book marketing | The Creative Penn

Book Marketing: Social Media Tips For Introvert Authors

February 1, 2019 by Creative Guest 17 Comments

Writers and creatives know we need to be present on social media – and it's no surprise that many of us are introverts.

So, how do we reconcile being introverted and being active on social media? In today's article, Ella Barnard gives us some tips.

First, keep in mind that while extroverts like attention, introverts can be amazing at engaging with people on social media, especially when they have the right mindset and tools. Introverts are great listeners, they think before they speak, they are great observers, and they are compassionate leaders.

As an introvert on social media, you can bring all those qualities to your interactions with people. You will stay on the right topic which is the books and readers. You can be genuine, thoughtful, curious, and caring. You just need to know how to express it.

Why is it so important to be engaged with people on social media? Because it’s a key part of building your indie author platform. You don’t have a huge marketing team putting your book all over the internet.

But that’s okay because there are benefits to having direct access to your potential readers on social media. It’s where your readers:

spend time
chat about what they are reading
go to get recommendations

And it’s where you get to interact with them for free! In one friendly interaction, people can go from stranger to friend, or from random customer to your customer.

But knowing all that doesn’t do any good if engaging with strangers is a challenge for you. And if you’re an introvert, you know how difficult it can be to put yourself out there.

First, take some of the pressure off.

You don’t have to BFF everyone on the internet. It’s okay to start with baby steps. Make one comment. Meet one new reader friend. Celebrate and acknowledge your progress.

Here are some ways that introverts can easily start interacting and building relationships with their ideal readers and fellow authors on social media:

Where to Start

1. Join genre-themed Facebook groups. Groups are hot right now. They get a lot of engagement and have a lot of people interacting with each other.

They’re great for introverts because, unlike a Facebook Page, the pressure of producing content doesn’t fall solely on you. They’re a great place to lurk and see what’s happening with the fans of your genre.

2. Show up as a person. A big resistance for many indie authors is they don’t want to come across on social media as salesy or sleazy. Which makes sense.

For introverts and extroverts alike, being too salesy feels gross. That’s why when it’s time to interact with readers online, put your “sales” hat away and show up in the groups as a regular person, or better yet, as a fellow fan of the genre.

3. Uplevel your “Like,” by leaving a short comment. Instead of clicking “thumbs up,” “heart” or “wow” emojis, uplevel your response and leave a short comment.

It can be something as simple as “This is great!” or “I love this,” or actually typing out, “Wow!” The couple of seconds it takes to actually type a response pay back dividends over time.

I have a friend who leaves simple comments like, “Thanks!” and “You too!” and he gets exponentially more engagement on his posts because people know that he cares enough to type a real response. This is great for introverts because you don’t actually have to come up with interesting comments. You just have to type out the words instead of clicking and emoji.

4. Comment with a gif. People LOVE gifs! Again, instead of just clicking the “like” button, take a few seconds to choose a pertinent (or funny) gif.

For introverts, this is awesome because you don’t even really have to say anything. Just post a gif as a comment.

What to Post

These are the most effective strategies and they’re great for introverts because they put the focus where it should be, on the readers. It’s not about you or your book. It’s about the other people in the group–your potential readers.

Here are some simple ways to give amazing value without giving too much of yourself:

1. Recommend books (not your own). Readers love book recommendations. They’re always looking for new authors and good stories. So help them out with a simple recommendation.

I’m not talking about lengthy, in-depth reviews here. A screenshot or image of the book cover and some brief text is enough, “Hey! I just read this book and loved it. It has dragons!”

This is great for introverts because the bulk of the process is reading the book! Yes! Another excuse to buy and read more books, “I needed it for my social media!”

2. Post subject- or genre-related games and memes. You know those predictive text posts? They’re super fun, but minimal effort to find and post.

Go to Pinterest and search for “Facebook games” or “reading memes.” That’s right. You don’t have to make them up yourself. You can post someone else’s game, easy peasy. Just make sure they are related to books, reading, or your genre.

3. Start conversations with a question. Don’t want to talk about yourself? Great! Be interested in everyone else.

In Facebook groups dedicated to your genre, ask simple open-ended questions. My favorite conversation starter is “What is your favorite [your genre] book?”

Asking questions works well for introverts because you don’t have to talk about yourself. Instead, you create a space for your potential readers to talk about themselves.

4. Keep asking questions. Be curious. When someone comments on your post or replies to your comment, ask a follow-up question. Let the focus stay on them.

All you have to do is be interested in who they are. That should be natural; you’re writers. Observing and learning people is a big part of what you do. If you are engaging back and forth, and run out of questions, fall back on some of the tips from above, leave a short comment or a gif.

Like anything, engaging with readers on social media gets easier with practice. The more you do it, the more natural it will feel. Especially as strangers turn into friends, readers, and fans. It takes time, but not as much time as you think.

