Tuesday 15 April 2014

How do Authors Reach out to Readers


I suscribe to author Kristen Lamb's excellent blog and eagerly await each post. Today's blog gave me food for thought. As authors's we are keen to get our work out there and noticed. We use every social media site and join every group in the hope of reaching new readers. As a writer I can identify with this, and understand why authors would act in this way.

However, as Kristen Lamb so very rightly points out, this can often lead to blasting your followers and readers with repeated posts on social media. I have had experience of this when one author posted 42 tweets or retweets one after the other. I kid you not as I counted. Needless to say I no longer follow them. 

The purpose of social media is to reach out to readers and get to know them. The key is in the word social. If we met someone in person would we then talk to them non stop and then walk off without engaging in any conversation. I am sure no one would do this, yet essentially that is what we are doing when we bombard our readers with social media posts without engaging them in conversation. 

I read somewhere that social media marketing should be 90% social and 10% marketing. This sounds about right to me. Let your readers get to know you. I appreciate that some people may not want to put too much out there, however there are ways of engaging in conversation without giving away all the details of your life right down to shoe size and inside leg measurement. How about the following examples from what I am doing now:

  • What a gorgeous sunny day in Dundee. I'm in my conservatory writing this and watching the ducks in the stream at the end of my garden
  • I really ought to do some weeding. Nah, writing is much more exciting
  • Coffee is very definitely a writers best friend. What do you think
  • DI Shona McKenzie is swimming in dead bodies. The streets of Dundee are not safe
  • Tonight is Chinese night with my 2 oldest friends. Watch out Dundee the women are coming. What are you doing tonight?
  • I think my favourite characters in a book, ever, are Jane Rizolli and Maura Isles. Who are your favourite characters?
  • The picture at the top of this blog is the view at the end of my garden. Beautiful and perfect for a calm writing environment. What is your perfect writing and/or reading environment?
Just some examples of how you can reach out to readers, seem like a human, and still keep your privacy. If people feel like they know you then they are more likely to respond when you put the occasional post saying:

  • So excited about my new book ...  being launched on ...
  • I am so full of emotion that my book ...   has reached number 3 in the Amazon top 100
Still no full on marketing but engaging your readers. 

If anyone has any great ideas for engaging readers please let us know in the comments. This is a chance for us to share and help each other as writers.

I would like to thank Kristen lamb for her post Social Media, Book Signings and Why Neither Directly Impact Overall Sales  which was full of advice and inspired this post. This is well worth looking at and Kirsten Lamb is well worth following.

See you all again soon on Bookaholic. This book writing bookaholic is signing off and leaving you to read a good book. 



29 comments:

  1. Something I have noticed after signing up for just about every group on social media and book sites is that just about every author is doing the same thing. We are constantly trying to market to each other instead of reaching out for new readers, though most authors are readers. The thing is, speaking for myself anyway, I tend to buy books from more established authors since I feel that I can learn more from their experiences and skill sets.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You raise an important point here. Again we are so busy trying to tell people about our books that we are in a mad whirl. I agree we can learn from established authors. However, as a reader I have found some great new authors as well. I am glad the post gave you some food for thought

      Delete
    2. Like everyone else I dislike 'buy my book' posts and try to avoid doing them, although I will put one up when I publish a new book. As you say, most authors are readers, but if we as authors only support established writers, how can we expect other authors to support us. I have read hundreds of indie books over the last year, and although there has been some not worth the effort, I have found loads of excellent books.

      Delete
    3. Oops, grammar. Has should have been have, of course.

      Delete
    4. I agree Chris, it is great trying new authors. I have read SeverL books by new and indie authors and they have gained a fan in me. I love discovering new talent

      Delete
  2. A lot of really good points here. Especially the idea of treating Social Media like you would any interaction. Food for thought for sure.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am glad you enjoyed it JD. This has certainly made me stop and think

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wendy, I agree, others are likely to read and respond to something like "I really ought to do some weeding. Nah, writing is much more exciting" than "buy my book" I know I do. Thanks for sharing this.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you Greta. It think it is the normalcy of the everyday which engages readers and makes them feel you are somehow a real person

    ReplyDelete
  6. Very good points, Wendy. Thanks. I wonder what it is in us that 'forgives' an inference in a message such as 'Writing is much more exciting than gardening.' We kind of know that the person is saying 'I am writing' and perhaps wanting us to look them up/check out their books. But it's still so much more forgiveable than 'Buy my book. I'm better than Ian Rankin.'

