Welcome! Books, movies, music, original stories, interviews, writing, libraries, literacy, humor –all with the YA reader in mind, are just a few of the topics you’ll find here. New to the blog? Say hi! Like it? Follow away! Thanks for visiting.
It's funny, I use Issuu to post documents in this very blog and have never given them their due credit.
First, it's free. Did I mention it's free. By the way it is FREE!
Once you create a profile the user interface is very easy to use. The uploads are fast and the results are eye-catching.
Essentially you take a document you'd like to publish and make a PDF from it. Once in PDF form, you can upload it to your profile in Issuu. The more documents you 'publish' on Issuu, the larger your library becomes. Now for the cool part. Issuu allows you to share these documents on dozens of sites. (I mostly use it for facebook) Also, it will give you the embed code, which you can paste into places (like this blog) and it will link back to that document in the Issuu reader.
The documents read like a book -page turning, audio (if you add it) and more. All my Entries from the Lost Journal are uploaded from Issuu along with my sample chapter of The Never. Take a look!
I recommend it to anyone and everyone who has documents to share and manage. They also have a community (facebookesque) where other folks who publish documents, magazines, photo books and creative mostly where one can do some networking. So go register and start uploading!
And no, I am not being paid by Issuu for this entry.
Last thing: Visit my author page and show your support!
A quick followup to part II, which focused on facebook ads. Since October fourth, that particular ad had netted me 57 new followers. Of the 60 people who clicked on the ad, only three decided they didn't want to 'like' my page.
Enough about paid ads. Here are some things that are completely free that you can do to increase traffic to your page. I'm assuming you've reached the point where you know what genre you've targeted. Knowing that, you can search for other pages with the same interest. Lets use en example: Horror.
As you can see, several other pages immediately come up. If it has the little molecule icon as a picture, they're no good because they're not regularly updated and the information is fed by wikipedia so skip them all together (I know, it's tempting when thy have 96,000 likes but there is no following there.)
If you find one that looks promising, click on it. Check out the page. Do they allow others to post on the page? If it is only the moderator posting, the answer is no. Even though you may be able to post on their wall, your post will be removed before anyone can see it. The other thing to look at is the page's likes (on the left). Click see all and look through their favorites. This is a great way to expand your potential network because pages generally 'like' other pages related to their own subject in some way.
I would try and get as many relevant 'likes' as possible. For time's sake, lets say you reach 30. Now you need to start trolling those pages for opportunities to insert yourself into their conversations. Every time you post, they see the link back to your page (as well as everyone else looking at their page, who most likely will be interested in your page because it is a related subject) I would avoid 'spamming' where new authors drop in, leave a post on their wall saying something like 'come look at my new book" and never say anything again. Try and build a rapport with the people who post on these pages. The more they see your name involved in the conversations, the more interested in your page the readers will become. Soon, those who like their pages will like your page and so it spreads.
Remember to share the love. If someone mentions your page on their wall, reciprocate. This can have a snowball effect sending your number of followers through the roof. The more work you do here, the more results you will see. Yes, it takes time and effort for it to happen but in the end, I believe these followers are more likely to purchase your book than those who simply click on an ad and 'like' your page.
Sell yourself, you're a writer so when you post or converse you need to write like a writer.
So next time I'm going to touch on some non-facebook ways to draw a following (back to facebook).
Until then...good luck and keep writing.
Visit my page early and often for prizes, wiring samples and more.
Following up on part III...the ad I placed on facebook is still running. According to the stats I've gotten 19 clicks and 13 connections meaning out of the 19 who actually clicked on the ad, 13 ended up liking my page.
So, is this method effective? I'd say so. Especially considering I've spent a hair under $4.00 for the ad so far. But, I don't plan on using facebook ads alone to generate a following and neither should you. I also can't afford to run the ad until I reach the number I'm shooting for (1000). So, what's left?
Tons of stuff, actually. Have you considered making a video trailer for your novel? Increase your exposure by drawing youtube viewers to your page! I went as far as making a 'teaser' trailer with text and some basic effects and am working on a full-length trailer with actors (volunteers of course). That being said, I have an affinity for filmmaking and understand that not every writer does but if you're writing fiction, you have creativity and imagination.
This is what I came up with. Simple text with cool sound and effects (I think anyway). If effective, your trailer should spark the interest of potential readers enough to want to follow your page. HD video cameras are insanely cheap right now and it is amazing what one can do with a simple editing program. If you have the wherewithal , I highly suggest giving it a shot.
Create a storyboard. What is a storyboard, you ask? Basically a series of images you'd like to see in your trailer. I draw like a four-year-old. I'm okay with that. The purpose isn't to be pretty, it is simply to give you a solid projection of how you want your trailer to look. Below I'll paste a video on storyboarding if you're interested. You can get blank templates for storyboarding here. When you go to shoot your trailer, the storyboard will direct the angles of the shots and help make the entire process much smoother. When you have your volunteer actors all gathered around you waiting to do something, winging it generally produces bad film. If you know what angles you want, where you want the actors to be in relation to the camera etc. BEFORE you're on location with everyone, things go much smoother. Trust me. Okay, I'm digressing.
Video trailers are great tools to get people interested in your novel (potential publishers like them as well). When you're done, stroll on over to your potential agent or publisher's page and post a link to your trailer. Why not?
Here is the storyboarding video. I'll be the first to admit it is a bit on the slow side...but it helps.
Next time we will talk about getting your Author Page exposure within facebook with your target readers for FREE!
Just a reminder, I am implementing this for myself as I go, sometimes just before I write about it. If something doesn't work or you have suggestions that I haven't mentioned, feel free to comment.
Until next time, visit me, tell your friends to tell their friend's friends and I'll be sure to share the love.
Oh, and for a laugh, here is a funny video I made. I think all Star Wars fans need to get at least one of these out of their systems before they die.
Yes, that's right. The literary market these days is so unstable, uncertain and uncomfortable with taking risks on authors (especially first time published authors) that, with each passing day it becomes more and more difficult to find an agent or publisher who will even look at your manuscript.
Is it the end for all of us first-time authors? What can we do? The answer comes in three words. Build a following.
An agent or publisher picks up your query letter, glances it over, likes what she sees but your genre is too risky right now. She's had dozens of submissions (and rejected them all) in this genre, some of which she's liked but it just isn't worth the risk to take on a new author when she isn't confident the book will sell. Then she sees something at the bottom of the query letter that changes her mind. Between my blog and my facebook page, I've managed to generate over 1000 followers.
In her mind that's 1000 book sales, which isn't a bad run for a first time author in the fiction market. What if that number were 2000 or 5000 or 10,000? Think she'd be interested then?
It's a new world for writers. Follow along with me as I research and implement the fruits of my research. Through my experimentations, I hope to be able to pave the way for all new writers looking for a path to publication. Let us begin...
