cj Sez: One way
to start blog marketing is to go on a blog tour as the guest of as many
bloggers as are willing to host you. You write a post or answer some questions,
plug your book, respond to readers, and you’re off to the next blog site.
It
takes a bit of time to set up a schedule and some internet contacts to get a blog tour going, but reclusive
authors usually like this kind of marketing. The neat thing is, with the
right internet contact, you can reach an international audience.
After virtual
exposures, come personal appearancesAuthors need to
connect with their readers. Actually, they must
connect with their readers. That means authors do book signings and book
readings at libraries and bookstores. For some authors there may be media—TV/press/radio—interviews.
All of those tasks require (gasp) public speaking.
Even if a personal media interview is
out of the picture, be sure to issue a press release when the book is launched.
It might just get published in your local paper.
For me, and some
other authors I know, the prospect of public speaking is a bit scary. A writer’s
normal milieu as we create our stories is solitude in front of a computer or
with pen pressed to paper. Writers are watchers . . . we observe the behaviors
of other people and take copious notes for future story/character ideas. Being
the watch-ee (in front of an audience) takes us completely out of our comfort
zones.
That’s
where a formulaic but flexible “stump speech”* can offer a degree of
confidence.
Write the
outline for a stump speech. Start with an anecdote, add a brief bio—mine included
why I use a pen name and how I chose it. Follow up with something about where
the idea for the story came from, the research involved, the characters, and then
read a couple of short excerpts.
I print out the
speech in large, bold, double-spaced type, and I practice it, a lot. That helps
me with timing the length of my presentation and makes me familiar with the flow
so I can wing some of it and actually make occasional eye contact with someone.
The more often I speak, the easier it becomes. (Yeah, right.)
Caveat for public speaking: It’s important to really know your work, because the audience Q&A will bring some surprising questions—always.
A few years ago,
TV investigative reporter and fellow Sisters-in-Crime/Guppy
author Hank Phillippi Ryan (USAToday bestselling author of 13 thrillers) came up with seven quick steps for dealing
with the scary thought of having to speak in public (and she’s so good at it,
public speaking seems second nature to her):
1. Research your audience
2. Plan
3. Practice
4. Know your stuff!
5. DON’T worry.
6. Get big.
7. Love it and embrace it.
Now if only I
could get steps 5-7 down pat.
* “Stump” is another word for “campaign” —like politicians do when they’re trolling for votes; authors are trolling for sales.
§§
Re that other
important marketing consideration, to newsletter or not to newsletter? I tried
that once. It was like pulling hens’ teeth to get regular subscribers (or subscribers
who weren’t authors trying to help me out). Will I try to start another one? I’m
still thinking.
§§
Etcetera and P.S.A.
A follow-up on my
post about setting do-able goals (from a Jane Friedman blog) . . . https://www.janefriedman.com/getting-things-done-in-your-writing/
§§
YES YOU CAN honor
Betty White's 100th birthday ON JANUARY 17. Your local rescue group, ASPCA, or
my favorite: GOOD FORTUNE FARM REFUGE.
Every dollar goes a long way for homeless animals. Food, de-wormer,
a warm blanket, a vet visit. Easy-Peasy to help those who help the helpless,
and you can do it from the comfort of your home.
Think about it and
mark the date on your calendar, please?
§§
That’s it for
today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. 
cj
P.S. The Haunted
Bookshop has signed copies of my stories in stock. TO ORDER my author-graphed
books or any book of your choice on-line from a favorite, indie bookstore,
contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us
➜ Follow me . . .
➜ on Amazon: Amazon
Central Author Page
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https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor
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https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson
➜ on Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6
I don't have the amount of stage fright for public speaking that I do for solo performances on the violin. THOSE are scary--for me. Good post.
ReplyDeletecj Sez: I doubt I could walk on stage thinking I could perform on a musical instrument, unless it was a snare drum and the nervous jiggling of my hands would make the drum sticks work. That's an awesome feat, Kaye. Thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDelete