Getting a Handle on Twitter

by Patricia Bradley

I don’t know about you, but Twitter intimidated me when I first started out. Then I discovered this awesome program—Hootsuite. And it made my Twitter life easier. And then I discovered another program—Social Jukebox. And that really made my Twitter life easier. So, which is best? BOTH. Let me explain.

But first a little background on Hootsuite. It’s a platform to help you manage your Twitter account. You create streams, and since Edie Melson explains this so much better than I can, check out her blog on setting up an account,creating streams and setting up a schedule and much more. She has pictures and everything. 😊 I also use Hootsuite to shorten my links. You know, the ones that are three lines long?

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"Two Types of Marketers" (Which One Are You?)

Have you heard this?
"There are two types of people--those who come into a room and say, 'Well, here I am,' and those who come in and say, 'Ah, there you are.'"*

The first--Type One- is focused on self. Type Two is other-focused.
I suggest that, as we market our books, we are too often TYPE ONE.

 Not sure? Put the question this way, "Does my marketing feel like I'm trying to shout and get attention in a busy room? Which type do others   perceive me as?" 

Having just put out a new release, my tendency is to be the first type. I want to rush into a room and shout, "Look! My new book is out! Look, look, look!!!" All I'm doing is focusing on me and my work. Despite my natural excitement, that method isn't going to sell many books.

A better alternative, according to Rob Eagar, marketing coach, is to cease trying to sell your book altogether.
You read that right.

CEASE.
TRYING.
TO.
SELL. 

But then what, you ask, am I to do? How am I to help move copies as my publisher expects me to? And how will my book sell if I don't market it? 

Become Type Two. Know what you offer and find the readers who need what you've got. Then, let them know how your book meets their need. This is quite different from "selling" to them. Instead, you're helping them discover your benefit to them.

You've heard it before: "Know Thy Reader." If we don't want to come across as the "Here I am," author, it is vitally important that we do.

Rob puts it this way: "Ask yourself, 'Who needs my value (the message of my book) the most?" Conversely, "Who stands to lose the most if they never get (my message)?"** While these questions are especially important for authors of non-fiction, even fiction authors can use these parameters to find their ideal readers. 

For example, my newest release, PULSE, is YA fiction. I could focus my marketing by searching out all the places on the web that YA fiction readers hang out and try to show them how my book fits their dream read. However--that's sort of like walking into the room and shouting, "Here I am! Look at my book!" That would make me a Type One marketer. 

The solution: By asking who needs my book MOST, I found that a small niche of YA readers fit the bill. (Those who want suspense, not just teen angst or romance.) Another niche of readers, preppers, fit the bill. A third niche of readers, patriot gun-totin' types, also fit the bill. So now I have three niches of readers who can benefit from my book, because it is a post-apocalyptic scenario that appeals to all three niches. The YA readers get three teen protagonists to root for, suffer with, and eventually triumph with. The preppers get to see how a family that included prepping in their lifestyle came out way ahead of the general population during a national disaster. The patriot types get to see the same family defend themselves successfully. There is soul-searching and God-discussions to make Christian readers who like this sort of stuff happy. 

The bottom line is that people in these niches don't just like such books. They LOVE 'em. Using Twitter as an example, I can tiptoe into the room and show my readers that I'm one of them. When I send out a tweet to the first niche, I use the #YA #Suspense #Christian #Fiction hashtags. Same for my posts on Goodreads. When I want to show the second niche what they're missing, I send out tweets with #Prepper #Fiction #Apocalypse #YA in them. For the third niche, I send out #Patriot #Gunrights #Fiction #YA. But using these hashtags alone isn't enough. I wrote out a list of twenty to thirty tweets to use for each individual niche of readers. In each tweet, I show them a benefit to reading the book. A benefit that appeals to THEM. 

I'll share three of my tweets, teasers, one for each niche, so you get what I mean. 

For YA Suspense fans: 
Feeling safe in your apartment building? So did 16 y.o. Sarah--until it happened. #YA #Suspense #Fiction #Christian http://amzn.to/1J7CybR.    (Link to the Amazon book page.)

For Preppers:
"Opening a #storage bucket, I got hit with a reality check--if not for these, we'd face hunger." #Prepper  #Apocalyptic #Book http://amzn.to/1J7CybR.

For Patriots:
"I'd enjoyed #shooting as a sport--but would we really need our #firearms to save our lives?" #Patriot #gunrights http://amzn.to/1J7CybR

Teasers are only effective if they hit the "tickle" spot for the niche you're trying to reach. Readers of YA Suspense love an element of danger, so I include that in my tweets. (The book oozes with it. Don't make promises in a teaser that your book won't meet.) For the preppers, the book affirms their world-view. (SOMETHING is gonna go down, sooner or later, and you'd better be ready!) For the patriots, the same holds true. (They just KNOW that the proper use of firearms is one day going to save their lives and maybe the lives of their families.) For each of these groups, there is affirmation in store when they read PULSE.

How do I know this? Because I'm a YA reading, hobby prepper, licensed carrier of a gun! (Gasp! Yes, me. It's my alter-ego to the sweet historical romance writer.) 
I KNOW my audience. I can walk into a room and say, "Ah, there you are." 

Now. Can you do the same?  

*Quote by Frederick Collins
**From, Sell Your Book Like Wildfire, by Rob Eagar


Linore Rose Burkard is best known for writing Inspirational Romance. As L.R. Burkard  she writes YA Suspense, and is working on the sequel to PULSE, Book One in the PULSE EFFEX SERIES. Find out: Can an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) really happen? Linore talks about it over at the website companion to PULSE. Click menu option: INFO.  

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You Gotta Know When to Hold 'Em: Marketing & Advertising for the Indie Author, Part One

By: Heather Day Gilbert

I asked several authors to fill me in on advertising and marketing tips—in other words, share what's worth the money and what isn't. While each author had different experiences, we hope you can take away ideas that light your marketing "fire."

As we all know, indie publishing is FAR from one-size-fits-all (thank goodness!). However, I'm pretty certain all these authors would advise you to only take on as many of these marketing/advertising opportunities as you can handle, both financially and personally.

At the end of this two-part post, I'm going to link to each of the authors who participated. Thank you all so much for sharing some of your hard-earned wisdom with us!

      BOOK TRAILERS

Some authors had no noticeable sales spikes from their book trailers. But the overall recommendation was that if you do a trailer, make sure you share it pre-book release and make sure it's an accurate, yet short trailer. However, the advice was also offered to keep your budget small on trailers, since they're not the focus of your marketing process, just an addition to it.

      SOCIAL MEDIA

This was, by far and away, the method most authors recommended to get the word out on your books. This means you need to be established in various forms of social media. Points mentioned in this regard were:

—TWEET regularly. You can join tweet exchanges (this was news to me!) where you tweet for others and vice versa. Spammy tweets are not recommended, though, so try to keep your tweets more personal and don't litter the feed with them.

—Determine your twitter AUDIENCE. Heather Sunseri, author of Mindspeak and Mindseige, advises authors to be real, which means sharing tidbits about your life. But she also advises not to stray far from topics that would interest your target audience.

—You can also prepare book release or other tweets and share them with your followers, groups, or launch team. It's easy for them to copy/paste them (I'd recommend hashtagging for more specific notice).

—Line up blog interviews ahead of time. You never know which blogs will drive the most traffic to your book, so the more blogs you visit, the better. I personally had several purchases after appearing on an ABA Medieval site that has thousands of readers, but I also had several people put my novel on their To-Read list after I visited a fellow homeschooling mom's blog. Basically, figure out where your reader demographic congregates and request a guest post, interview, or review slot.

—Lock in book reviews ahead of release time (let early readers read your book). That way, when your book launches, some of the first reviews to hit Amazon and Goodreads will be from your early readers, who've had time to thoroughly review your book. Please realize, those initial Amazon reviews will stay in place as the first ones readers see.

And since a self-publishing launch doesn't have to happen all at once, continue asking review sites to review your book, even months after you launch. The beautiful thing about self-publishing is that we don't have to stop marketing our books—it's the "slow burn" effect, which I'm sure I've mentioned before and will continue to mention!

