Jenny Kane: Coffee, cupcakes, chocolate and contemporary fiction / Jennifer Ash: Medieval crime with hints of Ellis Peters and Robin Hood

Tag: Twitter

Did you know that books are invisible?

One of the most popular blogs to feature on my website in 2016 was one I did about the importance of marketing…

Did you know that books were invisible?”

That was the opening line I gave a slightly bemused group of friends when they kindly offered to let me give a ‘pretend’ talk about what to do after you’ve written a book.

invisible

OK- I’d better back track a little bit.

For a little while now I’ve been considering holding a few writing classes, and possibly taking on mentoring. There is one issue however-there are hundreds and hundreds of creative writing classes out there. I want to provide something a little bit different.

After chatting to fellow authors it transpired that what wasn’t so available was advice on what to do after you’d created your story. I have spent some time thinking about this.

There are so many authors in the world putting their life’s blood into their words. They pour themselves into their work, then perhaps they are lucky enough to find a publisher, or they decide to self publish their book, and then…nothing.

Big Fat Zero 2

This brings me to my original point. Unless you are with one of the top six publishers who have contracts to get books into the mainstream bookshops and supermarkets, books are invisible. They only exist if people know about them- and when I say people, I don’t mean your family, friends, work colleagues, and the people they happen to know.

Marketing- that’s what writers have to do. Writing is fairly important as well of course- but if you write something in the hope of earning an income, and then don’t market it, then what’s the point?

I can’t say I enjoy the marketing side of my job- and I’m lucky enough to have a publisher that does a little marketing for me- but if you don’t have a Facebook page for your books, and a Twitter account from which to shout about your literary wares, then there is a real danger of disappearing into the ether of the eBook world. You need a blog, you need constant presence, and you need to – every now and then- share just a little of the real you to engage your audience.

Sadly, there is no magic wand when it comes to selling books. People won’t know you’ve written a book unless you make them sit up and take notice of the fact.

 

OK- lecture over!

I’ll pop off now, because I need to think up exactly what my ‘after-writing’ course will contain…any ideas (polite ones only!) will be very welcome!

Thank you!!

Happy reading, writing and marketing,

Jenny x

Twitter- https://twitter.com/JennyKaneAuthor 

PS- I will shout as soon as the writing courses are up and running x

 

Did you know that books are invisible?

“Did you know that books were invisible?”

That was the opening line I gave a slightly bemused group of friends when they kindly offered to let me give a ‘pretend’ talk about what to do after you’ve written a book.

invisible

OK- I’d better back track a little bit.

For a little while now I’ve been considering holding a few writing classes, and possibly taking on mentoring. There is one issue however-there are hundreds and hundreds of creative writing classes out there. I want to provide something a little bit different.

After chatting to fellow authors at the Tiverton Literary Festival in June, it transpired that what wasn’t so available was advice on what to do after you’d created your story. I have spent some time thinking about this.

There are so many authors in the world putting their life’s blood into their words. They pour themselves into their work, then perhaps they are lucky enough to find a publisher, or they decide to self publish their book, and then…nothing.

Big Fat Zero 2

This brings me to my original point. Unless you are with one of the top six publishers who have contracts to get books into the mainstream bookshops and supermarkets, books are invisible. They only exist if people know about them- and when I say people, I don’t mean your family, friends, work colleagues, and the people they happen to know.

Marketing- that’s what writers have to do. Writing is fairly important as well of course- but if you write something in the hope of earning an income, and then don’t market it, then what’s the point?

I can’t say I enjoy the marketing side of my job- and I’m lucky enough to have a publisher that does some marketing for me- but if you don’t have a Facebook page for your books, and a Twitter account from which to shout about your literary wares, then there is a real danger of disappearing into the ether of the eBook world. You need a blog, you need constant presence, and you need to – every now and then- share just a little of the real you to engage your audience.

