What’s Hard and Not Hard about Self-Publishing (Part 2)
August 23, 2012 in Self-publishing, Thursday Writing, Tips and Suggestions by Alex Carrick
I discussed the mechanics of self-publishing in my previous article for FridayFlash DotOrg.
Now, I come to perhaps the most dreaded side of self-publishing – promotion.
Many aspiring writers find this excruciatingly hard. I can understand why. It takes them out of their comfort zones.
Writers are cerebral. We compose partly because we want to dwell in make-believe worlds – where people may be nasty or unpleasant, but our own imaginations can tame them.
Our characters are not a threat to our own psyches. They do not expose our self-delusions.
A nasty review or piece of commentary that takes a personal bent can be another matter.
Developing a thick skin is hard, but it does come with time. Once in place, the world becomes a different playground. Swimming through life with the carapace of a lobster opens up possibilities you may never have dreamed possible.
And remember that self-promotion has its rewards. It begins with the famous process referred to as platform building.
As a writer, you have a brand to promote. The social media is a huge force for good in this effort. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Goodreads and many other sites are where you can display your talent and try to disperse your product.
At first, it may be especially hard to “expose” yourself. Try switching your perspective. For those of us who are shy most of the time, I often give the following advice: Think of it as adopting a persona. It is you but in a different form. It is a public you. It is a “you” with a slightly different face.
I do not recommend straying very far from the essential “you,” since that can lead to being tied up in knots and not knowing how to react in certain situations.
But a hybrid-you or an acting-you who needs an audience is not a bad thing. To your own surprise, you may even find you like it.
What is not hard is to join chat groups in social media and talk about things you’re interest in.
Some of the best ones on Twitter are #writechat, #storycraft, #amwriting, #litchat and #journalchat.
Posting a tweet that includes one of those hashtag (#) designations will immediately place you in the company of like-minded individuals.
Nor is it hard to appear as a guest on a blog-talk radio show, if you are lucky enough to be invited.
Sure, there is some nervousness at first. Stick to honest answers and your own personal experience. No one can ask for more.
Yes, there may be criticism to deal with, or bad reviews, or plain indifference.
So here is another aspect of self-publishing that is super hard – maintaining perseverance – especially when the knocks can come from so many different directions.
I am still confronted on an almost daily basis, especially in my business dealings, with individuals who say they cannot be bothered with Twitter or Facebook. They consider it a waste of time.
After all, how much can one really convey in 140 characters, for example? This argument ignores the URL linkage factor to articles and blog pieces of any length.
I like describing Twitter in a special way to my writing friends. In essence, it is the largest magazine rack in the world.
How do magazines advertise their stories? In short blurbs on their covers. It is a method with proven effectiveness in gaining readership. Rarely are those blurbs more than 140 characters long.
So drum up interest for your writing by posting links to your stories that appear in their complete versions at your blog site.
Let me offer a final tip. I’ve found the URL “shortener” at the popular web site, Stumble Upon, to be an effective way of gaining more “hits.”
That is it for now. I am going to stop here and pick up the thread in future entries.
~ Alex Carrick
Contributing Correspondent of Friday Flash Dot Org
Alex Carrick has twice received Honorable Mention recognition (2010 and 2011) in the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition for literary excellence.
He likes to explore in an amusing and often touching way the dilemmas we all face in this modern, fast-paced life. He'll play with structure and time to present his unique vision.
In mid-May 2012, Mr. Carrick’s site was chosen “Blog of the Week” by Writer’s Digest. The accompanying description said, “Alex Carrick’s blog is clean, crisp and entertaining. His stories range from humorous to thought-provoking, making it a fun read.”
The magazine rack is a terrific anology for Twitter, Alex. The front cover teasers on magazines are invariably very short, and can be oh so effective. That really does sum it up as to the value of a tweet.
~jon
[...] on FFDO this week we’re featuring part two of Alex Carrick’s What’s Hard and Not Hard about Self-Publishing. [Part one is here.] This installment deals with promotion. Share your experiences in the [...]
Then there are those teaching marketing to would-be marketers who have no business marketing in the first place. Writers should not be marketing – they should be writing. But if you don’t have deep pockets to pay professional marketers to do it for you, then you have no choice but to do it all yourself.
So called marketing gurus who refuse to market-to-sales in exchange for a commission on those sales generated by their efforts, leave an author no other choice but to take on yet another full-time job – marketing. If those marketing experts were as good as they profess to be they would be more than anxious to do it on commission. But marketing is not a perfect science; it’s mostly hits and misses, and it can take a lot of time to get the word out, and even longer to sales. And when there’s more supply than demand an author becomes but a grain of sand on an endless beach. There are just too many choices out there for readers.
To bring your book to importance, it’s not about what you think you have to offer, but what a reader perceives you have to offer them. That’s when marketing and branding yield sales results. Anything less becomes an exercise in futility and a total waste of time. In other words it’s not what you have to say, but how you say it.
Bottom Line: Offer something that stands out from the crowd, throw in a little controversy to as many readers you can find and you will be on your way. Most of all, never, ever give up.
Controvery, ah ye olde SexPistols cozening… wouldn’t it be nice if we could get back to the content of the books themselves as shouldering the burden of whether it’s worth reading or not? But of course, in the ebook deluge, first one has to become visible to have any chance of being picked up by readers. And this is when we all sell our souls to become Robert Johnsons, not of the artistic virtuoso, but of the marketer… Depressing