Surviving Online: Why Social Media is Not a Waste of Time for Authors

Surviving OnlineWhy Social Media is Not a Waste of Time for Authors

Calebjross.com/Facebook

Calebjross.com/Twitter

Calebjross.com/Google

Calebjross.com/Goodreads

1. State of the Author

2. Why Social Media?

3. How Social Media?

2

3

“The best time to start promoting

your book is three years before it

comes out. Three years to build a

reputation, build a permission

asset, build a blog, build a

following, build credibility

(authority), and build the

connections you’ll need later.”

- Seth Godin, author of 13 books. American Way Magazine calls him, "America's Greatest Marketer,"

BUT I DON’T HAVE A BOOK TO PROMOTE

4

• Little/No promotion• Fragmented distribution channels• Competing Media• Talent Saturation• Shorter Attention Span

HARD TRUTHS ABOUT WHAT NEW AUTHORS FACE TODAY

All of this must be offset only by the passion to write.

5

To be an author, you need:• to invest in the reading and writing

community• to engage!• to be seen as an authority• to use unnecessary clip art in a

PowerPoint presentation

PUBLISHING A BOOK DOESN’T MAKE YOU AN AUTHOR.

To be a book writer, you need three things:• a stack of paper• an Amazon account• $10 (for an ISBN)

Why Social Media?Aren’t there better ways to promote my writing?

7

Google is the #1 search engine. What is the #2 search engine?

THREE SOCIAL MEDIA FACTS

http://www.experian.com/hitwise/press-release-facebook-was-the-top-search-term-for-2011.html

The most popular internet site? Hint: It’s not Google.

8

Search for Social Conversation Wheel

9

• Traditional Direct advertising– Facebook has one of the most robust self-serve

advertising models ever.– Goodreads allows authors to market to specific

genre readers• An overlay to all aspects of being an author

– R&D (Polls, Questions)– Workshopping (using Groups)– Promotion (Sharing)

• Advocate network

WHAT CAN SOCIAL MEDIA DO?

10

Make your potential readers’ lives easier– If nothing else, exist– You aren’t spamming by simply

conversing

Engage with potential readers– Media consumers expect the DVD

behind-the-scenes extras. Even if you don’t, your readers do.

WHAT CAN SOCIAL MEDIA DO?

Social Media is Glorified Word of Mouth

How Social Media?

Where to start and when to finish?

12

Visual media?– Post videos at Youtube, Vimeo, DailyMotion

Statistics and Data?– Infographics, charts, spreadsheets, lists

(people LOVE sharing statistics)

Talking?– Podcast, interviews, video blogs

Journaling?– Forums, niche communities

LEVERAGING YOUR INTERESTS

13

1. A central repository

TACTICS – BUILDING AUTHORITY

• Get a website– Wordpress.com, Blogspot.com,

Blogger.com

• Single source of all information– Never leave your readers to

guess where they can find you

14

• Content is King• Blog often (3-4 x/week)• Google Blog Search• Blog tour/Guest posts• Response posts• Eventual book

TACTICS – BUILDING AUTHORITY

2. Blog

Be an authority by proving authority

15

• Thematic professionals– Alan Emmins blurbed my first novel,

found on Facebook• Media professionals

– Jane Friedman, AWP panel• Reader influencers

– Book review bloggers– Lit news sites

TACTICS – BUILDING AUTHORITY

3. Connect with other authorities

16

Your readers are here. You should be too.

TACTICS – BUILDING AUTHORITY

For advanced distribution tactics, see cjrlit.com/advancedsyndication

4. Exist on:

17

TACTICS – PERMISSION ASSETS

“Permission marketing is the privilege (not the right) of delivering anticipated, personal and relevant messages to people who actually want to get them.” – Seth Godin

• Newsletter• Youtube subscribers• Blog subscribers• Twitter followers• Facebook “likes”

18

94% had never heard of my book

93% had never heard of me prior

92% would come to a reading event if I were to visit their town.

88% intend to read other books by me

51% subscribed to my newsletter

37% plan to connect with me on social networks

36% said they planned on purchasing the book

THE VALUE OF GOODREADS.COM BOOK GIVEAWAY

2-book giveaway, 2 week duration, 398 entrants

19

Does writing books take away time that could be spent gaining readers?

IS IT ALL A WASTE OF TIME?

Yes

Does social media take away time that could be spent writing books?

Yes