Create If Writing

Advertising for Authors — What You Need to Know

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As a part of my series on what authors need to sell books, I’ve covered the overall author platform, email, social media, and blogging/content strategy. Which leads me into another piece of the puzzle: ads for authors.

Let’s first rewind a bit to talk about author platform. I defined it in my post as the way that authors connect with readers. And while ads aren’t NORMALLY what someone might think of when it comes to platform, it absolutely is a way to connect with readers. It’s simply … not organic.

Let’s dive into what you need to know about ads for authors, when you should consider running ads, and how you can learn them without breaking the bank.

*This post contains affiliate links!

LISTEN TO EPISODE 201 – ADVERTISTING FOR AUTHORS

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app!

image with title, advertising for authors and people taking photos of a sunset

ADVERTISING FOR AUTHORS

WHAT KINDS OF ADS ARE AUTHORS RUNNING?

There are a lot of places where authors can run ads, but a few that stand out as the most common among authors right now.

Paid email promos- These run often by genre of book and are paid spots that go out to readers in email newsletters.

PPC ads, aka Pay-per-click – These are ads where you pay per click or impression.

  • Facebook ads
  • Instagram ads
  • Amazon ads
  • Bookbub ads
  • Google ads (I don’t know anyone using this)
  • Twitter ads (I know few people using this)
  • Pinterest ads (I know few people using this)
  • Magazines or other media (I know no one using this, but it happens)

 

WHEN SHOULD AUTHORS START RUNNING ADS?

Right away. Or when you can afford it. Or when you want to sell books.

Books can sell organically, but it’s not easy to find that sweet spot. It takes a lot of factors, like a really big platform already, word of mouth, some kind of happy PR accident, Amazon picking up your book and throwing it at readers (which normally only happens when it’s already selling), having someone really big share your book, etc. It’s not TYPICAL for a book to sell a lot of copies organically, or through unpaid means.

Authors should start running ads when their books are primed for selling, when they have some money, and when they know what they’re doing. You should know that there will be an ROI for the book first.

You should probably have SOME budget when you launch a book. Determine this and see what you can spend. Maybe your plan is to start with email promos, then gradually build up as you make money. That’s what I did!

WHERE SHOULD AUTHORS START WITH ADS?

The best place to start is with the paid email promos. There is no learning curve and they’re delivering directly to readers by genre who are hungry for books. And as I’ve pointed out, they’re using the best platform for sales: email. Not social media. (Avoid the sites just tweeting out your book 300 times a month.)

Kindlepreneur’s big list of promo sites

Nicholas Erik’s list of promo sites

WHERE CAN AUTHORS LEARN ABOUT ADS?

There are tons of courses, but before you drop your money on them, here are a few books and cheaper resources for them.

Help! My Facebook Ads Suck

Robert J. Ryan’s Amazon Ads Unleashed

Kindlepreneur Free Amazon Ads Course

David Gaughran’s Bookbub Ads Expert

The issue with any material is the trustworthiness of the info, and whether it relates to YOUR BOOKS. Sometimes authors have only one kind of experience (fiction or nonfiction) or have outdated material and aren’t updating. It’s a good question to ask when you’re getting into courses to look at what the author’s experience is, where they sell things, etc.

MY RECOMMENDATIONS ON ADS FOR AUTHORS

Focus on your craft and writing books to market. Knowing how to get the cover and blurbs correct and meeting reader expectations will go a long way, and will mean your books are ready to advertise when you are.

Learn as you go. Start with smaller things, and then invest more when you know that you’ve got a good product on hand. Read books, listen to authors talk about ads on podcast or YouTube. Enjoy free and cheaper resources as you’re writing.

Make sure your book is ready. You need eyeballs on your book. If you’re having trouble selling books through the email promos or newsletter swaps, it may be a cover or content issue. Just throwing money on your books won’t help, so make sure you’ve got the right product.

