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It seems there are two opposing camps in terms of author marketing.
On the one hand, there are people who say “Just write a lot of books” and the books themselves will sell the other books and you don't need to do any other marketing. The evidence for this can be seen in Amanda Hocking's ebook sales numbers and other writers on JA Konrath's (brilliant) blog who basically write and distribute ebooks but do little hardcore marketing. It looks like they all do something but don't focus on it.
On the other hand, there is the “build your author platform” camp advocating blogging, social networking, speaking, podcasting, videos and more. Obviously all this marketing takes away from writing, so which should you focus on?
I try to be very careful on the blog to only talk about things I've done myself. I don't have a huge back-list of novels ready to load up into the Kindle store, I'm not making thousands per month on ebook sales. I have built a reasonable author platform and I have enjoyed every minute of it, so clearly I sit in the second camp at the moment.
BUT/ Amanda Hocking's sales numbers gave me pause so I thought we'd better discuss it here. Justine Musk also wrote a brilliant post over at Tribal Writer on the same topic.
Here's my thinking on the matter but please leave a comment as to what you think at the bottom as this is a critical discussion point as we all have limited time.
What are your overall goals for your career as a writer?
I want to be able to define myself as an author, speaker and blogger and I want to help people. I'm also an entrepreneur and sell my speaking services as well as online products. I make the least amount of money from fiction ebooks and the most from other products and services (at the moment anyway). Therefore my author platform gives me more than just a sales platform for fiction.
I speak at least once a month and last year spoke at a writer's retreat in Bali, all from my online presence. I couldn't do those things if I just had books. So my overall goals involve having a platform to run my online business from. I'm also passionate about sharing what I have learned in order to save you time, money and heartache so I have an inner drive to get the message out there.
What do you enjoy spending time doing?
Writing and being a blogger can be a solitary profession and as much as I love being alone, I also enjoy the community we have online as bloggers and also on Twitter and Facebook. I enjoy connecting on Skype and making my podcast and videos. I love being part of a group and improving my blogging/online marketing skills as well as my writing. So my author platform also serves a personal development and social purpose that goes beyond selling books. Blogging has given me so much joy in the last few years that I would continue doing it if I won the lottery! Writing a novel is a totally different feeling altogether.
What do you think is more effective for author marketing? Writing lots of books or spending time building an author platform? Why do you do what you do?
Krissy Brady | Sell Crazy Someplace Else says
I personally enjoy going the author platform route, but I agree with Alan in that it should be a balance of both. Sure, it’s hard work, and trying to balance your writing with your author platform can be very difficult, but the connections you get to have with your readers, and the potential connections you get to make in terms of new writing opportunities makes it a priceless road to take. My blog inspires my writing, and vice versa–it’s a wonderful thing.
Joanna Penn says
I agree Krissy – I love blogging and social networking… and the rest. The only thing I want to give up is the day job, but I’m not quite there yet!
Krissy Brady | Sell Crazy Someplace Else says
All I know is that you will definitely get there. You rock! 🙂
Adam Wozniak says
Hi Joanna,
Another great article, and an interesting discussion in the comments section.
This whole debate has even broader application. ANYONE who creates (whether it’s an author or other type of artist) needs to weigh up the whole marketing/social media/platform VS creative output thing.
I’ve been grappling with this over the last few months myself, especially since watching this debate between Paul Carr and Gary Vaynerchuk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eG-35pV3xo
It really had me questioning things again.
I think Carr had some excellent points in that video, and basically it boils down to: are all the hours you’re putting into social media/platform building better utilised by actually creating stuff instead (presuming the blog isn’t the main thing you want to create)?
As an example, let’s say the average creative person spends 5-10 hours a week on social media “building their brand”. Over the course of a year, that’s 260-520 hours spent on social media, communicating with people online, blogging, sharing links, etc. That figure might be conservative for some. But let’s say that it’s a minimum of 260-520 hours a year NOT doing what you need to be doing (eg. writing your next book, screenplay, etc).
That’s a LOT of time, and it begs the question: how much stuff could you CREATE in that time instead? How many books, etc could you write in that time?
And, if you were doing that and your stuff is good, are you more likely to attract fans over time simply because of this constant output?
The most obvious example that springs to my mind is someone like Seth Godin.
