I
feel it’s as good a time as any to post a guide for writer’s etiquette. Like
most writers, I’m connected to several social networking sites and groups to
‘expose’ myself, meet new and interesting people, and promote my works. For a
short time, I even did ‘Pay It Forward’, where I featured an Indie author on my
blog, and in return, they were to either feature an Indie author on their blog
or read and review an Indie author on one of the large outlets, such as Amazon
or Goodreads.
I
recently searched for a writer’s guide to marketing and promoting etiquette,
but I haven’t found one. Since I was unable to find anything, and I’ve come
across some annoying behavior, I thought I’d start A Writer’s Guide to Marketing and Promotional Etiquette. All
authors, traditionally and self-published, need to learn some etiquette when it
comes to getting the word out in a way that can be digested instead of
making us swallow whole (No, this is not an erotic post).
You
wrote a book and you want everyone to know about it. It’s your mission to get
the word out and put your book in the forefront of the hundreds of books
published every day because, quite frankly, you’ve written the best book of the
millennium, right? You join all the social network sites, such as Twitter,
Facebook, LinkedIn, Goodreads; join groups that are connected with these sites;
and ask for reviews and author features on people’s blogs. Great! You’re headed
in the right direction. These are all great ideas for online promotion, but
with these promotions come some etiquette. The way you conduct yourself while
promoting your book, can either make or break your sales.
1) If you have a Facebook page, and you plan to ‘like’
everyone else’s page, you should ‘like’ their page and leave a nice message
with a link to your page. We’re all busy, and it takes time to find someone’s
Facebook page. Providing a direct link to your page with a simple, “Hello, I
came across your page on Goodreads and thought I’d stop by to say hello” is a
great start to a possible long friendship.
2) If you only have a Facebook account to
promote your works, then you’ll have problems receiving acceptances to your
friend requests. Most people like their private life to remain private, and
they don’t want a nameless, faceless person snooping around their Facebook digs.
It’s important that you create a Facebook page for promotional purposes.
3)
If you’re following people on Facebook, you should periodically respond to
their posts, such as congratulating them on their successes or sharing their
new publication. When people see your name pop up enough, and you’re spreading
the word about their accomplishments, they’ll definitely remember you. Simply
following someone isn’t scoring you points.
4) If you’re on LinkedIn, and signed up to
several writing groups to promote your work, promote your successes the right
way. Don’t send out a mass email to everyone you’re following, letting them
know you just published your book, and everyone who read it gave it a 5-star
rating. Bull crap! We’ve all published or are in the process of publishing, and
we know that you got the 5-star ratings from family and friends. Unsolicited
emails are an intrusion, and quite frankly, when I receive them, I mark them as
‘pain-in-the-ass-newbie-author’ and most likely wouldn’t buy your book.
5) If you’re on LinkedIn, get involved in group
discussions. People are more apt to buying your book after having some
conversations and learning about you than they are coming across your
promotional link.
6) If you have an author page on Goodreads, and
you belong to groups, get involved by entering into discussions. Post your promotions
in the appropriate places. Goodreads is an opportune place to connect with
readers and writers. Don’t burn bridges ... or books.
7) If you’re doing an author feature on a blog,
it’s YOUR JOB to provide all the necessary information and to make sure it’s edited.
When you do an interview, and there are several misspelled words, run-on
sentences, fragments, anyone reading it will assume your book is a grammatical
mess. How you write is a reflection of you and your books. We all have mistakes
in our works, but keep it to a bare minimum. Also, provide all the information
needed to promote you and your book, and that includes links to your website,
blog, where they can buy the book, etc.
8) If you’re doing an author feature on a blog,
it’s YOUR JOB to promote that blog post. Don’t expect the author feature to
post on the blog, and you’re going to get an influx of people swooning to know
you and to buy your book. It doesn’t work that way. Promote the blog post on
all your social network sites AND keep returning to the post to respond to
comments. When an author can’t even take the time to thank the blogger for the
post or respond to comments, then readers probably can’t find the time to buy the
book.
9)
If you request a book review, and
someone reads and reviews your book, thank them. I don’t care if they gave you
a 1-star or 5-star rating. Send them an email, thanking them for their time and
review. We all hate those low ratings and reviews, but when you ask for a
review, you should expect nothing but an honest one.
The
more people get to know you, the more they’re willing to buy your book. The
more annoying you are, the more likely you’ll lose some readers.
Promoting
is a lot of work, and we can’t put all of our time into it. I’ve been guilty of
poor etiquette myself, but I plan to change it. It really helps to have family and friends spread the word. If you can concentrate on one
social network at a time, move to the next, and then the next until you’re back
at the first one, people will at least get a glimpse of you,
and then you continue the circle. Remember, you’re trying to build an audience,
like other writers, so reaching out and connecting with people is one of the
best ways to do it.
Do
you have any tips for marketing and promotional etiquette?
Writers
and Etiquette,
Bea
