SUSAN KAYE QUINN

Get a FREE Box Set of Singularity Stories!

Adventures in Publishing: Marketing

**************************************CONTEST*******************************************

Make sure you enter the contest (free books!) in celebration of the release of my first novel, Life, Liberty, and Pursuit! Contest open until noon EST today!
UPDATE: The Kindle version of Life, Liberty, and Pursuit is now available at Amazon.com! 

*********************************************************************************************

You hear a lot of talk about how authors have to market their own books, whether they have small or large publishers. And even then, unless they’re one of the “blockbuster” books that are destined for best-seller status, they aren’t accorded a large marketing budget. Some say authors must blog, facebook, twitter, and goodread (I’m not really sure those are all verbs, but go with me on this). Others say that social networking is a huge waste of time and doesn’t net out any book sales.

I’m not sure how much of this is true.

Here is what I do know:

Blogging I love it. I started back in October 2009, and I can’t believe how many positives it has netted me: friends I would have never met; ditto critique partners; finding my Voice through blogging; learning about the craft and the business through blogger friends; feeling the community of writers in a real and present way. I’m a writer, and blogging is writing. It just makes sense to me.

Facebook I love learning the tiny tidbits of life that make me feel connected to people. I have RL friends I know better through FB, and FB friends I’ve never met in RL, yet would welcome them into my home (not that creepy stalker guy who friended me once, but some others, yes). I dragged my mom onto FB, and now she’s connecting with friends and relatives in a way she never had before.

Twitter I would never have tried Twitter if my marketing guru/lady/person hadn’t insisted, but I’m glad she did. Twitter during Glee? Honestly, I though we’d broke the internet there for a while. Twitter for sharing #amwriting madness? So nice to know I’m not alone, even when I’m writing alone on my couch. And if nothing else, I have Twitter to thank for finding the #yalitchat crew. And that is pure awesome.

Goodreads Another one I would never have tried. I’m not on it that much, but having a place to keep track of my endless TBR list is a blessing all to itself. And it calls to me: read more, read more. I get rather excited when I update my “read status.”

I’ve heard that some authors also use Instagram to market their books. This isn’t something that I do, but it might be worth looking into that too. Apparently, some authors make use of Upleap to increase the engagement on their posts and profile. Those interested can always Learn more about Upleap here if they’d like. Hopefully, that will result in more sales and awareness for the book. I also know that my marketing lady/guru/person is sending out ARCs of my book and actively doing whatever she/Omnific can to promote the book. Because they want it to be successful, just like I do.

Will all or any of this translate into more book sales? I don’t know. But, as I said on a guest post on Author’s Echo, social networking makes writing in the new millennium a different creature than writing before Web 2.0.

My brother is a talented writer, who never
published. He gave up in his early 20’s, back in the pre-internet days, when
writers toiled in isolation. He is in awe of my blog, my crit group, my author
facebook page, and my knowledge of agents and the publishing industry.

“This is nothing like when I was writing,” he told me once.
Just so. Do you have to blog, twitter, and facebook (one of those is a verb, I’m just sure of it) in order to be a successful writer? No. But you’ll miss out on the experience that is writing today.
My brother called me on Tuesday, the morning my book was released.
“Hello?” I said.
“I just bought your book,” he deadpans.
“Yes!”
“There’s just one thing. Where are the vampires?”
Le Sigh.
This is my brother’s version of funny. He’s terribly, wonderfully funny. Because he’s a writer. And someday, just maybe, I’ll drag him into the Brave New World of writing for another try.

LAST CHANCE to enter the contest!! It ends today, at noon EST, at which point I will use randomizer.org to select a winner. For clarity, anyone who’s left a comment Tues-Friday on the blog gets an entry.

I’ll be back at noon EST for an update!
UPDATE: We have a WINNER!! Using the very scientific randomizer.org  …

… the WINNER is ….

Teachergirlbooks!!

Who is a teacher, a reader, and a book blogger – which is a trifecta of awesome!

Teachergirl: Email me at susankayequinn@comcast.net to arrange for your books!

Thank you to everyone for the well-wishes and for spreading the word! This has been an exhilarating week, and having a writer/reader/blogger community to share it with has been an amazing experience.

Next Week: Back to the usual antics, including book reviews, book recommendations, and MORE GUEST POSTING AWESOME! (also: I’m still seeking guest posters throughout the summer, so if you’re interested, please email me at susankayequinn@comcast.net)

Happy Weekend!!

Comments

  2. @Matthew I'm still figuring out Twitter, so you're far from alone. Going to pop over to check out Tahereh's post! 🙂

  3. The verb to go with Twitter is "tweet." I have a twitter account, signed up many months ago, and I think I posted something once. I don't follow any tweets. If I get published I may try it out in earnest, but for now it seems like a distraction.

  4. I totally agree with you on all this. I don't know either how many books per se one can sell through social media but that's not why I'm doing it either. The benefits are so widespread that anyone who says "it's a waste of time you don't really sell anything" is very shortsighted and not enjoying themselves with it or not taking advantage of all the other benefits. In that case, I'd say don't do it! And find some other way to get your name out there. It's not too late for your brother either. Ann Best, a blogger/writer is 70, and she got her first book accepted for publication and started blogging this year.

  5. @Rick Welcome back! Tweet. *face palm* I knew that. And Twitter is a distraction, no doubt about it – but not entirely without benefits. 🙂

    @KarenG Some people don't get the social part of social marketing – it's just not for them, which is totally fine! That's why I think it's important for people to feel like they don't HAVE to do it. Then again, maybe they would change their minds if they gave it a try. 🙂

    And a new blogger/writer at 70?? That's so awesome! I'm a firm believer in "never too late to try."

  6. Good stuff! You're right about blogs, yalitchat, FB, etc., helping to network, meet people, get feedback, get support/encouragement. I think especially for writers it's enormously valuable b/c of the isolation of writing. For me, I don't get to socialize w/a lot of writers. Used to when I was a single career-gal, now that I'm a mom, not so much. Yay, technology! ;o)

  8. Whoo hoo! CONGRATULATIONS on your release Susan! And we're slightly obsessed with social networking. It's just so much fun to connect with other writers, you know? We have such an amazing community that it's hard not to want to get involved.

    Have a great weekend! Hope you're celebrating with something bubbly!

  9. @L&L Thanks so much! IKR? My husband calls all my blogger buddies my "imaginary friends." But they're real, I swear! 😉 Thanks for stopping by!

About Susan

Susan Kaye Quinn is PhD Environmental Engineer turned spec fic author who writes hopeful climate fiction & solarpunk.
More About Sue

What I’m Writing Now

I’m currently working on a novel about plants and families and how we have to renegotiate our relationships with both.

My author newsletter for new releases:

Subscribe

 

SKQ on Social Media

Find Sue on Blue Sky, Mastodon, and her blog. She also hosts the Bright Green Futures podcast.
Bright Green Futures