Here’s someone who doesn’t actually spend time on social media or online marketing. His Facebook and Twitter accounts (which look like they’re actually run by someone else) simply share his latest blog posts. Nothing more. There is no further interaction. All Seth does is write, and because his stuff is awesome, people do the marketing for him.
I realise that this is a unique example, and it helps that he’s been around a while (and has a publishing history, etc). But it’s still interesting how much output he generates by focusing on what’s most important – constant writing.
Yes, I guess you could argue that his blog is his “author platform” anyway. But I guess there are different degrees of such platforms. His would be on the lower part of the spectrum, in my opinion. He writes stuff almost daily, but doesn’t spend his time promoting it, or interacting with readers, interviewing people, doing podcasts, moderating blog comments, etc. His platform is minimal (hell, it’s not even his own domain!). And the stuff he writes generally ends up evolving into his next book or speech, etc.
Anyway, I feel like I’m probably rambling now. I still don’t know where I sit on this particular issue, and I’m interested to read other responses on here.
Marketing vs creating is a constant battle for me, and often I end up wondering just WHAT am I marketing, ultimately, if I don’t have enough time to keep creating?!
The problem is compounded by the fact that, as you point out, marketing can actually be quite fun and addictive (especially social media).
*sigh* What to do…
Perhaps “ebb and flow” is the right way to go, as Jamie D has suggested. I guess the challenge with that approach is knowing when to shift from one to the other!
Joanna Penn says
Excellent points and Gary V & Seth Godin are huge influences on what I have been doing the last few years. I believe I do ship as Seth says. I am being creative when I create content in whatever form. I think an audio podcast is creative – but fiction is a different form of creativity that I need a different part of my brain for.
I need more space for that – unplugged time.
But I still love marketing!!
Cathy Keaton says
I can’t say for myself as a writer what I do, since I’m new to all of this, and don’t have any fiction ready to publish just yet, but I’ve been an artist for a few years now on a very large online art community. I know all too well how hard it is to get noticed, especially when competing against millions of professional-level artists, and I’m not at that level.
But, I’ve managed to get even a little attention from changing the composition of my art, which causes the focal point to be clearer to the viewer, just like how writing more focused makes any story much more enjoyable for the reader. That helped tremendously!
After that, I put a few links to some of my art into another VERY popular artist’s blog comment box, and saw those pieces soar in popularity, which was unexpected. I put them in the a place where the other blog followers were interested in my exact type of artwork (we follow the popular artist because we all love the same type of art). It was like target-marketing.
Just doing those two simple things made a huge difference. All of this taught me something about my writing: it needs to be focused on its purpose, and then the marketing, likewise, needs to be properly focused towards those who would be interested in that type of fiction.
Joanna Penn says
Thanks Cathy – these topics are definitely relevant for all types of creative people. Targeting your audience specifically is brilliant 🙂
Sophie Nicholls says
What a helpful, open and honest discussion. Thank you, Joanna.
I run e-courses in writing for wellbeing, which I love doing, AND I want to focus more on my own writing – poetry and a novel.
This discussion has clarified many things for me that I’ve been mulling over for some time.
I find it hard to immerse myself in writing when I’m always popping up out of that into the social media world. I love Twitter and FB and blogging and all the interaction. But the two activities – for example, my writing on my blog and my writing of poems and novel – feel very different for me as activities. I think I need to divide them much more clearly inside my own mind.
Joanna Penn says
Thanks Sophie. I think a lot of us are considering these things at the moment 🙂
Dividing our time seems to be the key aspect.
Richard says
Great post and commentary! I think most creative people struggle to balance their projects and promotion time. It may help to frame it in periods of time. For me the elusive balance is always out of balance. There are periods when one thing is emphasized much more than the other.
I have to admit I’ve become very aware of both Konrath and Hocking but I’ve never read (or bought) one of their novels. However, awareness is a key element in converting a prospect into a customer.
Joanna Penn says
I’m not into Hocking’s genre but I really enjoyed Konrath’s Origin – that was a great thriller. Having your name out there definitely does matter. I get emails every day from people who have bought Pentecost because of this blog.
Linda J. Alexander says
Someone here said something to the effect that you’re not a writer unless you write, & you’re not an author unless what you write is read. Going on this premise in today’s technological world requires that someone who wants to be both–writer & author–decide how to balance how much they write (quality work), while also figuring out how to have their work read by a growing audience. It’s not easy, but life balance never is for most. Realities of technology, not to mention a writer’s life, make it a world in which we’ve little interaction w/anyone but ourselves unless we genuinely engage those on the other end of our pen, as well as the other end of our computer screen.
