Sarah R. Yoffa's Blog: -sry's Goodreads Blogosphere, page 6
December 14, 2012
GIVEAWAY Winners Announced for Book 27 @SadieSForsythe #Fantasy #Adventure
The next batch of winners in my Ginormous 30,000 Hit Giveaway have been selected. Refer to the list on the original post for the order in which prizes will be awarded. All of an Author's titles will be announced together, even if this puts the books out of order. New winners are scheduled to be announced every hour on the hour!
A NOTE ABOUT FORMATS:
If you have won a book which is available only in a format that you cannot use/read (i.e., it's Kindle Only and you need PDF or ePub), please post a comment on this thread letting me and the author know you are unable to accept the prize in the format offered.
If the author is unable to offer you an alternative format, I can try to convert the book for you, though this will delay your receipt for up to 1-2 weeks (there are a lot of books here to manage and I'm just one person!) Please note in the comments if such a delay means you'd rather not win that book title at all and we can see about making a substitution--suggestions welcome! Peruse the list for ideas.
(27) The Weeping Empress by Sadie S. Forsythe (5 copies)
A NOTE ABOUT FORMATS:
If you have won a book which is available only in a format that you cannot use/read (i.e., it's Kindle Only and you need PDF or ePub), please post a comment on this thread letting me and the author know you are unable to accept the prize in the format offered.
If the author is unable to offer you an alternative format, I can try to convert the book for you, though this will delay your receipt for up to 1-2 weeks (there are a lot of books here to manage and I'm just one person!) Please note in the comments if such a delay means you'd rather not win that book title at all and we can see about making a substitution--suggestions welcome! Peruse the list for ideas.
(27) The Weeping Empress by Sadie S. Forsythe (5 copies)
Winners:
Cassie Nunez
Alexandra Zinca
Rich Sandler
Cassie Nunez (duplicate winner)
Tressa Wright
GIVEAWAY Winner Announced for Book 26 by @RéalEHotte #Satire #romance #erotica
The next batch of winners in my Ginormous 30,000 Hit Giveaway have been selected. Refer to the list on the original post for the order in which prizes will be awarded. All of an Author's titles will be announced together, even if this puts the books out of order. New winners are scheduled to be announced every hour on the hour!
A NOTE ABOUT FORMATS:
If you have won a book which is available only in a format that you cannot use/read (i.e., it's Kindle Only and you need PDF or ePub), please post a comment on this thread letting me and the author know you are unable to accept the prize in the format offered.
If the author is unable to offer you an alternative format, I can try to convert the book for you, though this will delay your receipt for up to 1-2 weeks (there are a lot of books here to manage and I'm just one person!) Please note in the comments if such a delay means you'd rather not win that book title at all and we can see about making a substitution--suggestions welcome! Peruse the list for ideas.
(26) Something's Cooking by Réal E. Hotte and Dasha Sugah (Kindle only - 1 copy)
A NOTE ABOUT FORMATS:
If you have won a book which is available only in a format that you cannot use/read (i.e., it's Kindle Only and you need PDF or ePub), please post a comment on this thread letting me and the author know you are unable to accept the prize in the format offered.
If the author is unable to offer you an alternative format, I can try to convert the book for you, though this will delay your receipt for up to 1-2 weeks (there are a lot of books here to manage and I'm just one person!) Please note in the comments if such a delay means you'd rather not win that book title at all and we can see about making a substitution--suggestions welcome! Peruse the list for ideas.
(26) Something's Cooking by Réal E. Hotte and Dasha Sugah (Kindle only - 1 copy)
Winner:
Patrick Breen
GIVEAWAY Winner Announced for Book 25 by @LetitiaCoyne #Romance #Romantic #tragedy
The next batch of winners in my Ginormous 30,000 Hit Giveaway have been selected. Refer to the list on the original post for the order in which prizes will be awarded. All of an Author's titles will be announced together, even if this puts the books out of order. New winners are scheduled to be announced every hour on the hour!
A NOTE ABOUT FORMATS:
If you have won a book which is available only in a format that you cannot use/read (i.e., it's Kindle Only and you need PDF or ePub), please post a comment on this thread letting me and the author know you are unable to accept the prize in the format offered.
If the author is unable to offer you an alternative format, I can try to convert the book for you, though this will delay your receipt for up to 1-2 weeks (there are a lot of books here to manage and I'm just one person!) Please note in the comments if such a delay means you'd rather not win that book title at all and we can see about making a substitution--suggestions welcome! Peruse the list for ideas.
(25) Touchstone by Letitia Coyne (5 copies)
A NOTE ABOUT FORMATS:
If you have won a book which is available only in a format that you cannot use/read (i.e., it's Kindle Only and you need PDF or ePub), please post a comment on this thread letting me and the author know you are unable to accept the prize in the format offered.
If the author is unable to offer you an alternative format, I can try to convert the book for you, though this will delay your receipt for up to 1-2 weeks (there are a lot of books here to manage and I'm just one person!) Please note in the comments if such a delay means you'd rather not win that book title at all and we can see about making a substitution--suggestions welcome! Peruse the list for ideas.
(25) Touchstone by Letitia Coyne (5 copies)
Winner:
Patrick Breen
Alana Lee Rock
Patrick Breen (duplicate winner)
Friday Baldwin, Author
Zarah Robinson
December 11, 2012
TUESDAY TIP Running a Giveaway - 4 Lessons Learned #indie #selfpub #pubtip #promo
If you hadn't heard already, I'm running a Ginormous 30,000 Hit Giveaway. I'm actually at 32,500 hits now but I'll be drawing winners of the 30,000 Hit Giveaway on Dec 14-16, throughout the course of this coming weekend. Enter now, enter often :)
This is my first-ever giveaway and it all started as a means to give away a Facebook friend's books. Just to make it worthwhile, I messaged a few author-type FB friends and asked them for their books as well. I just wanted to make the whole thing "worth while," you know? So I wouldn't spend time spinning my wheels for just 2 or 3 books. I thought, Let's get 30 books for the 30,000 Hits.
In about 24 hours, I had about 24 books and thought I'd make that goald I'd set. Then Seven Realms Publishing donated their entire 2012 catalog of new releases and kicked us up over the goal mark. Then the list burgeoned out of control, without pause, for several more days. Clearly I'd set my goals too low. It barely took another 3 days to approach the 100 book title mark and after 6 days, I had over 100 titles on the list. Everyone involved was amazed. Excited. Retweeting like crazy!
I should've been happy and excited myself but something was niggling in the back of my mind: What have I done wrong? Click through the jump break if you really haven't figured it out already and I'll tell you what was wrong with my "success."
Are Giveaways for Authors?
The answer, of course, is I'd forgotten to solicit readers. I'd been soliciting authors to donate but had neglected that a giveaway is an activity that is or should be reader-centered. While I had about 500 entries at about the time the 100th title was added to the list, closer examination behind the widget showed that they were all completed by approximately 30 or so individual users. So I had about 3 book titles per user--and many of the titles on the list were offering multiple copies. In fact, a quick little calculation tells me I have over 400 books to give away (418 plus several titles that are "unlimited" meaning anyone can win a copy who wants one!)
It's immediately clear from this, I have a problem. The ratio of book:reader is totally upsidedown! As I write this, the number of unique users is up to about 45 but still, with 418 books to give away, that means each user could potentially win 9 or 10 books! That's not all that bad but it's not what we had intended when we started out--or I hadn't anyway.
I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out how this beast got away from me. I'm pretty sure I know where I went astray, so here are some of my lessons learned.
1) Plan Ahead
This is one of the few things I did exactly right from the start. That is, I started early enough--two and a half weeks ahead of my end date--that I could take the time to observe the process and adjust it if it weren't working. Even better, when I realized where I'd forgotten to advertise the giveaway, I had time to push a little publicity in that direction.
A lot of people in the Indie Publishing industry are reactionary. That is, something happens and they react to it. There's not a lot of long-range planning going on and I think that's a serious mistake. I'm a planner by nature and always have been, so for me, it's kind of natural to plan ahead.
In Digital Publishing, however, it's critically important to know what's coming down the road so you can properly publicize before it arrives. Digital Publishing centers around social media sites where publicity is definitely King. If you want to "go viral," you can't just cross your fingers and hope it happens. You have to plan ahead, so you can stir up the buzz, as they say, get the energy level up by the time the winners are announced. You have to make the excitement happen. Nothing boring ever went viral.
My lesson learned here? I forgot to hype up readers from the start and waited until I was 8-10 days in before I realized I had "too many" books and "not enough" readers. Next time, start with the readers, then get the books (though that mountain is a lot steeper to climb).
2) Keep the Momentum Going
The flip side of planning ahead and giving yourself plenty of time in advance to promote is that you have to promote non-stop for what feels like a long time. That's okay. There are tools to help you. Personally, I use Hootsuite to pre-schedule auto-tweets and posts to my Facebook Fan Page. I have my blog syndicated via Networked Blogs to automagically feed blog posts through to the Facebook Fan Page and Twitterstream, too (they are all "daisy-chained" so that posting to the blog eventually propagates to all 3 sites). I even have my Goodreads blog suck in the RSS feed from my Blogger, though I confess, Goodreads is soooo slow that it sometimes takes 2-3 days before a blog post shows up there. Often I get duplicates on Goodreads because I want everything posted "today" not next week.
The other reason it's okay to "have to" promote for a couple of weeks is that you'll want to modify your promotional approach as the end date draws near. The focus at first is on what the prizes are. The focus at the end is on getting your entries in before it's too late. The latter is a promotion based on urgency; the former is a promotion based on need or desire. I've actually let my twitterstream, which was so flooded with hundreds of retweets a day even *I* couldn't take it all in, go completely quiet. Why? I want the contrast. I'm letting my followers "breathe" for a moment. Just a few hours. Since about midnight this morning. Later this afternoon, I'll have the auto-tweets start up again ^_^
The lesson learned here? Know your own power (LOL) I had no idea I'd get so many retweets but if you aren't sure you have that kind of power (all I did was ask!) then be sure you make it worthwhile to be retweeted. Your giveaway cannot succeed without "shares" on Facebook and retweets on Twitter. Even posting to Goodreads and other reader sites only gleaned me a few new entries. It's been the Twitter and Facebook publicity generating reader entries.
3) Be Inclusive, Not Exclusive
This is a good lesson, generally, for the Indie Publisher, but an especially relevant lesson for the person running a giveaway. I opened up the giveaway to everyone--every book, every genre, no restrictions or exclusions--and *bam* I had more books donated than I knew what to do with! Make your giveaway open and available to everyone, not "just for these special people," and you might see the same "runaway train" success. You might also attract a new readership if you have "something for everyone" instead of "just for my special fans" kind of offerings. I haven't changed the content of my Webbiegrrl-branded blog. I'm all about marketing and the Digital Publishing professional's business, but our business is books and readers, isn't it?
The inclusiveness I deliberately put out there is part of my branding strategy as Webbiegrrl Writer but it wasn't just to promote my Webbiegrrl brand that I took that stance. The exlusivity approach drives people away, from potential prize donations to potential entrants/winners--and you never know who might happen upon your giveaway. It's conceiveable your little party will get featured, forex, by someone who's out scouring the web for source material to write an article on how bloggers run giveaways. Your little blog could get featured.
Then there's the downside. If you're an author, anytime you "exclude" anyone in any situation, you are interacting with the public by behaving in a negative manner. Your contacts will remember your negative behavior more than they will your generosity and positive behavior. It's that line Julia Roberts delivered in Pretty Woman in action (Why is always easier to remember the bad stuff?)
Have you ever noticed how a trust betrayed or hurt feelings take a lot longer--and more effort--to heal and repair than do those warm, fuzzy good feelings? Don't destroy your Author Brand's reputation with one careless exclusionary remark. You never know who might observe or be made aware of your negative behavior so try not to "exclude" anyone for any reason. Even if it's just a blogger asking you for a donation for their giveaway, be polite, professional and positive even if you have to decline. You can say something like "I'm not able to donate at this time but that's so flattering that you asked me--thank you! I'd still like to help. Can I retweet you?"
As an author, you're a public figure. Your role as such is to present to the public your Author Brand. Unless your Author Brand is deliberately being promoted as "Bully" or other "Mean Girl" type of persona for some marketing reason, don't allow yourself to get sucked into the clique mentality. No one is "not good enough" to associate with--or no one should be! Don't allow yourself to lose sight of the Power of the Collective, as I like to call it. We are not Borg, but we are a community in a much smaller world than you might care to realize. Word gets around without your ever knowing it!
I didn't learn the negative lesson (Whew!) but I sure did learn from the positive Karma of running this giveaway!
4) Your Word is Sacred
There's a song by Depeche Mode titled "Sacred" and the lyrics always felt to me like they were specifically composed for an author:
Our books are sacred to us, as they come out of our souls. Treat your Author Brand with the same reverence you do your books. An Author's word, our integrity, is truly sacred. If your integrity cannot be trusted in a reality-based situation, then why would a reader spend hard-earned cash to read your fiction? Right in line with not being mean or bullying is being sure you deliver on your word. As an Indie Author, you are your Author Brand. Make sure your brand has integrity.
I've actually found, during the course of this giveaway, that some of the people I thought knew me are surprised to discover I'm good for my word. I thought I'd made my branding clear enough that integrity was paramount, but obviously I hadn't incorporated that into my branding "voice" enough. Lesson learned. Word! :)
What's Next....
Well, I think it's pretty clear what's next: the Ginormous Giveaway this weekend! Let's see if I can manage to pull this off...somehow. I hope to see you there!
This is my first-ever giveaway and it all started as a means to give away a Facebook friend's books. Just to make it worthwhile, I messaged a few author-type FB friends and asked them for their books as well. I just wanted to make the whole thing "worth while," you know? So I wouldn't spend time spinning my wheels for just 2 or 3 books. I thought, Let's get 30 books for the 30,000 Hits.
In about 24 hours, I had about 24 books and thought I'd make that goald I'd set. Then Seven Realms Publishing donated their entire 2012 catalog of new releases and kicked us up over the goal mark. Then the list burgeoned out of control, without pause, for several more days. Clearly I'd set my goals too low. It barely took another 3 days to approach the 100 book title mark and after 6 days, I had over 100 titles on the list. Everyone involved was amazed. Excited. Retweeting like crazy!
I should've been happy and excited myself but something was niggling in the back of my mind: What have I done wrong? Click through the jump break if you really haven't figured it out already and I'll tell you what was wrong with my "success."
Are Giveaways for Authors?
The answer, of course, is I'd forgotten to solicit readers. I'd been soliciting authors to donate but had neglected that a giveaway is an activity that is or should be reader-centered. While I had about 500 entries at about the time the 100th title was added to the list, closer examination behind the widget showed that they were all completed by approximately 30 or so individual users. So I had about 3 book titles per user--and many of the titles on the list were offering multiple copies. In fact, a quick little calculation tells me I have over 400 books to give away (418 plus several titles that are "unlimited" meaning anyone can win a copy who wants one!)
It's immediately clear from this, I have a problem. The ratio of book:reader is totally upsidedown! As I write this, the number of unique users is up to about 45 but still, with 418 books to give away, that means each user could potentially win 9 or 10 books! That's not all that bad but it's not what we had intended when we started out--or I hadn't anyway.
I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out how this beast got away from me. I'm pretty sure I know where I went astray, so here are some of my lessons learned.
1) Plan Ahead
This is one of the few things I did exactly right from the start. That is, I started early enough--two and a half weeks ahead of my end date--that I could take the time to observe the process and adjust it if it weren't working. Even better, when I realized where I'd forgotten to advertise the giveaway, I had time to push a little publicity in that direction.
A lot of people in the Indie Publishing industry are reactionary. That is, something happens and they react to it. There's not a lot of long-range planning going on and I think that's a serious mistake. I'm a planner by nature and always have been, so for me, it's kind of natural to plan ahead.
In Digital Publishing, however, it's critically important to know what's coming down the road so you can properly publicize before it arrives. Digital Publishing centers around social media sites where publicity is definitely King. If you want to "go viral," you can't just cross your fingers and hope it happens. You have to plan ahead, so you can stir up the buzz, as they say, get the energy level up by the time the winners are announced. You have to make the excitement happen. Nothing boring ever went viral.
My lesson learned here? I forgot to hype up readers from the start and waited until I was 8-10 days in before I realized I had "too many" books and "not enough" readers. Next time, start with the readers, then get the books (though that mountain is a lot steeper to climb).
2) Keep the Momentum Going
The flip side of planning ahead and giving yourself plenty of time in advance to promote is that you have to promote non-stop for what feels like a long time. That's okay. There are tools to help you. Personally, I use Hootsuite to pre-schedule auto-tweets and posts to my Facebook Fan Page. I have my blog syndicated via Networked Blogs to automagically feed blog posts through to the Facebook Fan Page and Twitterstream, too (they are all "daisy-chained" so that posting to the blog eventually propagates to all 3 sites). I even have my Goodreads blog suck in the RSS feed from my Blogger, though I confess, Goodreads is soooo slow that it sometimes takes 2-3 days before a blog post shows up there. Often I get duplicates on Goodreads because I want everything posted "today" not next week.
