Creating a following BEFORE your novel is published? part VII

This is going to be a brief one simply because it is still a WIP.  I took on the task of finding out if RedRoom and Scribid were good places to go and network.

It turns out, simply creating profiles etc. are more work than I thought they'd be.

I found THIS article about the CEO and Founder of Redroom, Ivory Madison, which is somewhat comforting thSat all the work I've been putting into RedRoom will be worth it.  My experience thus far has been mediocre.  The interface is clunky, the uploading is slow and the ease of navigation isn't the best.  BUT, I believe if I stick with it, there is a good chance I'll get my name out there among my peers, authors, publishers and most importantly, readers so I will stick with it.

I THINK scribid may have the same potential.  What I don't like about either is that they offer a link to my facebook account, but the link ties to my personal account and NOT my author page, which is infuriating.

So, I've got more work to do on this topic.  I've also decided to add the Writer's Digest community to this list.  I will get in there and see what that's about and hopefully have a more insightful observation of all three for next time.

Another topic for a future post will be Creating A Calendar To Manage Social Media Marketing.  It is insanely easy to forget what you have where and how often you need to take action in those places.  I've got a method that may help.

So.....For next time,

Scribid
RedRoom
WD Community

If you feel so inclined, check them out yourself and let me know your thoughts.

P.S.

Visit my PAGE and tell everyone you know to check it out!  Read my first chapter, follow my blog and get hooked!  My novel is coming late spring/early summer!

Issuu, an excellent tool for all authors (established and aspiring)

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!

Here is an introductory video:

Creating a following BEFORE your novel is published? part VI

Well, it is time to move on to other sources on the internet that can help increase your following.  My page following has increased its following by 4x's since I've started writing (and following my own instructions) this blog.

A quick google search led me to The Savvy Book Marketer  website.  One click on marketing tips and I come to a long list of what look like great sources of information.

I clicked on the first one that drew my eye, fiction marketing, and was directed quickly to a page full of hype that ended with an ad for her book explaining all about fiction book marketing. So I clicked on resources and, once again found a nice list of information and every link leads to something for sale.  Can I blame them? No.  Is it frustrating that nobody wants to throw me a bone? Yes.  Onward...

I found a magazine..Social Media Marketing Magizine, which is a bit too broad for our purposes at the moment. Then I found this, a 'free' ebook from scribd that specifically touches on social media marketing for authors. There was some good introductory information that can be useful including a link to RedRoom, which I've never heard of but intend on visiting. It also mentions scribid, which hosted the free ebook.  Surprisingly, there was nothing at the end pitching the sale of the author's book.  It was just straight-up free information.  A rarity these days.

So, the mission going forward will be to research RedRoom and scribid and see what they're about and how effective they can be.  I apologize for the lack of actionable information this go-around.  The next entry should be full of goodies.

Until then, visit my page, tell your friends, tell your friend's friends and I'll be sure to share the love!

Here is a shot of my page today!

Creating a following BEFORE your novel is published? part V

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.

Backing up your work -Confessions of a back-a-holic

I'm taking a brief hiatus from my other thread to talk about the importance of backing up your work.

Everyone backs up, right?

Fast, easy and free: email it to yourself every time you change a file.

Slightly more expensive but much more dependable: Buy some flash drives (more than one), number or letter them and use them on a rotation to back up your files. Keep a backup log with the date and the drive # or letter in case you need to go back. I have drives A-E. Also, if you can leave the drive off-site (out of your house somewhere) Put it in your school locker, your desk at work, anywhere other than the same place as your computer.

Slightly more expensive, automated and dependable: Find an online backup service to do it for you. Currently, I'm using Carbonite. I think I paid around $120 for THREE YEARS of service.  It automatically backs up files that change.  Those files are customizable and the interface is easy to use.

Finally, expensive, local and probably most dependable: An external drive for your computer that mirrors your changes as you go.  Right now I'm using a Lacie d2 2TB, which is super easy and I have to give it virtually zero thought.

Here comes the confession:  I use every method mentioned above every day.  Why?  Well, if my house goes up in flames after being hit by a rogue meteor? I've lost my external drive but I have my flash drive, Carbonite and my email.  If the zombies come, burn down my house, set off an EMP all I'm left with is my flash drive, which contains all of my work.  So, as long as the zombies, the meteors and the EMP's keep at bay, I'm good to go.  But I rest easier knowing a lifetime of work isn't gone if they do.

Speaking of zombies, The Walking Dead season 2 is coming October 16th at 9. (love that show)



Come visit me, say hi and check out my work.

Creating a following BEFORE your novel is ever published?

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...