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June 23, 2015 / 062315
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Essentials for Managing Your Writing Career
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson
When
I was on a panel at PALA (the Publisher Association of Los Angeles (an
associate of Independent Book Publishers Association or IBPA), I was
asked to give them the five most important tips to an independent
writing career and this is an abbreviated rundown of what I told them:
- One
of the most deleterious ideas—the one that has the most disastrous
effect on the welfare of an author’s book—is that marketing is
selling. Especially selling people something whether or not they
want it (or can use it).This incorrect idea of what marketing is at
its roots is unethical, destructive to creativity, and absolutely
false. It is what marketing is not. Here’s what marketing is:
- It
is having a passion for one’s own book, a passion coupled with a
strong belief that it will help others—either a certain group of
others or everyone. That it it is an authentic belief that the book
will make their lives better. Help them. Entertain them.
- Marketing
is the process of learning who those people are and showing them
why it is right for them and helping them access it in the most
convenient way for their needs.
- It
is about caring and making it evident that this caring is
apparent through the campaigns and promotions the author does.
Authors will be forgiven for that awful term selling if the reader can see—and feel—the caring. Both in the book and in the marketing campaign itself.
- Here’s
my most inspirational tip:. You can now be in charge of your own
writing career. That means you get to make your own decisions.
Fortunately that also means you have the never-ending uphill
learning curve to climb and I believe it’s fortunate because you
will never get bored.
- There
are no blanket rules—no undeniable, unforgiving, steel-clad
rules in writing or publishing. But you must know the rules anyway.
If you don’t, and you put out a less than professional product (and
it is apparent there is no good reason for having broken those rules),
you have done yourself and all the other independent authors a
disservice.
- Learn, learn, learn. One of the best ways to do that is to use the
benefits offered by respected writers organizations. Use them to
learn more but also use the benefits they offer to help you market.
Both their paid services and the ones that come free with
membership. Example: One that works well is renting one of their
lists for a direct marketing campaign.
- Learn
to fight what is left of Book Bigotry or Entrenched Publishing
Rules without spending time trying to change others’ minds. People
only change their minds when they’re in enough pain. Be confident in
knowing that entrenched (read that traditional) marketing ideas
aren’t the best way to sell books anyway. The best way to use your
marketing budget and time is to find the ways you can reach the most
people in the least time (and where you can make the greatest net
profit)—and that isn’t by selling through bookstores. . .or in
airports.
- Tips:
Read, read, read, but read cautiously. Everyone on the Web isn’t an
expert. Find experts with newsletters written by experts who will
keep you up to date.
Examples: Amazon sends information about
their new promotion opportunities to those who are already
published. To get that information, you have to read their e-mails. And read newsletters. My favorites are:
I. Dan Poynter’s
II. Hope C. Clark’s
III. Joan Stewart’s (The Publicity Hound)
V. And for speakers (one of the best ways to market), Tom Antion's letter for speakers
- Join organizations:
I love Independent Book Publishers Associations (IBPA), of course,
but there are lots more targeted associations like memoir writers,
journalists, the Military Writers Society of America, PEN. Remember
they only work as well as you work them. - Join
listserves, sometimes called social network groups or forums. IBPA
has a great one. Author U is one founded by Judith Briles. Here’s a
tip: Learn which contributors are experienced and which aren’t
before you take advice to heart.
Carolyn Howard-Johnson is an award-winning author and book marketer. You can find her at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com,
a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs
at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . And, don't forget to check out her Sharing with Writers blog.
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I hope you found this information interesting and helpful. Too advanced, not enough, just right? I’d really love to know, so please leave a comment – good or bad or email me at: karencioffi@ymail.com
P.S. If you liked this article, PLEASE SHARE IT!
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Article reprinted from The Writing World
newsletter. Want more must-know writing and marketing information along
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Karen Cioffi, the Article Writing Doctor
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Email: karencioffi [at] ymail [dot] com
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