The other reason it's okay to "have to" promote for a couple of weeks is that you'll want to modify your promotional approach as the end date draws near. The focus at first is on what the prizes are. The focus at the end is on getting your entries in before it's too late. The latter is a promotion based on urgency; the former is a promotion based on need or desire. I've actually let my twitterstream, which was so flooded with hundreds of retweets a day even *I* couldn't take it all in, go completely quiet. Why? I want the contrast. I'm letting my followers "breathe" for a moment. Just a few hours. Since about midnight this morning. Later this afternoon, I'll have the auto-tweets start up again ^_^
The lesson learned here? Know your own power (LOL) I had no idea I'd get so many retweets but if you aren't sure you have that kind of power (all I did was ask!) then be sure you make it worthwhile to be retweeted. Your giveaway cannot succeed without "shares" on Facebook and retweets on Twitter. Even posting to Goodreads and other reader sites only gleaned me a few new entries. It's been the Twitter and Facebook publicity generating reader entries.
3) Be Inclusive, Not Exclusive
This is a good lesson, generally, for the Indie Publisher, but an especially relevant lesson for the person running a giveaway. I opened up the giveaway to everyone--every book, every genre, no restrictions or exclusions--and *bam* I had more books donated than I knew what to do with! Make your giveaway open and available to everyone, not "just for these special people," and you might see the same "runaway train" success. You might also attract a new readership if you have "something for everyone" instead of "just for my special fans" kind of offerings. I haven't changed the content of my Webbiegrrl-branded blog. I'm all about marketing and the Digital Publishing professional's business, but our business is books and readers, isn't it?
The inclusiveness I deliberately put out there is part of my branding strategy as Webbiegrrl Writer but it wasn't just to promote my Webbiegrrl brand that I took that stance. The exlusivity approach drives people away, from potential prize donations to potential entrants/winners--and you never know who might happen upon your giveaway. It's conceiveable your little party will get featured, forex, by someone who's out scouring the web for source material to write an article on how bloggers run giveaways. Your little blog could get featured.
Then there's the downside. If you're an author, anytime you "exclude" anyone in any situation, you are interacting with the public by behaving in a negative manner. Your contacts will remember your negative behavior more than they will your generosity and positive behavior. It's that line Julia Roberts delivered in Pretty Woman in action (Why is always easier to remember the bad stuff?)
Have you ever noticed how a trust betrayed or hurt feelings take a lot longer--and more effort--to heal and repair than do those warm, fuzzy good feelings? Don't destroy your Author Brand's reputation with one careless exclusionary remark. You never know who might observe or be made aware of your negative behavior so try not to "exclude" anyone for any reason. Even if it's just a blogger asking you for a donation for their giveaway, be polite, professional and positive even if you have to decline. You can say something like "I'm not able to donate at this time but that's so flattering that you asked me--thank you! I'd still like to help. Can I retweet you?"
As an author, you're a public figure. Your role as such is to present to the public your Author Brand. Unless your Author Brand is deliberately being promoted as "Bully" or other "Mean Girl" type of persona for some marketing reason, don't allow yourself to get sucked into the clique mentality. No one is "not good enough" to associate with--or no one should be! Don't allow yourself to lose sight of the Power of the Collective, as I like to call it. We are not Borg, but we are a community in a much smaller world than you might care to realize. Word gets around without your ever knowing it!
I didn't learn the negative lesson (Whew!) but I sure did learn from the positive Karma of running this giveaway!
4) Your Word is Sacred
There's a song by Depeche Mode titled "Sacred" and the lyrics always felt to me like they were specifically composed for an author:
To put it in words
To write it down
That is walking
On hallowed ground
Our books are sacred to us, as they come out of our souls. Treat your Author Brand with the same reverence you do your books. An Author's word, our integrity, is truly sacred. If your integrity cannot be trusted in a reality-based situation, then why would a reader spend hard-earned cash to read your fiction? Right in line with not being mean or bullying is being sure you deliver on your word. As an Indie Author, you are your Author Brand. Make sure your brand has integrity.
I've actually found, during the course of this giveaway, that some of the people I thought knew me are surprised to discover I'm good for my word. I thought I'd made my branding clear enough that integrity was paramount, but obviously I hadn't incorporated that into my branding "voice" enough. Lesson learned. Word! :)
What's Next....
Well, I think it's pretty clear what's next: the Ginormous Giveaway this weekend! Let's see if I can manage to pull this off...somehow. I hope to see you there!
December 10, 2012
MONDAY MARKETING Target Markets or Positioning? Which Helps You Sell More Books? #pubtip #indie #selfpub #wlc #ian1 #mywana
Welcome back to the regularly-scheduled Webbiegrrl Writer blogs. The diversion lately is my Ginormous 30,000th Hit Giveaway - another big thank you to all of my regular readers for making that happen (I'm at 32,400 hits already).
There are over 100 books donated by over 70 different authors and they cover nearly every genre imagineable. From Paranormal and YA Fantasy to Suspense/Thriller and Mystery/Detective stories. There are even a few children's books (Early Readers) and collections of Poetry! Be sure to peruse the prize list on my Giveaways Page then....
Enter now! Enter Often! Enter Daily!
I'll be cutting off entries on Thursday, Dec. 13th and announcing winners here on the blog throughout the weekend (Dec. 14-16). Good luck to all who enter. Okay, now back to our regularly scheduled program of Monday marketing. Today I'm looking at market research - what is it and why to do it (or not). Click through the jump-break to begin.
What is Market Research?
It's a form of data analysis designed to help a marketing professional determine which marketing strategy will work best for which target(s). If you've been following along reading my marketing series blogs or have bought my new release The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing (for Indie Authors) , which just came out in eBook form, you'll know that at any given time, you need to evaluate your marketing strategy for possible changes to the market situation.
You cannot just set up a program and walk away. Marketing is a process, not an event. You change your process based on feedback in the form of customer data, and the data has to come from somewhere. Usually, marketers will ask existing customers to fill out a form (e.g., registration of a product is a means of collecting market research data) or a survey and provide feedback on who they are (demographics) and why they bought this product and not that one or why now and not tomorrow.
Notice that typically, marketing researchers are analyzing the past and not predicting the future. In the Law of Unpredictability, Immutable Law of Marketing (for Indie Authors) Law 17, I stressed you cannot predict anything about the future except that it will change. No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy! That's why the historical approach has been to analyze the past behavior of customers who did buy a product and not worry about those customers who declined to buy the product or who might at some point in the future.
Demographics such as age, gender and income bracket will definitely not give you the kind of insight that explains customer behavior, but it's kind of the golden ticket to marketing professionals trying to help sell widgets. Paradoxically, it's very hard to get consumers to provide that information when the method of interrogation is to ask them a hundred and one personal questions on a form or survey before ever asking what influenced their buying decision. I'm not sure why marketers have always taken that approach but they have. The traditional rule of thumb is to expect to get a mere 1-3% of the consumers who did buy the product to talk about themselves. That hardly seems worth it but the system has been hard at work for almost 100 years now (since just after The Great Depression started in 1929).
Welcome to the 21st century where it's far more important to solicit a consumer's reasoning--and anonymously--than it is to worry about their gender, age group, income bracket or other personal and identifying information. We are now in an age where identity theft is so problematic, a marketing professional has far too many obstacles to overcome when attempting to pry open a consumer's personal life. Besides, personal data is not as relevant as purchasing rationale, not when designing a marketing strategy today. Using smartphones and tablets to purchase things online with apps and coupon codes, consumers really aren't comfortable telling you about themselves because the selling technology isn't set up for it. Plus, why do you need to interrupt their shopping experience by requiring them to fill out a survey? Just deliver the product and be quiet already!
That's the common response from consumers because providing market research data is rarely enoyable for them. In fact, it often alienates them from our brand which is the opposite of what we want! Therefore, the objective for a Digital Publishing professional should be to find a new and interesting way to extract demographic or causal data from consumers which can later be used in the refinement of marketing strategy decisions. Wow, that's a mouthful, isn't it? Let's look at what that long and complicated sentence really means.
Why do Market Research?
You want to figure out who your existing audience is so you can find more of those kinds of people and hopefully, sell them your product(s), too. In the Law of Sacrifice, Immutable Law of Marketing (for Indie Authors) Law 13, I explained to you what 3 things must be sacrificed short term in order to achieve something greater in the long term.
One of the things to sacrifice is knowing everything about your customers. You can't. You don't, not even if you think you do. Just let go of that need and accept that readers do not want to tell you about themselves. They might be willing to discuss your book(s) with you, however, so long as they are allowed to remain anonymously behind some internet username. Do you really have a "need to know" every detail about them? Does it really matter? I say no.
In a way, I'll admit, it helps to know if your readers are male or female, young or old, but what matters more is knowing what they were thinking and in what context they evaluated your product. The context and their reasoning for placing you in it is your position in their mind and that is where your market research should focus. Your mission, should you accept it, is to establish and build a position, then expand it to hold your brand and entire product line. Should you not accept this mission, your Indie Author career will self-destruct within ... well, no telling how long your "fad" popularity will last, but it won't hold out to ride the "long tail" of success.
