It's Okay to be Choosy!

When I had my first short stories published, I was excited to be a part of every writing and book event that came along. For the first two anthologies, our group did about fifty events a year to promote the books. Some of these events were wildly successful, and others were less than stellar. As I go along my writing journey, I've found it's okay to be selective about the events you attend. Here's what I've learned...

1. Your time is valuable. You need to guard your writing time and ensure that you are writing the next book. 

2. Look at the event. Is it inside or outside? (I sunburn easily!) Look at the logistics. Do you have to bring your own tent and table? Look at the schedule. When do you have to be there and how long are you expected to stay?

3. Is this the first time for the event? It's exciting to be a part of an inaugural event. Just make sure the host publicizes the event. It's fun to be on the cutting edge, but keep in mind that there my be some snags since this is the first time for everyone.

4. Is there a cost to participate? Make sure that the spend can be covered by your sales. I've split a table with other authors before. We shared the cost and the schedules. Book sales are unpredictable. Sometimes, you sell 50 books, and other times, you'll sell 2. The latter is more disappointing if you invested a lot of money in the entrance fee.

5. What is your purpose for attending the event? If it is only to sell books, then you need to evaluate your return on your investment of time and money. If you're there to support the library or to network, then sales may not be your first concern. I've given away hundreds of bookmarks at events, and many of those interactions turn into online book sales.

6. Consider the travel, meals, and overnight stays when you budget for an event. 

7. I keep a calendar, so I can look at what I did last year and also see what's on the horizon. I have a little paper one that I carry around with me. And I record everything -- in person events as well as social media ones.

8. It is okay to say no. If you're lucky, you'll be approached to participate in a lot of events. If you have a conflict (and you're interested), ask the organizers to keep you on the list for next year. Your time is valuable, and you need to consider how much time will be needed to prepare for a panel, workshop, or class.

9. How are books sold at the event? Is there a book seller, or are you responsible for sales? I have some author friends who don't do events where they have to sell books.  Make sure you know the logistics ahead of time. Also if the books are sold on consignment, make sure you know how/when you'll be paid. (And even if there is a book seller, I always have a stack of books in my car. I've been to events where there were book mix ups.)

Don't feel guilty that you turn down events? You need to make the best decision for you, and if you're stressed or too busy, then you're not writing your next book. What else would you add to my list?

ROI Can Mean More Than Book Sales

It would really be nice if I could trace all of my author and book activities to book sales. Sometimes, it's very clear that you did a marketing event and had a certain number of sales. But then there are other times that you'll do events and promotions, and it's hard to tell if they had any impact at all. I'd like to suggest that sometimes book marketing can have different types of returns on your investments. I would challenge you as an author to think of your investments of time and money in a broader sense. And here are some examples...

1. I have attended book events where I didn't sell many books, but I made contacts that led to other collaborations, interviews, or paid speaking engagements.

2. Networking is key for writers, and there is value in participating in events where you get to talk to readers and other writers. And if feels good to know that you're not alone in your writing journey.

3. I give everyone I talk to a bookmark or whatever promotional give-away I have (e.g. pens, pencils, etc.). I have seen my ebook sales spike after events. I may not have sold a book when I talked to them face to face, but they bought one later in a format they prefer.

4. I attend library events and speak to school groups to support libraries, teachers, readers, and future writers. I know that at a lot of these events I won't sell books. But sometimes, I'm surprised. I spoke to a high school group once about mysteries, and many of the students brought their copies of the book for me to sign. 

5. The time I spend on social media doesn't transfer to book sales. But I do meet people, share ideas, and build relationships. Your activity on your social media sites also helps with where you appear in search engine results. The more active you and your sites are; the more you appear at the top of searches.

Your time and money are valuable. And it's important to balance your writing life with the other things you have going on. But I challenge you to look for other benefits as you plan your event calendar and your marketing promotions. If you plan everything in terms of how many books you'll sell, you may miss out on some other benefits.