Sadly, there is no magic wand when it comes to selling books. People won’t know you’ve written a book unless you make them sit up and take notice of the fact.

OK- lecture over!

I’ll pop off now, because I need to think up exactly what my ‘after-writing’ course will contain…any ideas (polite ones only!) will be very welcome!

Thank you!!

Happy reading, writing and marketing,

Jenny x

Twitter- https://twitter.com/JennyKaneAuthor 

 

 

Guest Post from Sue Moorcroft: What use is Social Media to Writers?

I’d like to welcome Sue Moorcroft to my site today. Sue, a fellow Accent author, who has written a huge selection of wonderful novels, is addressing a question I am often asked myself.

Over to you Sue…

Sue Moorcroft

I’m frequently asked by writers who use social media very little or not at all ‘What use is social media? Wouldn’t the time you spend on Twitter and Facebook be better spent writing?’

Social media works well for me. I do keep a close watch on how much time I spend on it and the more under pressure I am the less you’ll see me online. But …

1 What use is social media?

  • Readers can contact me. I feel privileged to be writing in an era where someone can read one of my books then, in a couple of clicks, tell me that they enjoyed it. It’s not just that there are few things that give me more pleasure than readers enjoying my books, it’s that the reader can get into conversation with me if they wish. They can feed back about what they think of the book compared with another or ask me questions created in their minds by reading my book.
  • Promotion. I can tell readers about special offers or when a new book’s out. This is, obviously, not just a service to readers – it helps my book sales.
  • Increasing traffic to my blog. Whenever I post on my own blog a link automatically appears on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn etc. Others share the information. (Likewise when I publish my newsletter.)
  • Information. I read social media as well as contribute. I pick up interesting articles about writing, publishing or world events.
  • Research. Some of my research isn’t so much about facts as about public opinions and feelings. The zeitgeist. On social media I can ask, ‘If you’re in your thirties, would you expect to split the bill on a first date?’ The resulting conversation arms me with a view of modern manners in this particular area. Or I can ask for help from someone with a particular job, condition or experience, to learn how it feels to be that person.
  • Networking. Via social media I have been invited to appear at literary festivals, give talks, run workshops, do appraisals, write guest posts on blogs (including this one) and submit my work.
  • Profile. Visibility. Discoverability. Presence. Utilising social media I can, to some extent, promote and influence all of these.

Sue Moorcroft covers

2 Wouldn’t the time you spend on Twitter and Facebook be better spent writing?

No, not in my opinion. See above.

Supplementary notes

    • Publishers and agents have never asked me questions 1 or 2!
    • Publishers and agents are often keenly interested in the visibility, of otherwise, of a writer’s social media platform.
    • I limit my time on social media but usually work on it at intervals throughout a day.
    • I enjoy it. Not every writer does enjoy it and not every writer does it.

 

  • Google+: google.com/+Suemoorcroftauthor
  • Facebook sue.moorcroft.3 and https://www.facebook.com/SueMoorcroftAuthor
  • Website: www.suemoorcroft.com (where you can sign up for her newsletter)
  • Sue’s latest book: The Wedding Proposal
  • Sue also writes short stories, serials, articles, writing ‘how to’ and is a competition judge and creative writing tutor.
  • Award winning author Sue Moorcroft writes romantic novels of dauntless heroines and irresistible heroes. The Wedding Proposal, Dream a Little Dream and Is this Love? were all nominated for Readers’ Best Romantic Read Awards. Love & Freedom won the Best Romantic Read Award 2011 and Dream a Little Dream was nominated for a RoNA in 2013. Sue received three nominations at the Festival of Romance 2012, and is a Katie Fforde Bursary Award winner. She’s a past vice chair of the RNA and editor of its two anthologies

Sue Moorcroft- wedding

Thanks, Kay, for inviting me onto your lovely blog.

***

Many thanks for sharing such and excellent blog Sue.

Happy reading,

Jenny xx

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