Unless or until you understand the mental process of selection that occurs inside your prospective customer's mind--your position on their product ladder--you can never use their demographic (personal and identifying) information to influence your position anyway.
How to Research a Market Today
In the Digital Publishing industry, we have some unique challenges but we also have some unique advantages that widget-makers do not. Unlike the sellers of automobiles and coffee machines, Indie Publishers and Authors can look at "complementary purchases" or buying history data ("Customers who bought this also bought...") in real time. It's shown on the book sales page at most major eTailers even when you're not logged in. It's how the eTailers sell people things.
That is, Amazon started the "also bought" lists, but everyone else from Smashwords to Apple, Nook and Sony are also using them. Rather than asking your customers to tell you "Yeah, I bought your book and these others in the same genre," you now have the power to research that yourself.
In fact, you can go one step further. For each item on your existing customer's "also bought" list, click through to see what "also bought" items are listed there. That is, the "also bought" items on your product's page are (probably) your competition, so look to see what their customers are also buying. This gives you a larger picture of the "typical" demographic for your entire category.
Other than buying habits, do you really need to know more about the specific consumer? Not about them, personally, no. The only other thing you really need is an understanding of their motivation--what caused them to choose to (or not to) position you inside their mind. Understanding a prospective customer's positioning mindset is extremely hard to do in a vacuum. You need to have direct contact with your readers. You should be trying to make contact with them anyway. Putting yourself out there, being accessible, makes your books more discoverable--and people cannot buy what they do not know exists.
When you converse with readers on sites like Goodreads and LibraryThing, you're not just trying to sell them your books or just hoping to establish your Author Brand; but rather, you need to Seek first to understand, then to be understood, as Stephen Covey puts it in Habit 5 of his famous bestselling self-helper, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Being present on a reader-centric site (as opposed to a sales-centered eTailer site like Amazon or Apple) means you have a chance to actually talk with your readers.
Seek first to understand them. Learn how your customer's minds work before you attempt to position yourself inside of them. In fact, seek only to understand and allow them to choose to position you, themselves. A position thus won is far more stable and deeply-rooted than one you inject into them yourself.
What's Next....
Tomorrow's Tuesday Tip will discuss some feedback on the lessons I've learned running the Ginormous 30,000 Hit Giveaway I've currently got running. It's my first official giveaway on this blog and I definitely have learned a few useful lessons from it.
Hope to see you then!
-sry
@webbiegrrl
There are over 100 books donated by over 70 different authors and they cover nearly every genre imagineable. From Paranormal and YA Fantasy to Suspense/Thriller and Mystery/Detective stories. There are even a few children's books (Early Readers) and collections of Poetry! Be sure to peruse the prize list on my Giveaways Page then....
Enter now! Enter Often! Enter Daily!
I'll be cutting off entries on Thursday, Dec. 13th and announcing winners here on the blog throughout the weekend (Dec. 14-16). Good luck to all who enter. Okay, now back to our regularly scheduled program of Monday marketing. Today I'm looking at market research - what is it and why to do it (or not). Click through the jump-break to begin.
What is Market Research?
It's a form of data analysis designed to help a marketing professional determine which marketing strategy will work best for which target(s). If you've been following along reading my marketing series blogs or have bought my new release The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing (for Indie Authors) , which just came out in eBook form, you'll know that at any given time, you need to evaluate your marketing strategy for possible changes to the market situation.
You cannot just set up a program and walk away. Marketing is a process, not an event. You change your process based on feedback in the form of customer data, and the data has to come from somewhere. Usually, marketers will ask existing customers to fill out a form (e.g., registration of a product is a means of collecting market research data) or a survey and provide feedback on who they are (demographics) and why they bought this product and not that one or why now and not tomorrow.
Notice that typically, marketing researchers are analyzing the past and not predicting the future. In the Law of Unpredictability, Immutable Law of Marketing (for Indie Authors) Law 17, I stressed you cannot predict anything about the future except that it will change. No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy! That's why the historical approach has been to analyze the past behavior of customers who did buy a product and not worry about those customers who declined to buy the product or who might at some point in the future.
Demographics such as age, gender and income bracket will definitely not give you the kind of insight that explains customer behavior, but it's kind of the golden ticket to marketing professionals trying to help sell widgets. Paradoxically, it's very hard to get consumers to provide that information when the method of interrogation is to ask them a hundred and one personal questions on a form or survey before ever asking what influenced their buying decision. I'm not sure why marketers have always taken that approach but they have. The traditional rule of thumb is to expect to get a mere 1-3% of the consumers who did buy the product to talk about themselves. That hardly seems worth it but the system has been hard at work for almost 100 years now (since just after The Great Depression started in 1929).
Welcome to the 21st century where it's far more important to solicit a consumer's reasoning--and anonymously--than it is to worry about their gender, age group, income bracket or other personal and identifying information. We are now in an age where identity theft is so problematic, a marketing professional has far too many obstacles to overcome when attempting to pry open a consumer's personal life. Besides, personal data is not as relevant as purchasing rationale, not when designing a marketing strategy today. Using smartphones and tablets to purchase things online with apps and coupon codes, consumers really aren't comfortable telling you about themselves because the selling technology isn't set up for it. Plus, why do you need to interrupt their shopping experience by requiring them to fill out a survey? Just deliver the product and be quiet already!
That's the common response from consumers because providing market research data is rarely enoyable for them. In fact, it often alienates them from our brand which is the opposite of what we want! Therefore, the objective for a Digital Publishing professional should be to find a new and interesting way to extract demographic or causal data from consumers which can later be used in the refinement of marketing strategy decisions. Wow, that's a mouthful, isn't it? Let's look at what that long and complicated sentence really means.
Why do Market Research?
You want to figure out who your existing audience is so you can find more of those kinds of people and hopefully, sell them your product(s), too. In the Law of Sacrifice, Immutable Law of Marketing (for Indie Authors) Law 13, I explained to you what 3 things must be sacrificed short term in order to achieve something greater in the long term.
One of the things to sacrifice is knowing everything about your customers. You can't. You don't, not even if you think you do. Just let go of that need and accept that readers do not want to tell you about themselves. They might be willing to discuss your book(s) with you, however, so long as they are allowed to remain anonymously behind some internet username. Do you really have a "need to know" every detail about them? Does it really matter? I say no.
In a way, I'll admit, it helps to know if your readers are male or female, young or old, but what matters more is knowing what they were thinking and in what context they evaluated your product. The context and their reasoning for placing you in it is your position in their mind and that is where your market research should focus. Your mission, should you accept it, is to establish and build a position, then expand it to hold your brand and entire product line. Should you not accept this mission, your Indie Author career will self-destruct within ... well, no telling how long your "fad" popularity will last, but it won't hold out to ride the "long tail" of success.
Unless or until you understand the mental process of selection that occurs inside your prospective customer's mind--your position on their product ladder--you can never use their demographic (personal and identifying) information to influence your position anyway.
How to Research a Market Today
In the Digital Publishing industry, we have some unique challenges but we also have some unique advantages that widget-makers do not. Unlike the sellers of automobiles and coffee machines, Indie Publishers and Authors can look at "complementary purchases" or buying history data ("Customers who bought this also bought...") in real time. It's shown on the book sales page at most major eTailers even when you're not logged in. It's how the eTailers sell people things.
That is, Amazon started the "also bought" lists, but everyone else from Smashwords to Apple, Nook and Sony are also using them. Rather than asking your customers to tell you "Yeah, I bought your book and these others in the same genre," you now have the power to research that yourself.
In fact, you can go one step further. For each item on your existing customer's "also bought" list, click through to see what "also bought" items are listed there. That is, the "also bought" items on your product's page are (probably) your competition, so look to see what their customers are also buying. This gives you a larger picture of the "typical" demographic for your entire category.
Other than buying habits, do you really need to know more about the specific consumer? Not about them, personally, no. The only other thing you really need is an understanding of their motivation--what caused them to choose to (or not to) position you inside their mind. Understanding a prospective customer's positioning mindset is extremely hard to do in a vacuum. You need to have direct contact with your readers. You should be trying to make contact with them anyway. Putting yourself out there, being accessible, makes your books more discoverable--and people cannot buy what they do not know exists.
When you converse with readers on sites like Goodreads and LibraryThing, you're not just trying to sell them your books or just hoping to establish your Author Brand; but rather, you need to Seek first to understand, then to be understood, as Stephen Covey puts it in Habit 5 of his famous bestselling self-helper, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Being present on a reader-centric site (as opposed to a sales-centered eTailer site like Amazon or Apple) means you have a chance to actually talk with your readers.