—Facebook was mentioned as a wonderful way to reach readers on a personal level. Initially, I avoided having a FB Author page, but it has been my best source of connecting quickly with my readers.

—Email lists/Newsletters are consistently touted as the best way to get the word out to readers who love your writing and will buy your books. MaryLu Tyndall, who's maintained a substantial e-mail list for many years, recommends placing an email signup in multiple locations (blog, FB, etc). MaryLu offers a book giveaway to new subscribers once monthly. She also recommends only sending email updates when you have something newsworthy to update, so you're not inundating your subscribers with unimportant emails.

      PUBLIC SPEAKING/BOOK SIGNINGS/TARGETED MENTIONS

—If you're comfortable with it, public speaking was mentioned as an effective way to increase your book's reach and sales. Libraries often love to have authors visit and field questions about their books (especially if your book is in their library! Make a point of donating and signing yours to your local library(ies) once you have softcovers.) 

—Book clubs and direct contact with your readers were also considered crucial, even if they didn't result in massive sales. The idea of giving back to your community, via signings and public speaking, was a driving factor for many authors. 

—Also, updating your alumni sites and contacting local papers are small but crucial steps to get the word out closer to home.

Next week we'll be talking more specifically about various paid and free ways to advertise.

For this and the second part of this series (March 20) I'll give shout-outs to all my contributing authors. Names below will link to their websites and book titles will link to their latest novels on Amazon:

Adam Blumer—The Tenth Plague
Carole Brown—The Redemption of Caralynne Hayman
Susie Finkbeiner—Paint Chips
Cynthia Hickey—Deadly Neighbors
Carla Laureano—Five Days in Skye
Terri Main—Fangs for the Memories
Amy Matayo—The Wedding Game
Wendy Paine Miller—The Disappearing Key
Staci Stallings—Deep in the Heart
Heather Sunseri—Mindsiege 
MaryLu Tyndall--The Ransom (releasing March 1, 2014)

***If you have any suggestions on advertising/marketing you've found effective, please let us know in the comments! Thank you.***

Heather Day Gilbert enjoys writing stories about authentic, believable marriages. Sixteen years of marriage to her sweet Yankee husband have given her some perspective, as well as ten years spent homeschooling. 

You can find Heather at her website, Heather Day Gilbert--Author, and at her Facebook Author Page, as well as Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and Goodreads. Her Viking novel, God's Daughter, is an Amazon bestseller. You can find it on Amazon and Smashwords. She plans to release her contemporary Appalachian mystery, Miranda Warning, on West Virginia Day: June 20, 2014.

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Getting the Good out of Goodreads: Six Methods to get Your Novel Noticed

By: Heather Day Gilbert

(Goodreads illustration from Cass Co. Public Library)

I'd like to offer a few short and sweet tips on how to make Goodreads work for you; specifically if you are self-publishing, but much of this will also hold true if you're traditionally published. An alternate, yet equally effective title for this post could have been "Learning from Heather's Mistakes on Goodreads."

1) The moment your cover art and blurb are ready, list your book on Goodreads. This gives people time to get it on their To-Read lists, which will increase your visibility on search engine sites. I'd suggest getting your cover art and book blurb up about two months ahead of time to build buzz on all your social media sites. You can also post quotes from your novel, which is another effective way to draw people into the story. A fun way to do this is to use PicMonkey and edit free pictures (I got many from Morguefile), if you can find some that fit your fave quotes.

2) Give yourself an author page to link with your book, pre-publication. When you write your author biography, try to use action verbs as much as possible and don't make it all about the one book that is coming out. Take the long view of what kind of fiction you write and who you are as a person. 

You can also easily link your blog to your Goodreads author page, as well as upload vlogs, trailers, or YouTube videos so people get a visual picture of your novel.

3) Nominate your book for Listopia lists. Yes, even before it's released. Yes, it seems really self-serving, but it will help it get noticed sooner in its appropriate genre. Use judgment as to nominating your own book for "Best of" lists before it's even released/reviewed. I stuck to lists like "Eye-Catching Cover Art" or "2013 Releases." 

