Pimping your books

[JSWolf]

A lot of authors don't actually run their own website. So how can you judge how good an author is at pimping given that the site may not be run by the author?

Jim Butcher does a good job with his website. I think he keeps it well updated and interesting.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Quoth

It's depressing that the Big Publishers now look at Social Media profiles of possible authors and now expect perfectly proofed MSS and that the author, if given an advance and contract, is expected to be active on Social Media.

Basically it's a LIE. Social Media only works if you are famous, or by luck, or you have cute kittens, or too much spare time. Maybe several of them.

Also if you join a forum or SM etc to ONLY promote your book, you are dead in the water. You have to be helpful, insightful, humorous etc and only mention the book when asked or in passing.

Most of the money the big publishers spend on promotion is wasted. A tiny proportion become mass market. The majority don't even make the advance in royalties (though some of those do make a profit). The big Publishers are letting Amazon and Social Media eat their lunch with poor websites, no POD, poor communication with bookshops (when will it be in print? --Dunno, they never tell us that), daft ebook and audio book pricing. Amazon ALSO dominates ebooks, over 90% world and via Audible has most of the audio book market.

So it's really really hard to write and polish a good book. It's many times harder to promote it. And pimp is the right word for SM.

I remember back in the days of dial-up when authors would put themselves out there. They would interact online with fans or potential fans. Because of this, I've read books by authors I've interacted with be it an online chat and/or a message board (precursor to the forum). Now we don't get this as much as we used to.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I remember back in the days of dial-up when authors would put themselves out there. They would interact online with fans or potential fans. Because of this, I've read books by authors I've interacted with be it an online chat and/or a message board (precursor to the forum). Now we don't get this as much as we used to.

I think part of that was the novelty of the internet at the time.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I think part of that was the novelty of the internet at the time.

To me it doesn't matter the reason. It matters that it was done and it got me to read books by some of these authors.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

A lot of authors don't actually run their own website. So how can you judge how good an author is at pimping given that the site may not be run by the author?

Jim Butcher does a good job with his website. I think he keeps it well updated and interesting.

Funny enough, Jim Butcher doesn't do his webpage, Priscilla Spencer does.

[taosaur]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

SM can be useful for word of mouth on a new book, but as I said earlier, I was really talking about established authors. Some authors crank out books on a predictable schedule. Patricia Briggs has been coming out with a new book every spring from almost 20 years. Her publisher does a good job of getting the date out months in advance, and I assuming, paying Amazon to make sure they send out notices to customers who either follow or buy her books. I get the notice, I pre-order and the book shows up in my library on schedule.

...

There are a number of what I would call mid-tier authors, who I read a few books, liked them ok, but I unless I remember to check, I have no idea if they have a new book out or not and forget about them after a while. I have no idea if they stopped writing (fairly common) or if they have new books out.

This is exactly how a lot of writers and readers use Twitter. It's not going to be a perfect fit for every author and their audience, but the best answer to your question in present society and technology is Twitter. It's very low stakes for your readers to follow you, you're just lightly reminding them you exist and what you're doing every so often (unless you're exceptionally good or exceptionally bad at it), and it's easy for people to share that reminder elsewhere. It's a rare reader who is going to an author's personal website and looking for updates without getting pushed there from a social media or news platform, and often what they saw on that platform was a linked tweet.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by taosaur

This is exactly how a lot of writers and readers use Twitter. It's not going to be a perfect fit for every author and their audience, but the best answer to your question in present society and technology is Twitter. It's very low stakes for your readers to follow you, you're just lightly reminding them you exist and what you're doing every so often (unless you're exceptionally good or exceptionally bad at it), and it's easy for people to share that reminder elsewhere. It's a rare reader who is going to an author's personal website and looking for updates without getting pushed there from a social media or news platform, and often what they saw on that platform was a linked tweet.