Invest when you can in a more extensive course. Courses are great because you’re going to get more video tutorials and things to walk you through. For something like ads, you might really need this! Ask around and maybe ask privately, as no one wants to badmouth people publicly. (Usually.) It’s a small world. Be sure before you invest that you have the money to pay for a course AND money for ads. But also that your books are proven enough that you can get that money back.

WHAT ABOUT MY COURSE?

Is my ads course for you? The good thing about my course: it’s a lot of information, but not OVERWHELMING. It takes you from the start (position your book to make sure it’s one that will sell) through specifics of the ad platforms and leveling up.

These are things I’ve tried and tested, and I’ve also learned from multiple schools, so present what works for me and also will recommend other things to try that have worked for others, even if not for me.

I’m not just out for money–fiction is my primary source of income. (Fiction that I sell by use of ads, just so we’re clear.) I put together the course as extra income and as a way to help teach authors because I LOVE TEACHING.

If you jibe with my style, you might love the course. It’s a great price for what’s included, but still may not be on your radar because, remember–don’t buy a course until you’ve got the money for a course AND ads AND that your books are positioned to sell. 😉

WHAT NEXT FOR YOU?

If it wasn’t clear yet, start at the starting point. Write great books that are serving up a reader experience people are looking for. Learn what you can for free and low cost.

When you’re ready and sure you have books that will sell, take a deeper dive into a course!

Know that advertising for authors is going to be a necessity to sell books, at least in some form or fashion. Don’t be scared, and build as you go. 🙂

What Should Authors Blog About? aka Content Strategy for Authors

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As a part of my author platform series, we’ve talked about overall platform, newsletters for authors, social media for authors, and now I want to talk about what authors should blot (and video and podcast) about: aka, content strategy for authors.

Authors often aren’t so familiar with that term… and I think it’s because often we create content without the strategy. Let’s start using the term more because we should be intentional with the content we create.

Let’s talk about what authors should blog (and podcast and video) about: content strategy for authors!

LISTEN TO EPISODE 200 – WHAT SHOULD AUTHORS BLOG ABOUT? CONTENT STRATEGY FOR AUTHORS

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app!

image for what should authors blog about

WHAT IS CONTENT STRATEGY?

Let’s define this thing. Because you probably know what it is, even if the term isn’t one you use. According to Hubspot, content strategy is “a strategy that takes your business goals, and then uses content as a primary means to achieve those goals.”

What kind of content are we talking about? Typically, this refers to things like blogs, podcasts, videos, and even could include things like posts on Instagram.

This is really hitting the question: what should authors blog about? What should they create YouTube videos about? Podcasts? What kind of microblogging content on Instagram and even TikTok??

See? You know what content strategy is. And you’re probably creating content.

But often, I think authors can miss out on the strategy part, or miss the mark altogether. Let’s change that!

Because the more strategy you use when creating content, the better your results. 

And what results do we want? We want to sell more books without being smarmy. But what that looks like is connecting with readers and turning them into superfans who want to buy and read everything you write.

For authors, the goal of content strategy (should you choose to create content other than books) is to attract your ideal reader, connect with them, and see the relationship mature into superfandom.

MISTAKES AUTHORS MAKE WITH CONTENT STRATEGY

1 // SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME

Growth and content creation takes time. Whether you’re blogging or creating YouTube videos, you’ll have to learn a skillset. 

Do you have time to learn the skills it take to blog well? Will you see a return on that investment of your time and money?

For me, content strategy is the LEAST effective in selling books and growing my readership. With time and attention, this can work well, but I wouldn’t consider it primary in terms of platform–in terms of sales or growing a readership.

2 // ATTRACTING THE WRONG AUDIENCE

Often, authors create content for the wrong reader accidentally. Too often, I see fiction authors talking about WRITING fiction, which attracts authors, not necessarily readers of their genre. 

To effectively create content strategy, you need to consider your target audience and then what that audience is interested in. Often, that is NOT how to write or writing tips.

CONTENT STRATEGY FOR AUTHORS IN PRACTICE

Not sure what to write, create videos or podcasts about? Consider what your readers might want. Hang out in reader groups and see what readers are chatting about.

What posts get lots of comments? What do people engage with? What do they want to know, read, or watch? 

Here are some ideas and examples:

  • Roundup of books by topic. ex: The Best Clean Romances (for clean romance authors)
  • Roundup of movies by topic. ex: The Most Hilarious Romantic Comedy Movies (for romcom authors)
  • Five books readers wish were made into movies
  • Ten books that were better than the movie adaptations
  • Inventions that make space travel seem possible (for sci fi authors)
  • Historical details authors (or movies) often miss (for historical fiction)

Consider what topics or interests readers in your genre might want to read about. Don’t just limit it to books. Think about food, pop culture, other entertainment, or more. Consider the things fandoms obsess over and how you can create content around that based in your genre.

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF AUTHOR CONTENT STRATEGY

The great thing about creating content like this is that you have content to share beyond “buy my book” posts. You can share some of these posts in appropriate places, and may have more traction than just a link to your book.

But… make sure your post and blog are optimized for your books. Have links to buy your books or sign up for your email list. Promote yourself in a related way to the content you create.

Consider keywords, SEO- for YouTube and blogging specifically, Pinterest as well. What are people searching for? Create content around that!

CREATING YOUR OWN CONTENT STRATEGY

Spend time brainstorming and considering your content strategy. What is your WHY? What’s the main goal?

What kind of content can you post that will serve that main goal??

This is much easier for nonfiction than fiction, but it’s not impossible. It can work well, even if I do NOT consider content strategy one of my primary ways of selling books or growing my readership.

Realize that your strategy might be turning current readers into superfans OR it might be disoverability. Or both. You can have some posts that aim to grow current readers closer to you, while some posts might be more about discoverability where strangers may find you and read your books.

Again, consider that overall WHY. What’s your purpose? How can your content serve that purpose?

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CONTENT STRATEGY?

Author blog school is focused on blogging, but the overall principles work for other platforms as well. You’ll learn how to set up an effective author blog and utilize SEO (search engine optimization) to help you be discovered by people searching for particular topics.

Want to do better with your content strategy? Sign up for Author Blog School, a self-paced course on blogging and search engine optimization. For just $25, this course is a steal! 

Social Media for Authors

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Social media is often a dreaded piece of the author platform. There are so many different places to be and to post … not to mention WHAT to post. Then there’s the matter of how to handle social media while also writing books.

Never fear! Authors can handle social media. You don’t have to be everywhere or post a million times a day. Megan Ericson, a social media strategist, joins me for a conversation on social media for authors.

LISTEN TO EPISODE 199- SOCIAL MEDIA FOR AUTHORS WITH MEGAN ERICSON

This interview deals with how authors should use social media, mistakes they make, how to choose a platform right for YOU, and how to run social media on limited time.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app!

CONNECT WITH MEGAN! 

(more on Megan below!) 

SOCIAL MEDIA FOR AUTHORS

To discuss social media, first we need to start by backing up a step to consider the big picture. Remember that author platform is an overarching look at how authors connect with readers. (Check the post on Author Platform in 2021.) It’s the bridging of the gap between author and reader.

Social media is just one piece of the platform pie. I would totally give up social media for my email list, but social media can work in conjunction with email (more on email HERE) to help build a solid author platform. Social media is about engagement, connection, and discoverability.

graphic social media for authors

WHAT’S THE PURPOSE OF SOCIAL MEDIA?

The common misconception about social media is that you need it to sell your book. While I can certainly attribute some sales to social media, overall, selling isn’t main purpose of social media.

Social media, as Megan says in the interview, is a part of a larger funnel drawing readers closer. It’s a place to be discovered, to meet and connect with readers who might become superfans.

Social media is about being SOCIAL. -Megan Ericson

Go figure, right??? Being social on social media…

Social media may not be your primary place for sales, but it is great for discoverability and connection. Can you sell books with it? Sure. But don’t count on this as a primary way of selling books.

HOW CAN AUTHORS KNOW WHAT TO POST?