Oh, while you're poking around in Listopia, nominate your other favorite books for lists! Boost those authors, too.

4) Send out a Goodreads friend request to all your Twitter followers. This is something I did by accident, and I felt bad for asking all kinds of people to accept my Goodreads friendship. But it added a whole plethora of readers to my follower lists and increased visibility. In short, it was a brilliant mistake.

5) Join Goodreads groups in your genre, but READ the group regulations before linking to your book. I confess this is something I learned the hard way. I *gasp* got kicked out of a group, because I misunderstood their rules on sharing links to your own book. I felt like a heel and offered a personal apology, but never heard back. In short, I felt like a jerk. Make sure you keep your groups straight —if you're in several, it's easy to forget which ones allow author shout-outs and which ones don't. 

6) Once your book releases, if you have softcovers in hand, do a Goodreads giveaway. This is a GREAT way to gain exposure for your novel. You can't offer an e-book in a Goodreads giveaway, though—only hard copies. I would strongly recommend you offer at least three copies of your book to reach more readers, and run the giveaway for at least a month. 

I made the mistake of only offering one copy of my book for a two-week giveaway. I still got lots of requests, but I could've reached even more potential readers if I'd extended the giveaway and offered more copies. Bonus perk: when people sign up for the giveaway, there's a handy button they can hit to add your book to their To Read lists. I would rough-estimate that over 200 people added my book to their list in that two-week giveaway period.

In short, it's relatively easy to make Goodreads work for you as an author. You just have to spend time/effort getting your book cover/blurb ready ahead of release, fixing up your author page, and exhausting built-in marketing opportunities such as giveaways and groups. 

Here's hoping you go forth and get the good out of Goodreads!

Heather Day Gilbert enjoys writing stories about authentic, believable marriages. Sixteen years of marriage to her sweet Yankee husband have given her some perspective, as well as ten years spent homeschooling her three children. Heather is the ACFW West Virginia Area Coordinator.

You can find Heather at her website, Heather Day Gilbert--Author, and at her Facebook Author Page, as well as Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and Goodreads. You can find her Amazon best-selling Viking historical novel, God's Daughter, here on Amazon and Smashwords.

 

***Question for you: If you're an author, what's been the most helpful aspect of Goodreads for you?***

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Lay the Foundation—Three Crucial Steps before Self-Publishing

By: Heather Day Gilbert

One day when I was throwing a piece of pine in our outdoor wood-burner, a thought hit me. Before we could deposit and position this extremely heavy stove in our yard, we had to build a sturdy foundation for it. My dad and my husband had to dig out a large area, build a frame, and fill it with concrete. And then we had to wait for it to set.            

I couldn't help but notice the similarities to the self-published author. Yes, you can jump in fast and just plant that stove (novel) any old where. But over time, it will sink into the ground, go crooked, or possibly even topple. 

You want a firm foundation, and foundations take time. Please understand—I myself am allergic to waiting. Yet this advice is consistent throughout self-publishing circles, and I want to give you the biggest head start on success if you decide to self-publish.

The first thing to square away is your writing. Don't skimp on perfecting it as much as possible before releasing your first novel. Sorry, I know this is ye olde "work on your craft" advice, and I've never loved it, either. When I first jumped into the querying arena, I was convinced my novel was perfect. Several years and *ahem* several rejections later, I can recognize that my very first "perfect" novel will take extensive edits before I'll ever self-publish it. I've learned some tricks of the trade along the way—from agents, editors, critique groups, and my crit partner. This is where making friends in the industry really helps you—finding a mentor a few steps ahead of you, who has been edited and knows things you don't yet. Listen to and integrate sage advice (if it resonates with your novel and writing style!).

Platform-building is also crucial in this electronic age. I firmly believe authors need a blog "home base" where readers can find them, but you don't have to knock yourself out talking about every topic under the sun to build your audience. One brilliant new way to build an early reader base is to share your actual writing on your blog. (Caveat—don't share stuff you want to enter in contests or submit to an agent/publisher). But it's a great way to let people know if they like your stories or not.

Another way to build platform is to interview other authors or review books. While it's no guarantee of said authors' support when your book releases, you get to know them better, bring helpful content to your readers, and extend your sphere of authorly influence. 

There are plenty of other platform-building techniques. I like the advice that agent Amanda Luedeke  of MacGregor Literary gives: you utilize the social media outlets you feel most comfortable with. Try them all—twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, whatever—you might be surprised where your readership migrates. I was unprepared for how much I would love my FB Author Page, which has become a crucial and easy way to reach my readers.

Besides working on writing and platform, the self-publisher needs to lay a firm marketing base. I believe you need at least three months to really focus on marketing before your novel releases. For me, this translated into three months of spending at least two hours a day, brainstorming early readers, asking for endorsements and reviews, and just trying to be fearless with approaching the unapproachable. Not to mention hours spent perfecting an eye-catching book cover and Amazon blurb.

Even now that my book is out on Amazon, guess what? I'm still marketing. Yes, the burden is lighter as I now have readers who will seriously go to bat for my book. But, to be blunt, self-pubbers have a more expensive route to get their novels noticed. Most larger review sites, like Kirkus and Publisher's Weekly, require a substantial fee to join, and even then, there's no guarantee your novel will be chosen to be reviewed. 

So you have to think outside the box...tapping into the haunts where you know your readers hang out, finding smaller free review sites, and incorporating techniques you see working for other authors. Free Kindle giveaways are a great way to reach readers outside your online sphere of influence, but it's tricky to do if you use only Kindle KDP versus Select (I'll save that for another post). 

One blog I love following for updated tips on indie publishing is Joanna Penn's The Creative Penn. Joanna got into the e-publishing world early-on and she has learned many things she's happy to share. 

You might wonder who on earth I am, thinking I know all this stuff. Trust me, the past few months, I spent plenty of time wondering if I'd done anything right as I geared up for my book release. There were some marketing hits and misses. There were plenty of people who ignored my emails (but hey, I've been out on submission—I was ready for being ignored or rejected!). And yet there were also many people who got back to me, loved the book, and endorsed or reviewed it. 

Guess what? On release day, my Viking novel, God's Daughter, hit three Amazon best-seller lists. I'm not saying this to toot my own horn (it was totally God!), but I do feel that laying the foundation was crucial to getting that out-of-the-gate buzz. Maintaining the buzz requires an extended and relentless marketing effort from the author, but it can be well worth it. God's Daughter has stayed on the Amazon Norse/Icelandic historical best-seller list for two months now, largely due to the various guest interviews/blogposts I've been blessed to be part of. I can see a direct spike in sales when those go live.

I really believe self-publishing is going to bring new voices to the fore in Christian fiction—voices that can't be ignored. But for your voice to be heard above all the din of traditional publishers' marketing techniques, you have to lay that foundation, wait, and offer the best product you can. 

And then trust your readers. They will find you.

One Viking woman. One God. One legendary journey to North America.

In the tenth century, when pagan holy women rule the Viking lands, Gudrid turns her back on her training as a seeress to embrace Christianity. Clinging to her faith, she joins her husband, Finn, on a voyage to North America.

But even as Gudrid faces down murderous crewmen, raging sickness, and hostile natives, she realizes her greatest enemy is herself—and the secrets she hides might just tear her marriage apart.

Almost five centuries before Columbus, Viking women sailed to North America with their husbands. God's Daughter, Book One in the Vikings of the New World Saga, offers an expansive yet intimate look into the world of Gudrid Thorbjarnardottir—daughter-in-law of Eirik the Red, and the first documented European woman to have a child in North America.

Heather Day Gilbert enjoys writing stories about authentic, believable marriages. Sixteen years of marriage to her sweet Yankee husband have given her some perspective, as well as ten years spent homeschooling her three children. Heather is the ACFW West Virginia Area Coordinator.

You can find Heather at her website, Heather Day Gilbert--Author, and at her Facebook Author Page, as well as Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and Goodreads. Her Viking novel, God's Daughter, is on Amazon and Smashwords.

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