The Melee of Marketing for the Modern Writer

 

 

             I'm running late, don't tell me, I know! I've been chasing my tail all day, trying to get to this post. Here I am, scraping in for the 1st of October in the U.S.A. It's 11 p.m. here right now, and in accordance with the wonderful Insecure Writer's Support Group, I'm posting on the 'first Wednesday of the month'. And this is a special Wednesday, because it's an opportunity to post possible entries for an anthology the IWSG is putting together, advice for writers.



The Oxford Dictionary describes ‘melee’ as ‘a confused, noisy struggle'.
 

I saw the word melee in my thesaurus under ‘Disorder’ and thought; wow that describes the minefield of marketing for the modern writer very well.

I read a lot of blogs (I try to keep up with about thirty-five a week). In the last few years, there’s been a jump in the wealth of information on how to market oneself and one’s books. It’s a rapidly evolving field. Advice that may have worked five years ago, is no longer applicable now. Even in 2011, Alan Rinzler said, ‘That $50K space ad in the New York Times? Forget it. It’s only for the author’s mother. The twenty-city bookstore tour with first class airplanes, limousines, and hotel suites? A waste of money. Not even an appearance on the Today Show can guarantee more than a brief spike in sales....The old ways don’t work.’

The old ways of self-promotion don’t work! What does? For the writer battling to write their masterpieces, and keep up with the business of self-promotion, the competing voices of advisors are a whirlwind. The key to this maelstrom is that a lot of the advice is conflicting, sometimes even coming from the same source.

Take for example the advice of the greatly esteemed writer, Bob Mayer, who participates in ‘Slideshare, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, etc. all from home,’ as a form of self-promotion. He said, ‘I used to not be a fan of book trailers, and while I don’t think they do much direct selling, they increase your digital footprint. And they’re cool.’

So, I felt reading this, that he was advocating we writers participate in most forms of social media. Yet, in the same breath, Bob also said, ‘Focus on craft; not marketing and promotion. You can’t promote crap. The best marketing is a good story; better marketing is more good stories.’

 

It’s hard to know which way to go.

 

Did I mention that one definition of melee is ‘noisy’? I’ve only been looking into the question of how to do subtle self-promotion the last few years, and I’m overwhelmed with the conflicting opinions. Everybody has one.

 

It's easy to get swayed this way and that. Then, the danger, if we do too much self-marketing, is that we get absorbed into doing the daily rounds to the extent that we never get back to our manuscript! There was a stage there for me, where I found myself awake chatting to people on LinkedIn at one in the morning. And yet, I hadn't edited the chapter I needed to finish. I knew I had to work out a better balance. 

           I heard a famous author had once said of the differences between published and unpublished writers, ‘Published authors see marketing as part of their mission to entertain, help & inspire others. Unpublished authors see marketing as their publisher’s job.’ It's my duty to build my platform. My brand is my responsibility. It's an inescapable part of being an author today.

I went back to the trenches and started digging. I found a wonderful book with solid guidance as to how to navigate self-promotion in the digital age. ‘We Are Not Alone’ by writer and social media guru, Kristen Lamb. I applied myself to all her principles, and I'm gradually working on my platform. 

           Of marketing, Ms. Lamb recently updated this book, 'The Rise of the Machines', and said on her blog, '1) discoverability is a nightmare 2) less than 8% of the literate population are devoted readers 3) the remaining 92% equate reading with homework and a chore. Thus, we have the task of convincing 92% of the population to spend time they don't have engaged in an activity they believe they dislike…and spend money to do it.'

 

Sometimes just the thought of what I need to do next makes me feel tired.

 

I like Jane Friedman’s simple approach too, ‘When writers ask me what the most important thing they should be doing to further their career—aside from write—it’s almost always start your own website.’ If only things could be this simple.

My dear friend, writer and YouTube queen, Maria Cisneros-Toth and I discussed the thorny issue of how to work on our brands while keeping it simple. We decided that the best way would be to restrict ourselves to the forms of social media we enjoyed the most. The forms that were never a chore.

         I chose our online group over on Wanatribe, Writing for Children, and my website, Facebook page and Pinterest, my blog and newsletter.

I’ve found since then, that I can sustain these sites, which as Bob Mayer says, increases my digital footprint. I’m also still able to do the important business of writing.

I say, find what you’re comfortable with in terms of social media commitments and accept that that’s your limit.

         As for the melee of voices on marketing advice, at this stage, I like to see what they’re saying and course-correct only when absolutely necessary.

 

 

It’s a matter of survival. Sanity. Yours. Mine.

Till next time,

Keep smiling!

 

 

Yvette Carol

 Anne R. Allen ~ ‘We writers tend to be a delusional lot. Most of us know the average writer doesn't make a bunch of money, but we secretly believe our own efforts will bring us fabulous fame and fortune. Or at least pay the rent. When we start out, we're certain our books will leapfrog over all the usual obstacles, and in record time, we will land on the NYT  bestseller list and the cover of Time. Don't be embarrassed. The delusions are necessary. If we accepted the reality of how hard it is to make a living as a writer, we'd never get that first sentence on the page.’