Seek first to understand them. Learn how your customer's minds work before you attempt to position yourself inside of them. In fact, seek only to understand and allow them to choose to position you, themselves. A position thus won is far more stable and deeply-rooted than one you inject into them yourself.
What's Next....
Tomorrow's Tuesday Tip will discuss some feedback on the lessons I've learned running the Ginormous 30,000 Hit Giveaway I've currently got running. It's my first official giveaway on this blog and I definitely have learned a few useful lessons from it.
Hope to see you then!
-sry
@webbiegrrl
December 8, 2012
At long last! Webbiegrrl's #Marketing Series Now Avail as an eBook - http://bit.ly/MarketingeBook #pubtip #selfpub #indie
Finally, at long last, I've finished reformatting the eBook version of the Marketing Series and you can get it from Smashwords now!
Click through the jump-break to learn more about the book. If you missed it, you can read the last chapter--Immutable Law of Marketing 22: the Law of Resources--right here on the blog!
In this business essential for the Digital Publishing professional, Indie Authors will learn the hands-on marketing strategies they never teach you in a creative writing course. These immutable laws are your guideposts on the road to success in the Digital Publishing industry. Choose to read the signs along the way or ignore them at your own risk. The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing (for Indie Authors) will remain immutable with or without you.
* Learn how to apply the Law of Leadership and Law of Focus to make your unique Author Voice into a secret weapon.
* Learn how the Law of Duality and Law of Opposites can move you up the product ladder for your category.
* Learn what 3 things from the Law of Sacrifice can save you when the Law of Unpredictability comes into play.
* Learn how to calculate the cost and lead time for production of your next book in applying the Law of Resources.
NOTE: To any Digital Publishing professionals, if you'd like to write a review for this book, I would be happy to gift you a copy via Smashwords coupon code. Just send me an email at webbiegrrlwriter at gmail dot com to request yours. Please tell me your connection to the industry (forex, I'm an Author or I'm an Editor) and where I can view your work. Offer good until December 31, 2012.
In The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing (for Indie Authors), Sarah R. Yoffa adapts marketing strategies from automobiles and breakfast cereals to the unique challenges of the Indie Author in the Digital Publishing Industry. This book reworks the classic concepts introduced in the 1990s by Al Ries in his book of a similar title but these immutable laws are specifically tailored to Indie Authors.
Click through the jump-break to learn more about the book. If you missed it, you can read the last chapter--Immutable Law of Marketing 22: the Law of Resources--right here on the blog!
In this business essential for the Digital Publishing professional, Indie Authors will learn the hands-on marketing strategies they never teach you in a creative writing course. These immutable laws are your guideposts on the road to success in the Digital Publishing industry. Choose to read the signs along the way or ignore them at your own risk. The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing (for Indie Authors) will remain immutable with or without you.
* Learn how to apply the Law of Leadership and Law of Focus to make your unique Author Voice into a secret weapon.
* Learn how the Law of Duality and Law of Opposites can move you up the product ladder for your category.
* Learn what 3 things from the Law of Sacrifice can save you when the Law of Unpredictability comes into play.
* Learn how to calculate the cost and lead time for production of your next book in applying the Law of Resources.
NOTE: To any Digital Publishing professionals, if you'd like to write a review for this book, I would be happy to gift you a copy via Smashwords coupon code. Just send me an email at webbiegrrlwriter at gmail dot com to request yours. Please tell me your connection to the industry (forex, I'm an Author or I'm an Editor) and where I can view your work. Offer good until December 31, 2012.
December 5, 2012
Ginormous 30,000 Hit Giveaway - Needs 10 More Books to Hit 100!!
If you haven't been following along, my 30,000 Hit Giveaway has really taken on a life of its own. In just 6 days, I've received 90 book titles from ....geez,I need to recount the author list as some have donated multiple titles but I think it's about 60 authors.
I REALLY want to get to 100 books on the list. I just really like round numbers :) Yeah, I'm silly that way.
AUTHORS
If you'd like to be one of the last 10 to make it in, please visit the Facebook Events Page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/460349210668413/
1) read the instructions at the top of the page :)
2) click "going" (button in top right of web page)
3) add a comment to your "going" wall status with the required info (see instructions for what's required)
I promise I'll get back to you! I work a day job Fri-Sat-Sun so after tomorrow (Thurs) I might take a bit to get back to you but I promise to get back to you. If you get everything in up front, I'll just get back to say "you're all set" but if you left something out, you'll have to wait to hear from me asking for more info. Some people have taken 6 or 7 passes to get it all in there; most get it right the first time. This is NOT rocket science people :) I know of at least 2, maybe 3, new releases coming out this month that would like to get added but they won't be out until Dec 10 or later so they might be slipping in under the wire...but it's first come, first serve--erm, first placed on the list.
It won't really matter when I add you to the list anyway, so long as it's before Dec 13th because that's when entries are cutoff. Readers are entering everyday. Right now I think we have almost 500 (ok 491 but I warned you, I like round numbers! LOL)
I'll be drawing winners (in the order in which they are listed) the weekend of Dec 14-16. Might be doing it in the afternoons / early evenings as I'm working at 6am (yeah, it's totally inhuman for anyone to get up at 4am and start work on a Saturday or Sunday at that ungodly hour but it's a job. Sort of)
READERS Go enter now ~ enter often ~ enter daily!
http://webbiegrrl.blogspot.com/p/giveaways.html
-sry
@webbiegrrl
I REALLY want to get to 100 books on the list. I just really like round numbers :) Yeah, I'm silly that way.
AUTHORS
If you'd like to be one of the last 10 to make it in, please visit the Facebook Events Page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/460349210668413/
1) read the instructions at the top of the page :)
2) click "going" (button in top right of web page)
3) add a comment to your "going" wall status with the required info (see instructions for what's required)
I promise I'll get back to you! I work a day job Fri-Sat-Sun so after tomorrow (Thurs) I might take a bit to get back to you but I promise to get back to you. If you get everything in up front, I'll just get back to say "you're all set" but if you left something out, you'll have to wait to hear from me asking for more info. Some people have taken 6 or 7 passes to get it all in there; most get it right the first time. This is NOT rocket science people :) I know of at least 2, maybe 3, new releases coming out this month that would like to get added but they won't be out until Dec 10 or later so they might be slipping in under the wire...but it's first come, first serve--erm, first placed on the list.
It won't really matter when I add you to the list anyway, so long as it's before Dec 13th because that's when entries are cutoff. Readers are entering everyday. Right now I think we have almost 500 (ok 491 but I warned you, I like round numbers! LOL)
I'll be drawing winners (in the order in which they are listed) the weekend of Dec 14-16. Might be doing it in the afternoons / early evenings as I'm working at 6am (yeah, it's totally inhuman for anyone to get up at 4am and start work on a Saturday or Sunday at that ungodly hour but it's a job. Sort of)
READERS Go enter now ~ enter often ~ enter daily!
http://webbiegrrl.blogspot.com/p/giveaways.html
-sry
@webbiegrrl
December 4, 2012
TUESDAY TIP #Apple Launches Breakout Books @Smashwords Titles Dominate the List! #indie #pubtip #selfpub
Direct reproduction of Mark Coker's Post on the Smashwords Blog (i.e., the person writing this was Mark Coker, not me), but it's important enough news to reproduce here, as a bonus tip for this Tuesday :)
Apple has launched an exciting "Breakout Books" promotion in its Australia and New Zealand iBookstores featuring thousands of Smashwords authors.
This is the largest, broadest and most significant Smashwords-specific promotion yet undertaken by any ebook retailer.
The implications are exciting for our authors and publishers. This gives thousands of Smashwords books a promotional advantage that would have been unheard-of in the old days of traditional publishing. It means that during this promotion, many Smashwords titles will enjoy some measure of promotional advantage not available to authors of traditional publishers.
The promotional image at left shows the opening "Featured" page in the iBookstore, as viewed on an iPad for the Australian store. At the center of the large promotional graphic are three Smashwords books - Kirsty Moseley's Always You, Isabelle Rae's When Summer Ends and Chanda Hahn's The Iron Butterfly.
Two of those books are today among the top 10 bestsellers in the Australian store. Congrats to Kirsty and Isabelle!
[[click through the jump break for more on this story]]
Once the customer clicks the promotional image, they're guided to the special Breakout Books promotional catalog organized around the following categories: Top Picks; Latest Releases; Free; Romance; Young Adult; Crime & Thrillers; Sci-Fi & Fantasy; and All-Time Bestsellers.
This special promotional catalog, which for two weeks will receive top-of-store promotion in their Featured Books section, includes titles sourced exclusively from Smashwords. After the initial two week promotion, the catalog may become a regular feature in the Australia and New Zealand stores, providing yet another path for iBookstore customers to easily discover, sample and purchase Smashwords titles.
The promotion was formally kicked off on Sunday in an email blast Apple sent to its iBookstore customers in Australia and New Zealand. The promotional email states:
Apple has always been amazingly supportive of our authors, but this promotion takes their support to a new level. Of all 50 territories in which Apple operates their iBookstore, Australia is the second-largest-selling iBookstore for Smashwords authors.
How can you get your books included in this catalog?
First, make sure your books are distributed to Apple through Smashwords. Next, this promotion includes books priced $4.99 or below, so if your books are priced higher they won't make the catalog.
Beyond these first two steps, the decision is up to Apple and its customers. However, there is more you can do to maximize your chances of inclusion if you're not included already. This new Breakout Books catalog appears to give preference to books with great reviews and strong sales. Do what you can to encourage your fans to purchase and review your books at Apple. Since millions of readers shop at the iBookstore, make sure your fans know your books are available there. This can involve simply listing hyperlinks to your books at Apple on your website, blog or in other social media outlets. In my previous post, How to Sell Books at the Apple iBookstore , I shared tips.
Based on my observations, Apple's merchandising decisions appear to be both customer-driven and editorial-driven. By customer-driven, I mean that the more Apple iBookstore customers who purchase and review your book, the more visible your book becomes in the store. Sales increase your sales rank, which leads to greater visibility and more sales, more "People who bought this also bought this" automated recommendations, and great reviews drive sales as through reader word-of-mouth.
By editorially-driven, I mean that the Apple merchandising team hand-selects quality books that meet the interests of their customers. If Apple observes that its iBookstore customers are responding well to a title as measured though purchases and customer reviews, they're more likely to to give a book extra promotion. If an author has performed well with previous titles at Apple, their new titles are more likely to get attention. All of this is pretty much common sense, and not really different from how other retailers merchandize. The reader is king, and all else flows from there. What's different here, however, is that Apple has thrown some serious promotional weight behind this.
To determine if your book is in the promotion, from your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch, sign in to the Australia or New Zealand iBooks app on your device. To learn how, see my November 1 tip in Site Updates for how to view Apple stores in different countries. If you don't have an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch, consider adding one to your Christmas stocking-stuffer wish-list! The promotion might also be viewable in iTunes, but I haven't had a chance to personally confirm that yet.
If your book is already in the promotion, here's what you can do to support it: Let your fans in Australia and New Zealand know that your book has been selected for promotion in the Breakout Books feature. Celebrate it. Post on Facebook, Twitter or on your blog something like, "My book [insert title] is included in the Apple iBookstore's "Breakout Books" promotion this week in their Australia and New Zealand iBookstores!," and then provide direct hyperlinks to the books in those countries. For cool tools for making the hyperlinks, visit Apple's LinkMaker page at http://itunes.apple.com/linkmaker/
Who are some of the many Smashwords authors included? Here are some random names, in addition to those mentioned above: Denise Grover Swank, Elisabeth Naughton, Lacey Weatherford, Quinn Loftis, Kira Saito, Danielle Girard, David Dalglish, R.L. Mathewson, Ranae Rose, Oksana Vasilenko, Adrianne White, Julie Ortolon, Derek Ciccone, Autumn Dawn, M.H. Strom, L.L. Bartlett, Ruth Ann Nordin, Ellen Fisher, Lucinda Brandt, JD Nixon, Marquita Valentine and hundreds and hundreds of others.
My thanks to Apple for giving so many Smashwords authors this great opportunity to connect with new readers, and my thanks to Smashwords authors and publishers who earned this opportunity by writing books that have pleased so many thousands of iBookstore customers.
Apple has launched an exciting "Breakout Books" promotion in its Australia and New Zealand iBookstores featuring thousands of Smashwords authors.
This is the largest, broadest and most significant Smashwords-specific promotion yet undertaken by any ebook retailer.
The implications are exciting for our authors and publishers. This gives thousands of Smashwords books a promotional advantage that would have been unheard-of in the old days of traditional publishing. It means that during this promotion, many Smashwords titles will enjoy some measure of promotional advantage not available to authors of traditional publishers.
The promotional image at left shows the opening "Featured" page in the iBookstore, as viewed on an iPad for the Australian store. At the center of the large promotional graphic are three Smashwords books - Kirsty Moseley's Always You, Isabelle Rae's When Summer Ends and Chanda Hahn's The Iron Butterfly.
Two of those books are today among the top 10 bestsellers in the Australian store. Congrats to Kirsty and Isabelle!
[[click through the jump break for more on this story]]
Once the customer clicks the promotional image, they're guided to the special Breakout Books promotional catalog organized around the following categories: Top Picks; Latest Releases; Free; Romance; Young Adult; Crime & Thrillers; Sci-Fi & Fantasy; and All-Time Bestsellers.
This special promotional catalog, which for two weeks will receive top-of-store promotion in their Featured Books section, includes titles sourced exclusively from Smashwords. After the initial two week promotion, the catalog may become a regular feature in the Australia and New Zealand stores, providing yet another path for iBookstore customers to easily discover, sample and purchase Smashwords titles.
The promotion was formally kicked off on Sunday in an email blast Apple sent to its iBookstore customers in Australia and New Zealand. The promotional email states:
We've gathered some of our highest customer-rated books, all of which are $4.99 or less (many are actually free). Following in the footsteps of Fifty Shades of Grey, all are independently published directly to the iBookstore.
Screen shot of Apple's email blast to iBookstore
customers in Australia + New Zealand
Apple has always been amazingly supportive of our authors, but this promotion takes their support to a new level. Of all 50 territories in which Apple operates their iBookstore, Australia is the second-largest-selling iBookstore for Smashwords authors.
How can you get your books included in this catalog?
First, make sure your books are distributed to Apple through Smashwords. Next, this promotion includes books priced $4.99 or below, so if your books are priced higher they won't make the catalog.
Beyond these first two steps, the decision is up to Apple and its customers. However, there is more you can do to maximize your chances of inclusion if you're not included already. This new Breakout Books catalog appears to give preference to books with great reviews and strong sales. Do what you can to encourage your fans to purchase and review your books at Apple. Since millions of readers shop at the iBookstore, make sure your fans know your books are available there. This can involve simply listing hyperlinks to your books at Apple on your website, blog or in other social media outlets. In my previous post, How to Sell Books at the Apple iBookstore , I shared tips.
Based on my observations, Apple's merchandising decisions appear to be both customer-driven and editorial-driven. By customer-driven, I mean that the more Apple iBookstore customers who purchase and review your book, the more visible your book becomes in the store. Sales increase your sales rank, which leads to greater visibility and more sales, more "People who bought this also bought this" automated recommendations, and great reviews drive sales as through reader word-of-mouth.
By editorially-driven, I mean that the Apple merchandising team hand-selects quality books that meet the interests of their customers. If Apple observes that its iBookstore customers are responding well to a title as measured though purchases and customer reviews, they're more likely to to give a book extra promotion. If an author has performed well with previous titles at Apple, their new titles are more likely to get attention. All of this is pretty much common sense, and not really different from how other retailers merchandize. The reader is king, and all else flows from there. What's different here, however, is that Apple has thrown some serious promotional weight behind this.
To determine if your book is in the promotion, from your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch, sign in to the Australia or New Zealand iBooks app on your device. To learn how, see my November 1 tip in Site Updates for how to view Apple stores in different countries. If you don't have an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch, consider adding one to your Christmas stocking-stuffer wish-list! The promotion might also be viewable in iTunes, but I haven't had a chance to personally confirm that yet.
If your book is already in the promotion, here's what you can do to support it: Let your fans in Australia and New Zealand know that your book has been selected for promotion in the Breakout Books feature. Celebrate it. Post on Facebook, Twitter or on your blog something like, "My book [insert title] is included in the Apple iBookstore's "Breakout Books" promotion this week in their Australia and New Zealand iBookstores!," and then provide direct hyperlinks to the books in those countries. For cool tools for making the hyperlinks, visit Apple's LinkMaker page at http://itunes.apple.com/linkmaker/
Who are some of the many Smashwords authors included? Here are some random names, in addition to those mentioned above: Denise Grover Swank, Elisabeth Naughton, Lacey Weatherford, Quinn Loftis, Kira Saito, Danielle Girard, David Dalglish, R.L. Mathewson, Ranae Rose, Oksana Vasilenko, Adrianne White, Julie Ortolon, Derek Ciccone, Autumn Dawn, M.H. Strom, L.L. Bartlett, Ruth Ann Nordin, Ellen Fisher, Lucinda Brandt, JD Nixon, Marquita Valentine and hundreds and hundreds of others.
My thanks to Apple for giving so many Smashwords authors this great opportunity to connect with new readers, and my thanks to Smashwords authors and publishers who earned this opportunity by writing books that have pleased so many thousands of iBookstore customers.