Keep in mind, they’re probably introverts too. And you already know you have something in common–your shared passion for books!

Are you an introvert who's active on social media? Please leave your thoughts below and join the conversation.

Ella Barnard hosts the Author Like a Boss podcast. She helps authors who are ready to jump into self-publishing so they can quit their job and make a living with their writing. It’s hard work. It isn’t sexy, but it’s doable. And it’s easier with friends.

She coaches indie authors in her Author Boss Academy. To find out more, or sign up for a free training, go to authorlikeaboss.com.

Book Marketing: How To Find and Fix Your Book Sales Problem With Dave Chesson

October 1, 2018 by Joanna Penn 15 Comments

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:09:31 — 56.5MB)

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We all want to sell more books, and in this episode, Dave Chesson from Kindlepreneur gives some actionable tips on how to use keywords for better book marketing.

In the intro, I discuss how audiobooks are becoming the dominant format for reading in Sweden and why the subscription model is on the rise. [The New Publishing Standard.] Plus, why audiobooks will be boosted by Amazon's new Echo Input [The Verge], Echo Auto [The Verge], and the Audible app on the latest Apple watch. [The Digital Reader]

Today's show is sponsored by IngramSpark, who I use to print and distribute my print-on-demand books to 39,000 retailers including independent bookstores, schools and universities, libraries and more. It's your content – do more with it through IngramSpark.com.

Dave Chesson writes books under multiple pen names and is best known in the Indie author community for creating KDP Rocket and also for his useful blog and podcast at Kindlepreneur.com.

You can listen above or on iTunes or Stitcher or watch the video here, read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and full transcript below.

Show Notes

The deeply personal reason Dave created Kindlepreneur

The differences between finding keywords for fiction and non-fiction

Steps to take to find words your potential audience will be searching for on Amazon

The four content areas of fiction to look at to find keywords

The difference between broad and specific keywords. We discuss Keywords Gone Wild article on The Book Designer.

How to breathe life back into a book that hasn’t been selling

Dave’s thoughts on format (ebook, audiobook etc.) and keywords

Using your 7 keywords to create a list of thousands for AMS ads. Plus, click here for Dave's FREE Amazon Ad Training Course

Ideas for blog content that will draw in readers and other writers in your genre

You can find Dave Chesson at Kindlepreneur.com and on Twitter @DaveChesson

7 Tips for Selling More Books and Reaching More Readers on Kobo

August 31, 2018 by Joanna Penn 11 Comments

If you publish wide, as I do, then you will want to sell more books on the other platforms in order to reduce your reliance on the largest store and develop relationships with other readers in other markets.

In today's article, Camille Mofidi explains how to sell more books on Kobo.

As Kobo Writing Life European Manager, I’ve had the chance to often meet and talk with Joanna Penn about indie authors and the self-publishing career.

Many things have changed on the platform within the past five years and we care a lot about our authors’ feedback to improve our service.

When I meet with indie authors at fairs, they often ask for tips to optimize their presence on Kobo. Mostly, they are looking for ways to promote their books and make more sales on our store.

Joanna Penn with Camille Mofidi at the Kobo booth at Frankfurt Book Fair, back before I rebranded Pentecost as Stone of Fire!

Of course, promotion is key. But there are a number of other factors that help reach more readers and thus, make more sales. If you want to know how you could take your publishing career up to the next level and significantly increase your sales on Kobo, you are in the right place!

Check out this insider’s guide to the numerous opportunities offered by Kobo Writing Life (KWL), including the most recent upgrades of our platform.

1. Enter KWL’s Promotional Campaigns

The Kobo Writing Life dashboard is the key to your publishing journey on Kobo. One of the perks of the Kobo Writing Life dashboard is the promotions tab. The tab on your dashboard lists all of our promotional opportunities available for KWL authors.

You’ll have the chance to submit your titles to be part of onsite sales and email promotions like price drops, buy more save more, category page features, free eBook promotions, daily deals, and double daily deals.

We have a lot of promotions to choose from, and want to help you get your books in front of readers! You can learn more here. Please note that this tool is still in beta mode – simply send us an email and we’ll get it added to your dashboard!

At this time, the promotions tool is only for English language titles, and we are not able to promote erotica.

For non-English titles, the Kobo Writing Life European Team works closely with Kobo’s local merchandisers to get placement for our titles on the Kobo store.

If you wish to promote your titles in non-English languages, send us an email at writinglife@kobo.com and tell us more about your titles.

2. Take Advantage Of Preorder Sales

Want to put your book up for sale ahead of release? No problem.

The Kobo Writing Life dashboard supports preorders. You can thus upload your book as far in the future as you would like, so you can drum up excitement for a new release before your launch date.

Just remember to upload your final file 48 hours ahead of your release date!