Panel 101 for Authors

If you're fortunate, you'll be asked to participate on many book discussion panels. The facilitator or moderator should provide you with the logistics (e.g. time, date, topic, questions, etc.).  Here are some lessons I've learned throughout the years.

1. If your moderator provides you with questions, review them and make sure you're comfortable with the topic. Some ask the same question to all panelists, and some have specific questions for each speaker.

2. If you've got a microphone, make sure to test the equipment before you start. if it's a portable microphone, make sure you turn it off when you're chatting or taking a break. The audience can hear you. I went to a conference once, and the speaker wore a lapel mic. He didn't turn it off when he was in the restroom. Embarrassing!

3. If you have a hand-held mic, make sure you hold it close to your mouth. It needs to be close enough to pick up your voice, but not close enough for the breathing.

4. Be present and use good listening skills while the other panelists are speaking. Making faces or tapping toes is distracting.

5. You're in full view of the audience. If the table is not skirted, they can see all of you. Keep your shoes on. 

6. If you bring books, give-aways, or other items, keep them to a minimum. Don't encroach on other panelists' space.

7. Don't interrupt the moderator or the other speakers.

8. Be bright and brief. Don't be the one who hogged the mic and had to do all the talking.

9. If you plan to do a reading, practice it before and know the timing. Stay within the boundaries provided by your moderator. When you choose a passage, make sure that you end with a cliff hanger or a portion that makes the audience want to know what happens next.

10. Always give shout outs and credit in your responses to those who have helped you along the way.

11. If possible, try to familiarize yourself with the other panelists and what they write. If you have time, read their latest work. It makes for a better conversation.

12. Do one last mirror check before you start (e.g. hair, makeup, wardrobe check). Wear comfortable shoes and professional clothes. Make sure your shoes are polished. And ladies, if you wear heels, make sure you can walk across stages or climb steps. Some stages are portable, and there are gaps or flimsy handrails. 

13. Relax and be you. The audience wants to hear about you and your work. Your whole talk shouldn't be "buy my book." Think of interesting things in your book or your writing life to talk about. 

What would you add to my list? Anybody have any funny panel stories?

How Readers Can Help Authors

Wanna make an author's day? Here are a few ways readers can help authors, and the effort is MUCH appreciated!

1. Write a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes and Noble. It doesn't have to be a book report. One sentence will do. The number of reviews do count in the publishing world. 

2. Subscribe to the author's newsletter. Many of them have the information on their websites. It's a great way to get updates about new projects.

3. Follow the author on social media. Likes and follows help authors build their social media platforms.

4. Invite the author to speak or Skype with your book group or club.

5. Request that your library add the author's book to its collection. Many have online forms for you to make these requests.

6. Join the author's street team or review crew. These are usually groups of super fans who get early previews, opportunities, and book swag.

7. Buy a book and give it as a gift.

8. Go to the author's signing and get an autographed book for your collection or for a gift.

9. Nominate the book for a reading at your book group. 

10. If you like a book, recommend it to others. Share their social media posts, and help them get the word out.

I love my readers. They always provide good comments, feedback, and ideas for new story lines. 

What I Learned about Book Promotion from Jane Friedman

If you have not heard of Jane Friedman, you need to visit her website and blog. She is a wealth of information on book promotion and the publishing industry (traditional and indie). I recently had the pleasure of hearing her speak at the Virginia Romance Writers' meeting in Central Virginia.

Here's what I learned from  her about book promotion.

1. Your book cover is key. It must fit your genre. If you're writing a series, the books need to look like they're in the same family.

2. Check out the BookBub blog. It contains a lot of good information for authors.

3. The description of your book on the book cover should be your hook. It should be short with multiple paragraphs. Make it easy to read.

4. Look at your book's description on Amazon. Your key information should be above the "read more" link.

5. If you're looking for keywords in your genre, find a similar book to yours on Goodreads. Select the book. Then look over on the right for the See Top Shelves link. This shows you the search words that people used for this work.