I went from the old-school writing world (w/o computer) to the current techno-everywhere world. It’s required adjustment. I’ve “reams” (that now means files) of material waiting to find readers. I also have 5 published books on the market, & 4 or 5 more this year. My techno-imprint continues to grow but it requires a learning curve that isn’t always immediate. That alone adds time constraints which cut out the amount of networking AND writing I do. This isn’t to say I’m ancient–not chronologically, but I might be considered so in the techno-world. ; >
Bottom line is ALWAYS balance. In today’s way of doing biz, you can’t have one without the other … & be a writer AND an author.
Joanna Penn says
well done for learning all the new methods of publishing Linda – I know the technology can be a hard learning curve but definitely worth it!
Tanith Morse says
Hi Joanne,
I bought a copy of Pentecost last week and I am really enjoying it! I’ll post a review on Amazon when I’m done. Congratulations for getting it out there and working so hard to build up your platform. Your blog is one of my favourites and the amount of effort you’ve put into it absolutely astounds me. As a fellow Indie author with a day job, I totally agree that getting the book finished is only half the battle – marketing it to the masses is where the real challenge begins. With regards to Amanda Hocking, it is incredibly difficult to pin-point what makes one author a bestseller and another not. Amanda did a great post a couple of days ago on her blog where she mentioned her friend JL Bryan, also an author of YA fiction, who took an identical route to publication but still hasn’t had anywhere near her success. I think a really important thing to point out is that authors can ‘rush’ loads of books out but if they’re not of a high quality then people won’t come back for more. What good is having ten books out if they’re not up to scratch? Like Stephanie Meyer, Amanda Hocking’s books must have ‘something’ that keeps her readers addicted. Look at Amazon and you’ll see hundreds of traditionally published books of YA fiction (vampires etc) yet few of them can claim to have the success of Stephanie Meyer, despite having near identical story-lines. The same can be said of Amanda with Indie publishing. No one can ever completely explain what makes a bestseller. Amanda said it’s 90 per cent hard graft and 10 per cent luck. Even so, it would seem that trilogies and anything fantasy based is pretty popular right now, so you’re definitely in the right place with Pentecost 🙂 The one thing to bear in mind is that no two roads to success are the same. Look at Dan Brown, look at JK Rowling. Two of the most successful authors with two very different paths to success. JK struck gold with her first book, Brown had only moderate success until the Da Vinci Code. Joanne, when you become a New York Times Bestseller, we’ll all be scouring the archives of your blog trying to find out your ‘secret.’ Until then just keep doing what you’re doing and success will come.
Joanna Penn says
Thanks so much Tanith. I really appreciate reviews on Amazon – they DO make a difference to whether people buy the book or not. Thanks also for recognizing the work I put in here. I really am passionate about sharing information and being useful, so I’m glad it helps. I’m definitely in with the 90% hard work – I like working hard!
and I’m also keeping my eye on the older, more successful writers too. I look at King, Cussler, Lee Child – all these guys have been around for years, writing, marketing and putting in the hours.
Hocking & Konrath have too so this is the way I’m going. More writing quality and still marketing, but maybe just less hours on that!
Megan "Frances "Abrahams says
Your approach makes sense and evidently works, Joanna. I think that’s because you are thinking strategically about fulfilling your writing goals and figuring out what marketing activities are feasible and enjoyable for you. You set a good example for writers/artists like me who are trying to find the right balance.
Great post, thanks.
Joanna Penn says
Thanks Megan. My problem is that I enjoy all of it! writing, marketing, networking! Hopefully at some point I’ll be able to give up my day job and be able to focus on being an author entrepreneur 🙂
All the best for your writing.
Rusty Fischer says
This is my first time visiting your blog and I’m glad I followed a re-tweet here because I will definitely be back. This is something I struggle with all the time: write or promote? Promote or write? I think it’s interesting to read the comments here and see how several authors have promoted heavily, learned some lessons and then pulled back and focused on writing. I can see myself leaning in that direction after promoting heavily for the last few months; it can get to be a full-time job, which is fine, unless you HAVE a full-time job AND want to promote AND want to write. I think, ultimately, every writer finds his own rhythm and settles in. For me, it tends to go in spurts: write a book, send it to a few publishers, see what happens and in the meantime promote the next/last book; lather, rinse, repeat. Part of that is about control: I KNOW I can control what I write, how fast I write, when I write, etc. I know I CAN’T really control the publicity aspect because so much of it depends on other people. Will they like it? Wil they guy it? Will they review it? Four stars or five? When? WHEN? Sometimes you run back in from the maddening world of publicity to get some shelter in what you can control; other times you want to rush out and stir things up and see what happens. Anyway, that’s my two cents; thanks for listening!
