without an investment. And believe me - there is a LOT to learn. 
• Until you are consistently creating WOW content with a clear takeaway for the reader, your marketing efforts will fall flat. I've heard it said that good marketing only makes a bad product fail faster. Quality content is the cornerstone of everything else you do.

Need to get caught up on those points? You can read the first post here.

For the rest of this blogging series, I'll be focussing on the fourth point: 

Become your own best marketer.

You'll need to start by setting up social media accounts and linking them to your blog. If you're not promoting your blog for free on social media, you need to be. You should have a Facebook page, a Twitter account, a Pinterest account, and a Google+ account. There are others, but these are the ones I consider essential to your success.

Each of these areas is a whole study in itself, so I'm going to break it down for you step by step.

Keep this in mind: in the early days, you're going to have to hustle. You'll spend a lot of time working strategically to grow your following and promote your posts to that following. This is what I think of as Phase One of blogging: the guerrilla tactics that anyone can use, if you have the patience and determination to apply them. It's a hard slog, and there are no quick pay-offs here. You have to do your time to see the results. 

Let's start by talking about Facebook.

So you have a brand new page to promote your blog. How do you get people to "like" it so they see what you post?

1. Put out the welcome mat.

Create an inviting cover banner that echoes the theme of your blog, and a bio that clearly states what the page is about. Get a couple of quality posts up there so people know what to expect from your page.

2. Invite your friends. Sounds obvious, but some people skip this step because they're too shy to ask. People get a LOT of requests to "like" a new page now, so also consider sending a personal message to all your friends explaining what you're doing and asking for their support.

3. Have a Facebook posting schedule, and stick to it. You need to consistently share quality content to grow your following - the sort of content that people "like", comment on, and share.

4. Join groups. 
To find groups in your interest area, type a descriptor into the search bar at the top of your personal Facebook profile. In the example below, I typed "Writers". A list will pop up. Click down the bottom where it says "See more results for 'Writers'".

When the next page pops up, select "Groups". From here, you can scroll through to find any groups marked as "Public", and if they seem relevant, you can join them. Ensure you read the guidelines carefully and adhere to them. If it's okay to share your blog posts, make sure you also take the time to "Like" and comment on others' posts as well. 

Some groups are also okay with you pasting your page URL into a status update, which will cause a "Like box" to pop up in the stream. If the group is relevant to what you're posting about, this is a great way to get some more likes for your page. 

5. Link prominently to your Facebook page from your blog. Display your social media icons at the top of your sidebar and at the bottom of every post. Install a Facebook "like" box widget in your sidebar so a casual visitor can easily like your page without leaving your site. Consider installing a Facebook like box pop-up to maximise conversions.

Increase your reach

Facebook has a complex algorithm that it uses to filter the content in your news feed. With all the friends you have and all the hundreds of pages you've liked, statistics indicate there are about 1500 status updates vying for a place in your news feed at any one time. No one has time to read that far, so in the interests of supplying the content users are most interested in, Facebook gives greater reach to pages that you have previously liked or commented on, and restricts the reach of those you don't interact with - because they are considered less relevant to you.

What does this mean for you? You could get frustrated that Facebook is cramping your reach so significantly. (Believe me, I have been there!) Or, you can work smarter to conquer that algorithm.

Some steps:

1.  Encourage interaction. 
Likes and comments on your post will significantly increase your reach. Ask questions and make sure you respond to anyone who comments. Let your friends know how helpful it is when they comment on your post - many times, they just don't know. Often the most basic rule of marketing is to simply ask for the result you want.

2. Tag your friends in your post. This massively increases your post's visibility, as it will then show up in your friends' feed as well. Of course, don't be obnoxious about it - only tag people if they've previously indicated an interest in a particular subject, or it's something you're genuinely excited to share with certain friends, or if you've asked their permission in advance. Many of the biggest Facebook pages such as Ann Voskamp (author of "One thousand gifts"; 215,000+ page likes) have a circle of friends who she tags by turn in almost all her posts. She most likely asked those friends if they'd be willing to help her out in this manner.

It's not as simple tagging people from a Facebook page as it is on your personal profile, so if you're not sure how to do it, here's the steps:

Go to Settings -> Post attribution. Here, select "Post as yourself" instead of your page name. You're now in your personal profile mode and so have access to your friends' list. Go to the post -> Click on the image you shared to enlarge it -> Select "Tag Photo" -> Click on the image and type a friend's name to tag them.

3. Pay for Facebook ads

I won't go into this in detail, because it's not something I've personally used yet. My preference so far has been to grow my page organically, but I do plan to experiment with paid ads at some point. The biggest benefit of ads is that you can hone your target audience very accurately, in order to reach your ideal demographic. For instance, you can choose to target your ads toward people who've already liked a page similar to yours.

If you want in-depth training on this method, I'd recommend Amy Porterfield. I've done a couple of her webinars and found them detailed and helpful.

4. Network in blogging communities
As you get to know other bloggers and really work to develop relationships with them, chances are more opportunities to network will present themselves. You'll find all sorts of helpful blogging groups on Facebook - re-pinning groups, post sharing groups, round-up groups and more, all designed for bloggers to help each other grow. Many are private and you will only be able to find out about them if someone invites you. The more you put yourself out there and focus on developing relationships, the more opportunities will come your way.

If an opportunity doesn't present itself, why not start your own Facebook group? Gather a bunch of like-minded bloggers and start a daily thread where you all share a recent post. Then you can each comment on each others' posts and share them on social media.

That's it for today for your Guerrilla Facebook marketing tactics. 

I hope you've learned something new and helpful. Stay tuned - I have heaps more actionable tips to come in the weeks ahead.

Find the rest of the series here:
How to Grow your Blog Platform
Essentials for your Success
Supercharge your Stats

Karen Schravemade lives in Australia, where she mothers by day and transforms into a fearless blogger by night. Her popular creative home-making blog, A house full of sunshine, reaches over 150,000 readers a month. She's a Genesis finalist for women's fiction and is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such. Find her on Twitter, Google+, Facebook and Pinterest.