Nonfiction authors have it easier. There is so much built-in content around the topics they write books about. You can repackage information from the book or write about similar but related topics.

For fiction authors, it’s more about peeling back the curtain and being real, like sharing your workspace or your work in progress.

BUT YOU CAN’T JUST SHARE THOSE WORK THINGS. Social media is social, remember? Your readers want to see the real you behind the curtain.

The thing is … not everyone WANTS to come out from behind the curtain. Many people don’t want to share personal photos of themselves or their children. And that’s okay!

TIPS FOR WHAT TO POST ON SOCIAL

Pick 3-5 things you’re actually interested in that you can share about (this can include your writing). This does NOT have to relate to writing or your books, but it can. If you write historical romance, maybe you share facts or links or images to interesting corsets.

Maybe one of your things is cats. You post pics of your cats or specific kinds of hairless cats. Maybe it’s coffee. Or sushi. Or alligators. (That’s me.)

You can rotate the five things, working your promotional posts (which don’t have to be buy-my-books posts) into the flow. Consider this like an edit of yourself: you’re not sharing EVERYTHING with your readers, but picking a select few true things about you that you can share.

When readers have unique things they associate with you, they think about you. When they spot that whalebone corset, they might pop into your Facebook group and share a picture there. THAT’S what you want. Association. These seemingly unrelated things can come to make an easy way for readers to connect.

For a great example of someone being personable (and talking lots about tacos), check out author Lucy Score’s Facebook page. She has a mix of posts about her books, about other authors books, and just random posts about herself or asking readers questions.

Don’t overthink this! We’re creative. Get creative with your social media.

WHAT MISTAKES DO AUTHORS MAKE WITH SOCIAL MEDIA?

  • Speaking to the wrong audience. A lot of authors write for AUTHORS, not readers. If you’re posting a lot of how-to posts, a ton of behind the scenes posts, or all writer interviews about process, you might attract other authors, not readers. Yes, authors read. But the main bulk of your audience should be readers in your genre (unless your goal is to attract authors and sell services to them). A lot of authors accidentally draw in other authors instead of their ideal readers.
  • Posting all promo. When you don’t know what to do with social, you might just post links to your books, images of your book, and links about buying your books. YES, you can sell. You don’t even have to be sorry about it–we’re running a business. You can sell. But social media should have more than just links to buy.
  • Not acting human. I can always tell when someone’s taken an Instagram training. I’ll have someone follow me, then like exactly six different images, maybe commenting on one. It’s like clockwork and feels… impersonal. If you attend some kind of training that has EXACT actions to follow like that, consider the spirit behind them rather than following some list. And the spirit behind most things is that you need to act like an actual human being, not a bot. Be real. Be engaged. Be engaging.
  • Posting things that are too lengthy. While you CAN write more on Instagram or Facebook, these platforms shouldn’t be confused with blog posts. Write a blog post if you want to write a lot. There’s a reason those platforms are often called microblogging. Micro, as in, SHORTER. Use social to give a tease about something. A teaser of your book. A teaser of a longer blog post. Quick. Engaging.
  • Using your personal Facebook profile for business. The Facebook terms of service are, as many TOS are, vague. They DO want your personal profile (where you add friends, as opposed to your PAGE, where you get likes or follows) to be about PERSONAL. The lines are much blurrier between personal and business these days, especially in the creative fields. We aren’t as compartmentalized as we used to be. Personally, I do SOME sharing of my work on my page, though Megan warns against doing it. Ultimately, you don’t want to lose your account, and Facebook decides what is too much. Use your page or a group primarily for your author things and keep the personal profile personal.
  • Having two Facebook personal profiles. Many authors create a second personal profile on Facebook for their author name. This is against the terms of service. If you’re found out, you could lose your WHOLE account. Not worth it. It’s harder to get engagement on a page, but if you work hard, you can find it. Or you can use your page to run ads and focus engagement in your Facebook group.
  • Not utilizing hashtags on Instagram. One of the features authors should use more on Instagram is hashtags. Look at what other hashtags authors are using. Check out this post from Kindlepreneur on the best hashtags. You can follow hashtags also to connect with readers and authors. This is a GREAT tool for being discovered.
  • Taking yourself too seriously. Megan makes this point and I LOVE IT. Social is about social. Don’t feel like everything has to be perfect or totally serious. The same goes with photos and things, like for Instagram. You don’t have to have photos of you or gorgeous photos at all. Create quote graphics in Cavna. Just show up imperfectly, as you are. Be yourself. Take the pressure off.

WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOU ONLY HAVE 10-20 MINUTES A DAY?

Megan’s best tip for managing social media is to batch and schedule. If you don’t already use batching, it’s basically taking a larger chunk of time once a week or once a month to schedule out all your content. This can save time and keeps you in the same creative flow. You can schedule natively, on each platform that allows it (for Instagram, you can schedule natively via FB) or use a tool like Hootsuite or Buffer.

Daily, your “work” on social media might be showing up to engage with your people. Responding to comments, engaging with other people’s posts, or sparking discussion on the fly.

TO SUM UP: SOCIAL MEDIA FOR AUTHORS DOESN’T HAVE TO OVERWHELM

You don’t have to be on all the platforms at once. You don’t need to (and probably shouldn’t) spend hours a day on the various platforms.

Pick one to two places you can really engage (though I always like to stake my claim by getting the same name/handle on new social) and plan out the 3-5 kinds of posts you’ll do and make a schedule for how you’ll manage it.

Above all, remember the goal: social media is about discoverability and connection, not PRIMARILY for sales.

MORE ON MEGAN ERICSON

Megan’s mission is to help creators grow their social media following to grow their business. She’s a social media manager who publishes over 100+ posts per week for her clients on all the social platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn, and even TikTok. Since social media is constantly changing, Megan recently launched a new vodcast called Megan’s Social Media Marketing Show to give you the tools you need to grow your social media following.
Most notably for you writers, Megan has served hope*writers as their social media and launch manager for three years. So, it’s safe to say, she gets writers and the writing life! If you’re interested in a free hour-long training on social media specifically for writers, go to hopewriters.com/megan. 
You can find out more about the services Megan provides on her website, meganericson.com, or follower her on Instagram @meganericson.

image with megan ericson for the create if writing podcast

OTHER HELPFUL LINKS

The Create If Writing Facebook Community

The Quick Fix Weekly Email from Kirsten

Creating an Author Newsletter

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I’ve written so much email content on this site, but I haven’t FULLY explored creating an author newsletter. WHAT! Well, it’s time to get after it. 

I have long been a fan of email lists. I think I started mine in … 2010? Long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away. That’s how it feels, anyway. Mostly because I was growing a newsletter as a blogger.

Now? I’m growing one (or several, actually) as an AUTHOR.

Some principles of creating an author newsletter are the same. Some are different. Let’s dive in and take out some of the intimidating factor of what I still believe should be the cornerstone of your author platform.

LISTEN TO EPISODE 198 – CREATING AN AUTHOR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app!

CREATING AN AUTHOR NEWSLETTER

Why am I still harping on email all these years after starting Create If Writing? (Because, if you’ve been around the whole time, email has always been my recommendation.) 

After growing email lists for nonfiction and for fiction, it is STILL king. It’s still more effective to sell books than social media platforms.

It also is the only real DIRECT connection with your readers. Any time, Instagram could yank you, or your Facebook account could get hacked and shut down. And then… you’re done.

With email, you have that list of emails. You can hit up their inbox because they’ve given you permission, inviting you in. Sure, inboxes are crowded. But readers still get excited hearing from their favorite authors personally. And if they hit reply to an email you send out to everyone, it then becomes a one on one conversation.

Email is YOURS. It’s a direct line. It’s personal, and there’s no algorithm to an inbox.

GROWING YOUR AUTHOR NEWSLETTER

There are two big distinctions when it comes to growing your author newsletter. The first is organic growth, which would be having someone join your list from the back of a book they purchase or just on your website.