6. Make sure you have a biography and headshot for your Amazon author account (and that they are current). Claim all of your books, link all of your social media, and attach your blog to this account.

7. When you're coming up with your description and keywords, think like a reader. She gave an example of an author who described her books in a unique way. But the terminology wasn't standard, and her books weren't appearing in searches. Friedman recommended to Google the term to see if it comes back in a standard search.

8. There are two types of Amazon ads, sponsored products and product displays. Read Amazon's advertising information for details of each and to see what best fits your marketing campaign.

Check out Friedman's blog and newsletters. The information is invaluable to authors.

How Social Media Analytics Can Help Authors

Analytics and numbers are important. They can tell you a story about your social media footprint and what your readers are seeing (or not seeing). Sometimes, as an author, we get too wrapped up in writing and marketing that we don't watch our metrics and see what they are telling us.

Blog/Websites - I look at my website/blog analytics at least daily. This tells whether or not the site is getting active traffic. My website has a new geographic feature that shows me on a world map where my visitors are coming from. That helps when I want to target ads to my readers. Plus, it's really cool and humbling to see all the readers from different countries.

These numbers will tell you if your blog promotions are working. You can see the date/time when users hit your site. This also gives you a clue for days/times that are best for your posts. Most of my North American readers are active between 7:00 and 10:00 PM. My European readers are active between 12:00 AM and 2:00 AM (my time). 

Over time (and that's the key; you need to build up several months' worth of information), the popular content metrics will tell you what posts and pages draw the most viewers (and which do not). Keep this in mind when you revamp your site. You can also see which types of blog posts are more popular too. Do more of what gets attention. Cut out what's being ignored.

Facebook - As you increase your page likes on Facebook, you get access to more analytics on your fan/author page. Click Insights to see the information. You can see traffic and how many people your posts reached. In the middle of the page, you can see your most recent posts and the number of people you reached organically (without advertising) and through paid ads or boosts. I typically check these analytics before, during, and after an ad campaign or a post boost. 

Twitter - To see your Twitter analytics, click the Tweet Activity link on your home page. It shows the number of tweets (Tweet Count) and your impressions. An impression is a tweet that generates interactions/replies. Change the date range to see information for different time periods.

There are smaller graphs on the site that depict your number of interactions, link clicks, retweets, likes, and replies. This information shows you what type of content is generating interaction. And this can help you reconfigure your content to subjects that create more activity. You will see whether tweets with pictures/videos or specific hashtags generate more activity.

Numbers tell a story, and I think they're important. I just don't recommend you spend excessive time fretting over them. (You have your next book to write.) You will lose and gain followers. It happens. You'll post something that you think is brilliant and get no responses. Then other times, you'll post something benign, and it goes viral.  I look at posts that generate a lot of traffic and try to craft future posts like them. I also at my posts to ensure that they are not all "buy my book." "Social" is the key to social media. Authors who are successful on their social media sites know how to interact, comment, share information, and share others' celebrations.

Happy posting. Look me up on social media.

What I Learned from "Defining Your Personal Brand"

I recently attended a workshop about "Defining Your Personal Brand." The focus was your brand in the physical and digital worlds. And it's great advice for authors. Here's what I learned:

1. You need to be authentic in how you present yourself and with all your posts.

2. Be aware of your appearance, your communications, and your nonverbal communications because that's how people perceive you.

3. The goal is to connect with others. Make people feel comfortable around you. Your non-verbal cues have a lot to do with this. Are you friendly? Are you approachable? Are you confident?

4. A lot of body language is subconscious. Often the person doesn't know he/she is projecting cues. One example is facing the door when you're ready to leave. 

5. When you smile, you appear confident to others.

6. Keep a mirror by your phone. People can tell by your voice if you're smiling.

7. Smiling and laughing are good for the heart.

8. People tend to frown when they are thinking or concentrating on something. Be aware. Others see it as a frown.

9. It is important to call people by name.

10. When you make eye contact, you appear trustworthy.

11. Everyone has a digital footprint. You need to have a presence on the internet, so you can be aware and control the message about you.