Joanna Penn says
Thanks for dropping by Rusty! I think you have the right technique there, it’s that ebb and flow effect as mentioned above… it sounds like you’ve found the right rhythm.
I know what you mean about reviews though – they are hard!
Gary A Swaby says
Great article. I agree with everything said here. Personally speaking though I have at least five fiction books in my head right now, and once I manage to get one published I will focus on getting the rest out too.
I think maybe after I get those five novels out there on the market then I may slow down and focus on my brand/platform, which will then begin to sell each of those five books even more.
I do plan on setting up shop and building my personal blog up before I even get my first book out there, but I don’t think I will put as much work as Joanna Penn has put into this wonderful site, at least not until I have my five novels out there.
I’m just real dead set on getting all these ideas out of my head and onto the pages first before anything else. I feel like an author can market the books long after they have officially hit the market, especially if you have self published. So I do not wish to put too much pressure on myself marketing wise initially.
But we shall see how it works out. I might be a tad naive on the matter.
Joanna Penn says
Check out this article Gary. http://michaelhyatt.com/three-reasons-why-authors-must-develop-their-own-platforms.html
Best to start building the platform before you need it.
Adam iWriteReadRate says
Fantastic response and comments to this article, Joanna! Have been keeping up with debate…great stuff. Have a good one.
Adam
Tanith Perry-Mills says
Wow, can’t believe I found another Tanith. We just seem to love writing 🙂
There is a difference between Seth Godin and the aspiring author. Seth Godin has tons of books out and his blog is read by hundreds of thousands of people. He already has his author platform ready, so he doesn’t have to keep promoting himself. He just needs to post on his blog about his new book or new publishing venture, and thousands will buy.
The aspiring author, however, doesn’t have that subscription base. They have to do some promoting.
New media marketing works like a snowball. You have to start out by building it, actually working at it. But as you work, and spend the time to build your authors platform and publish your books, soon the snowball will gain simply by momentum. Like a snowball tumbling down a hill, become bigger and bigger. Then it becomes like Seth Godin’s platform, where he has to do little to maintain it.
As far as I can see, both a lot of books and an author platform is needed, just in different amounts at different points. I’m not a published author yet, but I am a marketer and see these things happen.
Joanna Penn says
You’re right about the snowball Tanith. I think I have got this one rolling and it may need less effort to keep it moving. It’s certainly taken 2 years of sustained effort to start the movement though!
Marsha Cook says
This is a question that might not have an answer. I have been a writer and a Literary Agent for over fifteen years and have had so many wonderful writers find me and want my help. Unfortunately, most of the authors I have met over the years have decided to give up, I have not. I keep trying to get it right and I actually think that from what I have learned in the past few years I’m almost there. I think that a writer needs to keep writing and also build a platform. Marketing is much harder than writing but both have to be done to have a good solid career. The answer for me is if the public likes books written by self –published authors, which they do, then what has to happen is traditional publishers have to open the gates of heaven and let good authors in! Also, by authors helping other authors, the future will be brighter. Keep writing and marketing and with a little bit of luck and perseverance it will happen.
Joanna Penn says
Thanks Marsha. I’m glad you didn’t give up and I’m not going to either! I think being an indie author really helps with that as you can see feedback much more quickly.
Andrew R Long says
Thanks for this post! I think it just helped me crystallize for myself which is more important; being connected to a large group of like-minded (or not so like-minded) individuals, or churning out a huge number of words. I think, for me, I would be more happy with the former. Thanks for your insight!
Joanna Penn says
Great Andrew! I absolutely love the connection social media gives us. It’s a brilliant community of authors out here.
Steven Lewis says
This is an excellent distillation of the pros and cons of each approach. I would just add that the authors you mention in the intro, Amanda Hocking and JA Konrath, are actually marketing dynamos as well as having multiple titles to sell.
Amanda Hocking recently wrote that she was spending more time on marketing than writing, which bothers her for reasons any impelled writer would understand.