The second is paid growth, where you’re running Facebook ads, joining giveaways, or doing paid author promos. Essentially, you’re not BUYING subscribers (ew! don’t do that!), but you’re paying to get in front of the right readers who might opt in.

There’s also what I’d call orgnic-ish growth, which may not include paying to get in front of subscribers, but has an incentive to opting in, like a free book or chapter. This might be something like a Bookfunnel group promo by genre with other authors. Or–it might be inviting readers at the end of a book to opt in to your newsletter to get a bonus epilogue, a free prequel, or a chapter from another character’s point of view.

WHAT’S WORKING FOR ME?

What I’ve found is that using shorter pieces of content as incentives to join my newsletter has worked REALLY well. Readers have so many options for free books. They’re overloaded with whole free books. Try something smaller.

I’ve REALLY grown my list giving away shorter prequels related to my books and series or giving away a bonus epilogue. A bonus epilogue in the back of my first romcom has given me 2k subscribers just since October. (As a caveat, I’ve sold a LOT of books. I still think this can be super effective, but will depend on your book sales and how many people see that offer.) 

In other words… short and sweet. And related to your other stories.

Over the years, I’ve done a mix of organic, organic-ish, and paid, and have gotten a good response with solid open rates and engagement, even as I’ve grown to over 7k.

Recommendations for Free Organic-ish Growth

Recommendations for Paid Growth

 

EMAILING YOUR READERS

What do I say? How often do I send?

I hear those questions a lot, but not the question that needs to drive those answers. Which is: WHY am I sending email?

There are specific reasons you might use email, but the big, overarching WHY of email is not to sell your book or promote your new release.

GASP! I know. I know.

The overarching WHY of email is to connect with and build your superfans. They don’t just buy your new release. They buy ALL your releases. Everything.

I write short and sweet emails, usually recommending 1-3 books from other authors in my genre as a newsletter swap. But I also have a few paragraphs (often just a few sentences) about something personal. Typically humorous, though I’ve also shared struggles and heartaches.

Does everyone care? NO. But it absolutely does help me form a relationship with my superfans. It makes me stand out in their inbox as not just another author in my genre. They get to know me. We bond.

So, I’d highly recommend drawing some lines about what you want to include that’s personal and then BEING personal. Doesn’t have to be pics of your kids or your house or you in pajamas. Consider a few areas you’re willing to share and then let that flag fly.

FINAL WORDS ABOUT AUTHOR NEWSLETTERS

I know not everyone is a fan of email, and that it might not be as effective for everyone. HOWEVER, I still believe it’s the best place to connect on a more permanent level with readers and create superfans. It’s also the one platform that’s not changing.

We’ve seen a lot of upheaval this year on various platforms. Email is… decidedly the same as it was years ago. It’s a dinosaur. It’s stable. Even if it’s not your favorite, don’t miss out on creating your author newsletter!

Other email resources from the blog/podcast: 

What You Need for Author Platform in 2021

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Let’s get real– what do you need for an author platform in 2021? After a few years of selling fiction, I can tell you that it’s less than you might think. Let’s dive in! 

Author platform. Did you shudder when you read that? For some authors and creatives, the idea of building a platform to connect with an audience is daunting. Others might like it, but almost all would agree that it’s easy to lose focus worrying about follower counts and other stats.

For the sake of defining the term, when I talk about author platform, I’m talking about the various ways you connect with your readers in hopes of selling more books and building superfans.

LISTEN TO EPISODE 197 – AUTHOR PLATFORM IN 2021

 

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app!

SETTING UP YOUR AUTHOR PLATFORM IN 2021

Before you can really dig into what you need and what you might not need, it’s important to clarify a few things.

  1. Platform for fiction and nonfiction authors looks different. Which are you focused on? Don’t make the mistake of actually targeting the wrong audience. (Ex: a fiction author talking about marketing and publishing might attract authors, not fiction readers)
  2. Your why determines your what and how. If you are doing this for the love of writing, that’s going to look different from someone publishing books to keep paying the mortgage. Know your why. Revisit it as needed. This should inform your choices!