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fran. You raise a good point. I think we are wired to be social and to engage. Buy my book seems so much like an order that we probably just stamp our feet and say not on your nelly. In a figurative sense of course.

      Delete
  7. Excellent advice, Wendy. I'll check out Kirsten Lamb's blog as it sounds interesting and useful.Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you enjoyed it Mary. Kirsten's blog is well worthwhile looking at. It certainly made me think

      Delete
  8. Hello Wendy, I follow, Kirsten Lamb's blog, too. I read that post with interest. My Twitter feed does not follow the guidelines in your post, which I have come across before. Like you I stop following people, who repeat the same information over and over again.
    However, my dilemma is that for the last six months or so, I have been posting daily on one blog and twice weekly on the other. If I Tweet about this, how much more do my followers want to hear from me?
    Sue
    http://suesconsideredtrifles.wordpress.com
    http://suestrifles.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sue, it is indeed a dilemma. Knowing what is the right amount and what is too much is difficult. I use my social media as me. There is no difference between me as a person and me as an author so I tend to post as often as I feel necessary. The same with my blog. This is because I am a social person and would be doing this anyway. Maybe I have lost a few followers, I don't know, but on the whole I try to interact. Hope this helps

      Delete
    2. Thanks for replying. I think I'll continue with trial and error, bearing in mind that my opportunities for posting vary from time to time. Sue

      Delete
  9. I have to agree with all of the above. I use Twitter most of the time, but only twit a few days a week and only once a day. I retwit a lot more than I twit. But I have found that as my followers have grown my sales are on a verrry slow uptake. I also post on several FB groups just for promoting books to readers. And the only way to really sell is with reviews on your books. So I joined several book clubs to do reviews of fellow authors so I can get reviews back. Since I have a blog, I turned my blog into a book review format. Which also displays my own books. Doing the book club reviews is slow as you have do a required amount of reviews before your book gets on the list, but all good things come with time. Anyway, hope this helps.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have in followed a few on Twitter because they just have their account set to auto tweet and they just flood Twitter with tweet after tweet of buy my book promotions. Yet I'm also friends with one of them on Facebook and she'svmuch more interactive on that site.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks Sahara. Really useful information

    ReplyDelete
  12. I find twitter hard to use and hard to engage people. Other than that I agree, at least vary the posts, sometimes just hang out or chat to people.

    ReplyDelete
  13. What has touched me about social media is the high level of "generosity of spirit" I experience when so many take the time to share, such as you Wendy, their thoughts, ideas, notions, and encouragement. Sure, some crassly bark and hustle, but the majority are kind. That said, I agree with you entirely.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Sorry about using this method rather than replying individually to posts but blogger is playing up. Thank you for your comments and taking the time to join in the conversation. I agree Mark. most people are so helpful and pleasant on social media and these are the people we must emulate

    ReplyDelete
  15. One of the more disappointing experiences I had was joining a Group and all I saw was self promotion. Yes, if you write , you do w ant. To be. Read

    ReplyDelete
  16. This was a very helpful and thought provoking post, Wendy. It's so hard to know how to get the balance right, isn't it? I suppose we are all children when it comes to social media, still just learning how to communicate effectively. After all, Social Media is still very young compared to the old fashioned chat over the garden fence or down the supermarket.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Great post! I only post "buy my book" posts about once a month or so. The rest of the time it's just what is running through my mind which can be anything from pics of my furbabies to updates on my progress on my latest WIP.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I find it easier to be sociable on facebook. Twitter seems to be more a live feed about what's happening ("on my way to Baldock Library, hope I don't get lost!" kind of comment.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Leigh. Sounds like a perfect use of social media to me. I forgot to add that commenting and replying on blogs is also a great way to use social media as it is a dialogue rather than buy my book

      Delete
  19. Thank you for sharing your helpful tips.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are welcome Melissa. I am glad you found them helpful

      Delete