Different platforms have different strengths and weaknesses. Twitter, with it's limited number of characters, might be good for pinging a customer base when a new book is out, but likely isn't a good place for someone who was told about an author by a friend and is trying to find out what books that author might have and which book to start with. It could be that twitter and facebook are a good substitute for email lists, but in this age of google, neither is a replacement for a good, up to date website. My experience with facebook is that it's unreliable, perhaps twitter is different.

[ekbell]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

SM can be useful for word of mouth on a new book, but as I said earlier, I was really talking about established authors. Some authors crank out books on a predictable schedule. Patricia Briggs has been coming out with a new book every spring from almost 20 years. Her publisher does a good job of getting the date out months in advance, and I assuming, paying Amazon to make sure they send out notices to customers who either follow or buy her books. I get the notice, I pre-order and the book shows up in my library on schedule.

On the other hand, even though I follow Roger Zelazny on Amazon, I have to remember to look to see if any of his books came out in ebook recently, because I sure don't get any notices.

That's the difference between a live author who is still producing new books and republication of a deceased author's books by the heirs (Roger Zelazny d. 1995).

A better comparison might be between Zelazny and Leon Wibberley (author of The Mouse that Roared among many other books). Leon Wibberley's heirs maintain a website (available off his wiki page) which offers a monthly newsletter providing information on new reissues as well as the occasional freebie.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by ekbell

That's the difference between a live author who is still producing new books and republication of a deceased author's books by the heirs (Roger Zelazny d. 1995).

A better comparison might be between Zelazny and Leon Wibberley (author of The Mouse that Roared among many other books). Leon Wibberley's heirs maintain a website (available off his wiki page) which offers a monthly newsletter providing information on new reissues as well as the occasional freebie.

Yea, the last I heard, the Zelazny estate was still run by his wife, who was estranged from him at the time of his death. I've heard some stories about a difference of opinion between the wife and Zelazny's kids. She seems pretty mixed on the idea of pushing the books.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Yea, the last I heard, the Zelazny estate was still run by his wife, who was estranged from him at the time of his death. I've heard some stories about a difference of opinion between the wife and Zelazny's kids. She seems pretty mixed on the idea of pushing the books.

The Kids shou;d be handling the books. The wife seems be be doing a miserable job of it.

[taosaur]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Twitter, with it's limited number of characters, might be good for pinging a customer base when a new book is out,

No social media presence is about getting out one make-it-or-break-it post. It's a place to interact and build networks, and again, remind people that you exist on a consistent basis, not once or twice per year. The value of these platforms is that the eyeballs are already there, and in the case of Twitter, writer and journalist eyeballs in particular. Agents will tell you flat out, "Come back when you have xxxx followers on Twitter."

Originally Posted by pwalker8

but likely isn't a good place for someone who was told about an author by a friend and is trying to find out what books that author might have and which book to start with.

In that case, they're very likely going to Amazon. I'm not saying it's a bad idea to have an author site, but it's not where people are going to find you. If no one put a link in front of them, they're very likely going to google, and from there it's Amazon or Wikipedia.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by taosaur

No social media presence is about getting out one make-it-or-break-it post. It's a place to interact and build networks, and again, remind people that you exist on a consistent basis, not once or twice per year. The value of these platforms is that the eyeballs are already there, and in the case of Twitter, writer and journalist eyeballs in particular. Agents will tell you flat out, "Come back when you have xxxx followers on Twitter."



In that case, they're very likely going to Amazon. I'm not saying it's a bad idea to have an author site, but it's not where people are going to find you. If no one put a link in front of them, they're very likely going to google, and from there it's Amazon or Wikipedia.

When I google, I generally pull up the author's website if it exists. A surprising number of authors don't have one. Amazon is fine if you already know you are looking for a specific book, but it give little information about things like series and the like. Wiki can work if someone has created the Wiki page, though it doesn't work nearly as well as a good web page.

It comes down to, are you a "hey, I just write the book" author, or are you actively trying to sell books. That's my over all point. The vast majority of authors seem to be "hey, I just write the book".