What I think is really important is to consider your ROI- the return on your investment of time and money. My goal here is to hep authors sell more books without being smarmy.

So … when it comes to platform, I’m always asking the question, does this sell more books? Does this build superfans? 

And, of course, is it smarmy? As in, do these tactics and practices feel slimy and icky, or do they feel like a good fit for me to sell books?

I constantly see advice out there that suggests authors do all kinds of things … that ultimately don’t sell books. With limited time, I’m all about getting the most bang for my time and my bucks.

author platform image

AUTHOR PLATFORM FOR FICTION AUTHORS

I have to start with a caveat. There are a lot of things you can do that might work. There are a lot of authors doing different things that work.

The upside? So much freedom to try things!

The downside? Total overwhelm.

I’m going to share the things that I’ve tried out or have experience with. That doesn’t mean it will be the same for you! Sometimes things work differently across different genres as well, so I suggest finding like-minded groups on Facebook for authors in your genre and joining the conversation to see what’s working for them.

THREE BIG AREAS OF AUTHOR PLATFORM

1 // EMAIL LIST

I’m all about email. This hasn’t changed. That said, I wish email were as effective as it could be. I have something like 7k people on my email list. If all those 7k people bought my books when I sent out a new release, THAT WOULD BE AMAZING.

That’s not what happens.

Even so, this sells way more than social. Whether I’m sending out emails about my own books or other authors are sending out books in newsletter swaps, I see the most impact on sales with email. I still believe this is and should be the cornerstone of your platform and is a worthy use of your time and your money.

2 // SOCIAL MEDIA

Oh my goodness. Is social media still going strong? Yes? Okay, then. This year, I’ve seen a rise of authors hopping onto things like TikTok or using Instagram reels (which is … almost the same thing). When it comes to social media, you can pick your poison and find a platform that works for you.

What I’ve seen from now three years of doing this author marketing and platform-building thing is that social media doesn’t have a massive impact on sales.

3 // CONTENT STRATEGY

Huh? What’s content strategy? This is where I’d place things like blogging, podcasting, YouTube, or creating longer-form content based around your brand and your books.

This doesn’t always work well for fiction authors, who sometimes fall into the trap of writing about writing, which attracts writers. Sure, writers are readers. But they may not be YOUR ideal readers. A tiny percentage of my readers are interested in my writing things or the podcast.

If you can find topics to blog about that relate to your subject matter, genre, or the brand you’re trying to build as an author, this can work for you. Especially if you harness the power of SEO.

HOW DO YOU LEARN TO BUILD?

I’m going to go through the various areas of platform and also go through these three areas, then dive into other non-organic areas of building your sales… aka ADS and paid promotions.

It doesn’t have to be overwhelming. You don’t have to spend hours doing it, but you CAN. It’s so easy to get lost in Facebook or on Instagram. Timers are my friend. It’s like the reminder you need to GET OUT of the addictive social feed.

I’m going to give some overall tips and things to consider as we move into this series on where to spend your time, energy, and money in 2021 while you work to sell more books without being smarmy.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS ON AUTHOR PLATFORM IN 2021

Remember ROI – You might need to test, but don’t do things that don’t work.

Remember your WHY – Don’t get sidetracked from your big goals.

Know your BUDGET – It’s easy to buy all the shiny things. Don’t. Use the money on the most effective things, and try to stay in your budget.

Know your TIME – Before jumping onto a platform, make sure you have the time it requires.

Know your SKILLSET – You may love podcasts, but they require equipment and abilities. Are you ready to learn them or hire someone?

Stay true to YOURSELF – Pick places that feel comfortable to you, where you WANT to spend time.

Don’t base your platform on UNICORNS – I see a lot of advice out there that authors can sell books with this or that platform. Just because ONE person did it doesn’t mean EVERYONE can (or should) do it. Try to base your decisions on what’s working for multiple people, preferably in YOUR genre. Not some outlier who happened to start on a platform really early.

 

So… where do you plan to spend your time and money in 2021?? 

 

 

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