TUESDAY TIP Writing a Novel Synopsis in 5 Easy Steps #pubtip #writing #iamwriting #myWANA #indie #selfpub
In honor of the fact that Nanowrimo has just ended and many of you participated, I thought I'd address one of the next steps you'll be tackling: writing a synopsis of this marvelous novel you just produced. You did win and reach the 50,000 word mark, right? No cheaters now, go back and finish before you read this post if you haven't hit the 50,000 word mark yet. It doesn't matter if it's December, you should see the project through to the end for your own peace of mind. Then click through the jump break to follow some quick and easy steps for summarizing the novel.
A novel synopsis is usually written in the third person, present tense and has emotionally-charged words to engage the reader at a basic level. It is not a book report. It is not a book outline. It is a synopsis of the novel. Here are 5 easy steps to follow to guide you through creating one.
Step 1: Define Your Main Character's (MC's) goal and conflict preventing achievement of the goal.
This is fairly straightforward. Most of you have figured this one out in your head as it's the heart of the plot, but have you figured out how to say it in 50 words or less? See if you can define the goal and then the conflict in one sentence each. Then in a third sentence, define how the MC will overcome the conflict to reach the goal. This is your story's plot--summarized. Yeah, yeah, there's all kinds of glorious detail left out but this is it. This is all a reader (or editor or agent) needs to know up front.
Writing these 3 sentences (which are probably about 25-50 words combined) should give you a feel for how to write a hook that leads into this plot summary. You'll want to put that sentence (or phrase) first . Do not bury the lead, as they say in journalism, but you probably needed to write the plot in 3 phases first before you could verbalize your lead, right? Okay, set that aside.
Step 2: Define the Traits of Your MC Which Make Him/Her a Sympathetic Character.
Sorry, but even if your story is not character-driven, your MC really needs to be a sympathetic character for anyone to care about them and their goals, let alone their struggle to overcome obstacles and conflicts. Be careful here, the term "sympathetic" does not necessarily mean "nice" or "likeable" but rather, someone the reader can identify with and whose motivations can be easily understood. If your MC does things for obscure or selfish reasons, they might not be a very sympathetic character. You might want to rethink making them the star of your novel.
Step 3: Define the Beginning, Middle and End of the MC's Journey.
Yeah, this seems kind of obvious or redundant but if your story does not have a beginning, middle and end, it's not a story; it's a ramble. It might have really interesting people and be fun to read but it needs a structure to make it a novel.
The beginning of the novel should start at that exact moment when the MC realizes life is intolerable the way things are (due to the conflict). The middle of the book is the MC's approach to and engagement with the obstacle (overcoming the conflict) and the end of the story is a demonstration of how the MC and/or their life has been transformed as a result of encountering and overcoming the conflict. This also is how one defines a character-driven story ^)^ but honestly, even event-driven stories require this structure. Please notice that the conflict is as present in this structure as the MC (haha)
Step 4: Rewrite in the Correct Voice to Match Your Novel.
Yeah this basically amounts to editing. Why, you might wonder, didn't I suggest you write in the voice or diction of the novel in the first place? Because it's really hard to actually summarize and address specific points while also writing "in character." You can edit the wording (what I call "wordsmithing" because you're simply polishing the word choices and arrangement without changing the meaning, just polishing off the rough edges). You have to write the words first before you can wordsmith them.
Step 5: Proofread. Proofread. Proofread.
This is going to be the first thing anyone anywhere sees of your book. Whether you are sending this synopsis to an agent or editor or going to use it as marketing blurbage, this is your book's first impression on the world. Do not do it with jam smeared on your cheek and mustard dropped on your tie. Clean up your synopsis with the same care you'd use to clean up yourself. Ask a friend (or relative) to proofread it for you the same way you might ask "Does this make me look fat?" but actually listen to the feedback you get. (LOL)
If necessary to clear you mind, set it aside for a week (not a few hours or a few days, but a week or more!) and then read it again to make sure it both sounds okay and has no typos. After a week or more away, you'll see things glaring out at you if they're there at all.
That's it! I know, easier said than done but it should be fairly easy once you have the story clear in your mind. Give it a try!
What's Next....
Next week I'll look at market research on my Monday Marketing blog but in the meantime, if you haven't checked lately, my 30,000th Hit Giveaway is now GINORMOUS! with over 55 authors donating some 70 different books. There's something for everyone!
Enter Now! Enter Often! Enter Daily!
Winners will be drawn starting Friday, Dec. 14 and run through the weekend, until Sunday, Dec. 16. Hope you'll join in!
-sry
@webbiegrrl
A novel synopsis is usually written in the third person, present tense and has emotionally-charged words to engage the reader at a basic level. It is not a book report. It is not a book outline. It is a synopsis of the novel. Here are 5 easy steps to follow to guide you through creating one.
Step 1: Define Your Main Character's (MC's) goal and conflict preventing achievement of the goal.
This is fairly straightforward. Most of you have figured this one out in your head as it's the heart of the plot, but have you figured out how to say it in 50 words or less? See if you can define the goal and then the conflict in one sentence each. Then in a third sentence, define how the MC will overcome the conflict to reach the goal. This is your story's plot--summarized. Yeah, yeah, there's all kinds of glorious detail left out but this is it. This is all a reader (or editor or agent) needs to know up front.
Writing these 3 sentences (which are probably about 25-50 words combined) should give you a feel for how to write a hook that leads into this plot summary. You'll want to put that sentence (or phrase) first . Do not bury the lead, as they say in journalism, but you probably needed to write the plot in 3 phases first before you could verbalize your lead, right? Okay, set that aside.
Step 2: Define the Traits of Your MC Which Make Him/Her a Sympathetic Character.
Sorry, but even if your story is not character-driven, your MC really needs to be a sympathetic character for anyone to care about them and their goals, let alone their struggle to overcome obstacles and conflicts. Be careful here, the term "sympathetic" does not necessarily mean "nice" or "likeable" but rather, someone the reader can identify with and whose motivations can be easily understood. If your MC does things for obscure or selfish reasons, they might not be a very sympathetic character. You might want to rethink making them the star of your novel.
Step 3: Define the Beginning, Middle and End of the MC's Journey.
Yeah, this seems kind of obvious or redundant but if your story does not have a beginning, middle and end, it's not a story; it's a ramble. It might have really interesting people and be fun to read but it needs a structure to make it a novel.
The beginning of the novel should start at that exact moment when the MC realizes life is intolerable the way things are (due to the conflict). The middle of the book is the MC's approach to and engagement with the obstacle (overcoming the conflict) and the end of the story is a demonstration of how the MC and/or their life has been transformed as a result of encountering and overcoming the conflict. This also is how one defines a character-driven story ^)^ but honestly, even event-driven stories require this structure. Please notice that the conflict is as present in this structure as the MC (haha)
Step 4: Rewrite in the Correct Voice to Match Your Novel.
Yeah this basically amounts to editing. Why, you might wonder, didn't I suggest you write in the voice or diction of the novel in the first place? Because it's really hard to actually summarize and address specific points while also writing "in character." You can edit the wording (what I call "wordsmithing" because you're simply polishing the word choices and arrangement without changing the meaning, just polishing off the rough edges). You have to write the words first before you can wordsmith them.
Step 5: Proofread. Proofread. Proofread.
This is going to be the first thing anyone anywhere sees of your book. Whether you are sending this synopsis to an agent or editor or going to use it as marketing blurbage, this is your book's first impression on the world. Do not do it with jam smeared on your cheek and mustard dropped on your tie. Clean up your synopsis with the same care you'd use to clean up yourself. Ask a friend (or relative) to proofread it for you the same way you might ask "Does this make me look fat?" but actually listen to the feedback you get. (LOL)
If necessary to clear you mind, set it aside for a week (not a few hours or a few days, but a week or more!) and then read it again to make sure it both sounds okay and has no typos. After a week or more away, you'll see things glaring out at you if they're there at all.
That's it! I know, easier said than done but it should be fairly easy once you have the story clear in your mind. Give it a try!
What's Next....
Next week I'll look at market research on my Monday Marketing blog but in the meantime, if you haven't checked lately, my 30,000th Hit Giveaway is now GINORMOUS! with over 55 authors donating some 70 different books. There's something for everyone!
Enter Now! Enter Often! Enter Daily!
Winners will be drawn starting Friday, Dec. 14 and run through the weekend, until Sunday, Dec. 16. Hope you'll join in!
-sry
@webbiegrrl
December 3, 2012
MONDAY MARKETING Talk Value - It's Not Just About Talking Dogs. #pubtip #indie #selfpub #promo
Welcome back to the regularly-scheduled Webbiegrrl Writer blogs. In case you hadn't already heard, I'm running a Ginormous 30,000th Hit Giveaway and for that milestone, I thank all of you, my regular readers.