12. Control what you can control.

13. Ninety-four percent of job recruiters use the internet/social media when recruiting and interviewing. What does your presence say about you?

14. Don't get caught up in heated or passionate conversations online. You don't have to respond to everything. Pause before responding.

15. Once you post something, you can't take it back. If you don't want it read aloud in court or see it on the front page of the newspaper, then don't hit send.

16. Don't let the speed of technology get in the way of good judgement.

17. Always be honest and accurate. If you make a mistake, make an effort to correct it.

18. Don't ever assume anonymity in the digital world.

Many thanks to Dr. Vincent Magnini and Ilsa Loeser for a great presentation. And thanks for the review of my digital footprint!

How to Market Your Book When You're Shy...

Many thanks to Madeline McGowan and Kristina Stanley for the idea for this post. 

Not everyone likes to be the center of attention. Some folks like to fly under the radar. Book marketing is a hard job, and you often have to force yourself to step outside of your comfort zone if you want to be successful. You just have to conquer the fear. Tame your butterflies and make them fly in formation.

1. Public speaking (in front of small and large groups) is often a part of the deal. I do about 50 appearances a year, and many want an author panel, interviews, or workshops. Public speaking gets easier with practice, but you have to keep doing it to improve. Look at groups like Toastmasters to get experience and gentle critiques. There are also coaches out there that you can hire to assist. (I taught and trained for years, and that didn't bother me. But public speaking made me shiver to my core. I finally conquered it with Toastmasters.)

2. Use your strengths. If you feel more comfortable with email or social media, use these methods to contact reporters, book reviewers, or book store owners. Sending a written query gives you a chance to reread and polish it before you click send.

3. Cold calling is hard - whether it's in person or on the phone. I am the program chair for my local Sisters in Crime chapter. I often have to call a variety of different authors, companies, or law enforcement agencies to get speakers for our meetings. It does get easier the more you do it. If you are really nervous, write down the key points you want to cover, the contact information, and the date. I also write down next steps in case I have to follow up later. This helps me be organized and focused about what I want to say. And if I'm booking an event, I always send reminders and confirmations.

4. Tell everyone you know about your book. You don't know who's in a book group that may want a guest speaker.

5. Look for creative ways to get the word out about your book. Does your college, homeowner's association, or club have a newsletter that allows announcements? Use these for your promotion.

6. There is safety in numbers. Find a writers' group that likes to work together for promotions and marketing opportunities. I am so grateful for all my author friends who like to do book signings as a group.

7. Look for opportunities to participate in Facebook take-overs, Facebook hops, and Facebook and Twitter parties. These are set times that you post on the site or offer a give-away. This is a great way to get your book out there and in front of new readers.

8. Read blogs and join Facebook or Goodreads groups. Be social. Comment on others' post. This might not sell books immediately, but it builds relationships.

9. Look for opportunities to guest blog on other sites. It takes a little work to write the post, but you get exposure to new readers. I have a blog called Pens, Paws, and Claws with 9 other amazing authors. We feature authors who want to be interviewed about their books and pets. Drop me a line if you're interested.

10. Keep good contact lists of folks you meet along your writing journey. When I add them to my contact list, I add notes, so I'll remember where we met. Make sure to keep contact information for book sellers, reporters, and book bloggers.

11. If you want something, don't be afraid to ask. You'll miss out on opportunities if you don't jump in. 

12. Always be professional. Writing is a business, and you need to treat it that way. You don't know who you'll run into again later.

13. Leave reviews for authors when you buy/read their books. Everyone can use reviews. It's good to help other authors. It may not sell your book, but it helps build relationships. 

Best wishes with your book marketing! The second book in my Delanie Fitzgerald Mystery series launched this month. I'm so excited that Delanie, Duncan, and Chaz are back for more sleuthing.