[Note: you cannot set preorders for free ebooks.]

3. Use NetGalley Via KWL

NetGalley is one of our newest promotion tools.

Every month, Kobo authors have the opportunity to apply for listing on the Kobo Writing Life page to reach new readers and even book bloggers. Please email us at writinglife@kobo.com for more information.

Currently available for English-language titles only.

4. Benefit From Kobo’s Global Reach

My Kobo Writing Life sales map

At Kobo Writing Life we truly believe in selling to a global audience. Our pricing tool gives you the ability to set prices for over 16 currencies, and you can also choose which territories you’d like to sell your book in as well.

Kobo has retail partnerships with stores all over the world, with stores like FNAC, Mondadori, and Indigo.

We recommend optimizing your pricing for each territory to take advantage of those partnerships.

5. Distribute To OverDrive Through KWL

Did you know that Kobo Writing Life authors can directly reach library readers by distributing via the dashboard to OverDrive?

Kobo and Overdrive are sister companies, both owned by Rakuten, and we’ve worked together to give KWL authors a simple way to get your titles to library readers. By opting your titles in to OverDrive’s library marketplace through Kobo Writing Life directly, you have better terms than you would with a third-party aggregator.

You’ll get 50% of the retail price (the highest of any platform) and you won’t have to pay an aggregator fee. You can learn more about libraries and indie authors’ books here.

6. Opt in for Kobo Plus, Kobo’s Subscription Service

Kobo Plus is Kobo’s subscription service specifically in Belgium and the Netherlands. It’s aimed at “all you can consume” readers and has many English titles.

It’s a great opportunity to reach readers you may not otherwise. It’s a collaboration with Kobo’s partner in the Netherlands, BOL.

You can opt your titles in through your dashboard easily in the rights and distribution section of your title. There’s no exclusivity required, but we do ask you to leave your titles in for 90 days to gain traction.

7. Track Your Sales Analytics

On the Kobo Writing Life dashboard, we have all kinds of sales analytics to help authors track their sales. Our sales stats are updated in real time, and authors can look at their top titles and top-selling regions at a quick glance. We even track free downloads so you can see how many readers are downloading your free books.

These stats will help you figure out where your books are selling quickly – and where you might need to ramp up your advertising. Note that you can find all your sales reports in your dashboard anytime, on top of these stats.

To conclude, the KWL team is a small team with a big vision and we are proud of our reputation as the most author-friendly platform out there. I hope you enjoyed reading this post and you’ll be signing up with no delay if you’re not already registered on KWL!

Last but not least, make sure you follow us on our social channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest) and subscribe to our blog, podcast, and newsletter so you don’t miss any of our posts or articles.

We’re always asking top Kobo authors and industry experts to share tips and tricks to help you build your brand. We also recommend checking our help centre, which is full of updates on our service.

[Note from Joanna: Kobo is 11% of my book sales income, as reported in my 2018 book sales breakdown. I consider them an important part of my author business.]

Do you take advantage of the partnerships and promotion opportunities at Kobo? Please leave your thoughts below and join the conversation.

As Kobo Writing Life European Manager, Camille Mofidi’s role is to help independent authors make their publishing journey with Kobo a true success.

Whether it’s answering author questions about the Kobo Writing Life portal, or helping authors promote their books in Europe, Camille’s knowledge of digital publishing and international markets is key in her relations with authors.

Camille began her publishing career as an editor within the Hachette Book Group in Paris for 10 years, before becoming the French Publishers’ Association Digital Counsellor.

She has an MA in publishing from ESCP in Paris and her favourite book is Romain Gary’s La Promesse de l’Aube.

[Book shelves image courtesy Susan Yin and Unsplash.]

How Much Time Do You Spend Writing And How Much Time Marketing?

August 8, 2018 by Joanna Penn 8 Comments

Today I’m talking about a common question I get asked all the time: how much time do you spend writing and how much time on marketing?

You can watch the video below or here on YouTube, or read the transcript below.

In the video, I cover:

The (incorrect) assumption that the job of a writer is just writing, but it has always included marketing.
Marketing generally IS writing, whether you're blogging, prepping for a video or a podcast, or writing social media, writing text is the cornerstone of marketing.
The question implies that only the ‘writing' side is valid, whereas marketing can also achieve some of the goals of writing e.g. many people who have found my videos and audio podcast useful have not read my books, but I have still been useful on their author journey.
Organizing your time is about splitting it into creative blocks and marketing blocks, so you can effectively find time for both.

For more marketing tips, check out How to Market a Book, available in ebook, print, and audiobook formats.

Book Marketing: 5 Ways To Spice Up Your Amazon Book Pages

June 16, 2018 by Joanna Penn 12 Comments

There are many ways to market your books, but most marketing will drive readers to your sales page on the online bookstores, and there are ways you can improve it so they stick around and buy.