The last time I did a book giveaway, it was hardcovers and paperbacks donated by a single publisher (pictured below is the massive giveaway Baen Books donated in 2009 to support deployed US Military personnel - I supplied the gift wrap ;-)
This time it's digital all the way and there are almost 70 eBooks from over 50 different authors donated so far--and more coming in each day! If you're an Indie Author, please join us by submitting your own books by following the instructions at the top of the Facebook Event Page. Readers be sure to peruse the prizes on my Giveaways Page.
Enter now! Enter Often! Enter Daily!
Be sure to enter more than once between now and December 14th to increase your chances of winning. If you want to win something specific, you get 2 entries for leaving a blog comment. You get 2 entries for retweeting my promo tweet so please spread the word. Existing fans of either my Webbiegrrl Page on Facebook or my @webbiegrrl Twitter account get "free" triple entries in one click. Daily!
Okay, back to our regularly scheduled program of Monday marketing advice. Click through the jump-break to dive back into my advertising versus PR debate.
Devil in the Details
There's a subtle nuance that distinguishes the success of advertising versus the success of PR (Publicity or Public Relations or "Press"). When the message has "sales value," it's intended to generate sales directly from the information presented in the advertisement. When a message has "talk value," the intention is that people will simply discuss it with each other--you know, around the water cooler. That's publicity.
The big mistake people (and especially large companies) have made over the years is to confuse the usefulness of talk value with sales value. Just because people are chatting about your advertisement around the water cooler at work does not mean any of them are going to buy your product. In fact, often, the talk value--the hook or gimmick or "thing" that makes the advertisement so interesting to discuss--is not really about the product at all. People are talking about the advertisement and may not even know what the product is!
Years ago, when Taco Bell came out with a talking Chihuaha, everyone talked about the "chillin' Taco Bell Chihuaha." It was not until the ads started having the talking dog say the words "Yo Quiero Taco Bell" (I want Taco Bell) that the talk around the water cooler even included the mention of the brand "Taco Bell." People were talking about the dog, not the product, so the dog had to start talking about the product for them!
Another example, hard as it is to believe, some people actually thought the bunny that "keeps going and going and going" was Duracell's brand mascot. They had no idea it was Energizer's until the advertisements started including the name Energizer in before the word "bunny." It seems absurd now that anyone would be confused about it but at first, Energizer ads had all the talk and were of no value to the product.
The biggest reason these ads do or don't work (the Chihuaha ads are gone, the bunny's drum beats on) is the presence or absence of a motivational hook in the advertisement. The nice little gimmick that has talk value is interesting, but it must provide some kind of motivation to the viewer/consumer to try out the product or it's just a bunch of buzz (talk value) and has no sales value. The ads are fishing without a hook, so to speak and become pure promotional noise.
Motivational Value in Digital Publishing
It's hard to translate traditional publicity tactics to the publishing industry generally but especially to the eBook marketing and Digital Publishing industry. We have the unique challenge of not actually making direct contact with our consumers. Our potential consumers are cruising along on their tablet or web browser in the solace of their home or office or beachfront property (haha) and they are not seeking out our ads. In fact, they are actively avoiding our ads. Our customers--readers--are seeking out free and bargain-priced books so our quality products aren't really the focus of their online browsing.
So how to reach them to publicize our existence if they won't even see our advertisements and assume our products are too expensive even when they do see them?
Talk value. Publicity and talk value comes from brand awareness not just gimmicky advertisements and slick promotional slogans. Don't try to sell books; sell your brand.
People will talk about a brand they know; they won't mention brands they don't know. People like to feel as though they have something to contribute to a conversation by offering valueable insight into new brands their friends haven't tried yet. You cannot advertise to make people talk about your brand. You build your brand in places where potential customers gather to talk by talking with them (not to or at them). Be your brand. Let them know your brand. Let your brand sell you and your books. In fact, let your brand create the buzz and let the customers sell for you! That's the real power of talk value. That's the whole point of branding.
What's Next....
Next week I'll look at market research - the good, the bad, and ugly truths.
Tomorrow's Tuesday Tip will be a quick little look at how to write a novel synopsis. There are a few good essays out there on this subject but given that Nanowrimo just ended and many of you participated, I think it's well-worth revisiting the topic myself. Hope to see you then!
Please stop by the Giveaways Page to enter if you haven't already (or to enter again if you have already because you need to enter now, enter daily, enter often! ^)^
Thanks for stopping by!
-sry
@webbiegrrl
The last time I did a book giveaway, it was hardcovers and paperbacks donated by a single publisher (pictured below is the massive giveaway Baen Books donated in 2009 to support deployed US Military personnel - I supplied the gift wrap ;-)
This time it's digital all the way and there are almost 70 eBooks from over 50 different authors donated so far--and more coming in each day! If you're an Indie Author, please join us by submitting your own books by following the instructions at the top of the Facebook Event Page. Readers be sure to peruse the prizes on my Giveaways Page.
Enter now! Enter Often! Enter Daily!
Be sure to enter more than once between now and December 14th to increase your chances of winning. If you want to win something specific, you get 2 entries for leaving a blog comment. You get 2 entries for retweeting my promo tweet so please spread the word. Existing fans of either my Webbiegrrl Page on Facebook or my @webbiegrrl Twitter account get "free" triple entries in one click. Daily!
Okay, back to our regularly scheduled program of Monday marketing advice. Click through the jump-break to dive back into my advertising versus PR debate.
Devil in the Details
There's a subtle nuance that distinguishes the success of advertising versus the success of PR (Publicity or Public Relations or "Press"). When the message has "sales value," it's intended to generate sales directly from the information presented in the advertisement. When a message has "talk value," the intention is that people will simply discuss it with each other--you know, around the water cooler. That's publicity.
The big mistake people (and especially large companies) have made over the years is to confuse the usefulness of talk value with sales value. Just because people are chatting about your advertisement around the water cooler at work does not mean any of them are going to buy your product. In fact, often, the talk value--the hook or gimmick or "thing" that makes the advertisement so interesting to discuss--is not really about the product at all. People are talking about the advertisement and may not even know what the product is!
Years ago, when Taco Bell came out with a talking Chihuaha, everyone talked about the "chillin' Taco Bell Chihuaha." It was not until the ads started having the talking dog say the words "Yo Quiero Taco Bell" (I want Taco Bell) that the talk around the water cooler even included the mention of the brand "Taco Bell." People were talking about the dog, not the product, so the dog had to start talking about the product for them!
Another example, hard as it is to believe, some people actually thought the bunny that "keeps going and going and going" was Duracell's brand mascot. They had no idea it was Energizer's until the advertisements started including the name Energizer in before the word "bunny." It seems absurd now that anyone would be confused about it but at first, Energizer ads had all the talk and were of no value to the product.
The biggest reason these ads do or don't work (the Chihuaha ads are gone, the bunny's drum beats on) is the presence or absence of a motivational hook in the advertisement. The nice little gimmick that has talk value is interesting, but it must provide some kind of motivation to the viewer/consumer to try out the product or it's just a bunch of buzz (talk value) and has no sales value. The ads are fishing without a hook, so to speak and become pure promotional noise.
Motivational Value in Digital Publishing
It's hard to translate traditional publicity tactics to the publishing industry generally but especially to the eBook marketing and Digital Publishing industry. We have the unique challenge of not actually making direct contact with our consumers. Our potential consumers are cruising along on their tablet or web browser in the solace of their home or office or beachfront property (haha) and they are not seeking out our ads. In fact, they are actively avoiding our ads. Our customers--readers--are seeking out free and bargain-priced books so our quality products aren't really the focus of their online browsing.
So how to reach them to publicize our existence if they won't even see our advertisements and assume our products are too expensive even when they do see them?
Talk value. Publicity and talk value comes from brand awareness not just gimmicky advertisements and slick promotional slogans. Don't try to sell books; sell your brand.
People will talk about a brand they know; they won't mention brands they don't know. People like to feel as though they have something to contribute to a conversation by offering valueable insight into new brands their friends haven't tried yet. You cannot advertise to make people talk about your brand. You build your brand in places where potential customers gather to talk by talking with them (not to or at them). Be your brand. Let them know your brand. Let your brand sell you and your books. In fact, let your brand create the buzz and let the customers sell for you! That's the real power of talk value. That's the whole point of branding.
What's Next....
Next week I'll look at market research - the good, the bad, and ugly truths.
Tomorrow's Tuesday Tip will be a quick little look at how to write a novel synopsis. There are a few good essays out there on this subject but given that Nanowrimo just ended and many of you participated, I think it's well-worth revisiting the topic myself. Hope to see you then!
Please stop by the Giveaways Page to enter if you haven't already (or to enter again if you have already because you need to enter now, enter daily, enter often! ^)^
Thanks for stopping by!
-sry
@webbiegrrl