Konrath has also done lots of marketing. He’s written about driving around the USA with a boot (trunk, in his case) full of books to do two or three signings a day over weeks.
He’s not doing much less now because he’s rolled the snowball and got it going downhill. As you say, he’s got lots of books that are now marketing his other books for him — read one, buy another. He also has his incredibly well-trafficed blog. The blog is aimed at other self-publishing authors but we’re all readers, too. I, for one, have bought a JA Konrath for that reason (and because Audible was having a sale!).
Joanna Penn says
You’re right about them being marketing dynamos but I guess I was considering how to play catch up. Do we focus on writing 9 books as fast as possible or building a platform and writing 2 books? That’s more the approach – I didn’t say no marketing at all 🙂
I bought Konrath’s Origin because of his blog – I enjoyed that but not others. But having lots means he can reach lots of markets!
Joanna Penn says
I’m wondering if this post from CEO of Thomas Nelson, mega-publisher finishes the conversation.
http://michaelhyatt.com/three-reasons-why-authors-must-develop-their-own-platforms.html
1) Competition has never been greater.
2) People are more distracted than ever.
3) The publishing industry is stuck in an old model
The bottom line is that the time to build a platform is before you need it.
So we all have to do both – write and market. I guess we all knew that – it’s just a matter of juggling time…
Veronica Maria Jarski says
Interesting post … Good comments for pondering, though I’m not sure if there’s a set answer for everyone. It’s more of one’s preference.
My full-time (40-plus hours a week) job is for a highly successful virtual company that provides marketing know-how to companies through the use of online media. As an editor and writer for it, I know how hugely important an online presence is. The amount of information, advice, tips, and just hat tips o’ praise in the online marketing world is tremendous. To disregard social media as a fad or something that will burn out is strange to me when I see the tremendous networking power it has. It’s a communication tool, just like the telephone was … and look at the transforming power of that. No one disregards the use of the phone today, though it has morphed into mobiles. I believe it’ll be the same way with social media.
For today’s business, you must have an online presence.
But I don’t think that the amount of energy, time, and effort spent in maintaining (or establishing) that presence needs to be the same. It depends on your focus.
For example, as worker-bee Veronica, I am online for hours at a time, responding to people via social media; editing and writing for the company blog, etc. every day. It’s necessary for the business.
However, as novelist Veronica, who is working on her manuscript in the evenings, I have a blog that I only update now and then as time permits. My main focus is on the novel I am writing. It has to be, for me. I can’t establish a presence or share about my novel … if the book itself is not written.
When it gets published, I’ll probably do the same. Devote maybe two days a week to getting the word out for my book … but using the other days for writing.
I think it helps that I am happy with my full-time job and the security it provides. Would I like to be a full-time novelist? I’d like to have the option … but I also love the insurance, benefits, and steady income of a regular job.
Anyhow … just delurking to pitch in my two cents!
Joanna Penn says
Hi Veronica, I have also posted before about having a job and how it gives me psychological freedom to write as I’m not obsessing about income. BUT I’d still like to be a fulltime writer, speaker, blogger – it just takes time!
w. m. stahl says
I spent a number of years just writing and sharing what wrote with friends and family and some of them would pass them on to others. All while like others I would work on the “great break out novel of the century” we all hope that our first work will be. Years later and a few failures and finally with one book on the open market I find myself attempting to create a little of both platform and lots of books. O.K. maybe not that many but I do have a few ideas that I would like to turn into my next one. I will also be making some of the stories I have written and shared with others over the years available in ebook form. The platform is still a work in progress …. perhaps like the books we write it’s all a work in progress. Then again maybe it’s just me, I have always gone about things just a little bit differently.
Joanna Penn says
We’re all a work in progress! Everything takes time, that’s for sure – we can just keep working away on writing and promoting.
B.C. Young says
I feel marketing is somewhat important. But rather than continuously pushing a book, get the word out through social networks when it releases. Then continue writing. When your next piece is available, promote again. But throwing everything to marketing I disagree with. Continuous writing is the key. If you are an indie author with one book and that’s all you do, sales won’t be much. To gain a base of readers you need to diversify your catalog. Then you will start attracting readers. I’ve witnessed this first hand.
Joanna Penn says
Absolutely – I totally agree which is why I’m dialling back the efforts on blogging so regularly to get the sequel to Pentecost out.
It’s hard to break away from looking at Amazon rankings though!