In today's article, Chrys Fey outlines how you can improve your Amazon book sales page.

Amazon is the place to be if you’re an author. Even if you publish wide, this is where the reviews that matter, the reviews that influence sales, come in.

This is where most readers come to buy reading material. This is where an author could potentially make it onto a bestseller list.

Your Amazon book page is like a home for your book, your fans, and any potential readers. Just as you decorate your home to make it inviting, cozy, and reflect your style, you can do the same for your books’ pages on Amazon.

You may not be able to change the color scheme, but you can include as much information as you can about your books for Amazon customers. The more compelling, insightful and fun the information, the better.

Obviously, you’ll want to have the full blurb for your book set up for readers, but don’t stop there!

Here then are 5 ways to spice up your Amazon book pages:

1. From the Author

Pay special attention to the “From the Author” section. Use this spot to provide additional insight into your book. If you’ve done an author interview recently, or have done several in the past, put a few of the best questions you answered in this section. You’ll want to highlight questions that brought out the best answers that readers would find interesting. Make sure the answers aren’t too long. One small paragraph is a perfect length for an in-depth answer.

If you have ever shared tidbits or secrets about your book on social media, you can also add that to the “From the Author” section. Or you can tell a story about how you got the idea for your book. Just don’t post any spoilers!

2. Tagline

Begin the “Product Description” area with your book’s tagline. Come up with a single sentence to entice readers and get them to read your blurb. A tagline usually reveals the main plot point.

You can also end the blurb with a closing or wrap-up sentence to intrigue readers to take the final step and one-click. I have one such sentence beneath the description for Seismic Crimes (Disaster Crimes Book 2). “Take a walk with Chrys Fey through disasters, criminal activity, and blooming love.”

3. Highlight a Book’s Length

You can put a line above the blurb to highlight the book’s length in pages. I do this for my eBooks that aren’t novel length (novellas and short stories). I put asterisks around this information to make it more visible. Why do I put this detail first? Because I don’t want readers to be disappointed thinking one of my eBooks is longer than it actually is.

Although I do this, there has been a couple of instances where a reviewer negatively mentioned an eBook being too short. Mostly this happens when a book is free or on sale and a reader one-clicks without reading any of the book’s info. If this happens to you, even when you put this info at the top, it’s not your fault. Brush off that review and that comment, because you did what was necessary to make sure potential buyers understood the length.

4. Extra Descriptive Details

Categories: Put a list of categories (3-5) under your book’s blurb for readers who might want to know what genres/categories your story falls under. This is especially good for those readers who don’t scroll down to see the product details.

Content Warning: A content warning is smart for books with sensitive content that readers may not feel comfortable reading. For instance, if your book is for mature readers due to sexual content, has explicit language, or contains triggers (drug use, sexual abuse), mention it in the description, beneath the book’s blurb.

Series: Is your book part of a series? Add an ordered list of each book in the series in the description section. This is excellent for readers who may want to know what books come before or after the one they are looking at, especially if they are new to the series.

5. Editorial Reviews

Maybe you have editorial reviews for your book on its book page. Or maybe you don’t.

You don’t need to wait for a review from Publisher’s Weekly (or the like) to use the Editorial Reviews section, though. Did you have authors beta read your book? Ask them for a blurb of endorsement. Or submit your book to be reviewed by InD’tale or Readers’ Favorite. Also, send requests to book bloggers. If your book is accepted and reviewed, quote a part of the review in this section.

You can quote a review even if you don’t get a 5-star rating. All you need is one sentence that praises your writing, characters, or plot. That’s it. One little sentence.

If you have a prequel, sequel, trilogy, or series, spotlight a few of the best reviews for each book in the editorial section of each book page. I did this with each instalment of my Disaster Crimes series. I begin with reviews for the current book (the book page I am on) and then follow it with a couple of reviews for each book in order. This is a great way to promote all of the books in a series, and hopefully get more sales from one instalment to the next.

If you’re not doing these things, go do them now. Or do something different if you get another idea from these tips. Make your books’ pages stand out. Make your books’ pages a place for readers to find out what they’ll need to know to read your book, or a place for them to gather a little more information after they read your book and are posting their reviews.

What would you like to see on a book page for a book you love? If you can answer that question then you have something you can do for yours.

Have you applied all these tips to your Amazon book pages? Please leave your thoughts below and join the conversation.

Chrys Fey is the author of Write with Fey: 10 Sparks to Guide You from Idea to Publication.

Catch the sparks you need to write, edit, publish, and market your book! From writing your novel to prepping for publication and beyond, you’ll find sparks on every page, including 100 bonus marketing tips. Fey is an editor for Dancing Lemur Press and runs the Insecure Writer’s Support Group’s Goodreads book club. She is also the author of the Disaster Crimes series.