Fans and Other Beings
A trap I’ve seen a lot of writers fall into, especially new ones, is to sit there wondering why they don’t have more momentum since they have so many “fans.” I think this is primarily a conceptual interpretation problem. Believe it or not, I think a lot of people just don’t know what a fan actually is.
You can have a mailing list that just won’t quit. You may have hundreds or thousands of people who get your newsletter every month. You may have your own YouTube channel or podcast with a decent number of followers. You may have thousands and thousands of social media “friends.” Unfortunately, that’s not a fan base for your book. Especially if all those people were in place BEFORE you even wrote it.
Fans are very specific people. Number one, as elementary as it may sound, they have to be people who read your book. Everyone on your mailing list, all your social media connections, and your podcast and blog subscribers probably didn’t read your book, did they? Therefore, they can’t all be fans.
Fans are people who read and enjoyed your novel, are interested in you as the author, and are hoping for more of the same in the future. Ask yourself how many of THOSE there are. If you’re just starting out, it’s probably not that many. But never let that discourage you. A certain percentage of people who read your book will like it. It may be a large percentage or it may be a small percentage, but you WILL get fans if your book gets read. So don’t put the cart before the horse, focus on getting your book READ as opposed to trying to get fans based on your “resume.” It just doesn’t work that way.
Even your author page on Amazon is irrelevant until someone likes your BOOK. Once they like the book, THEN they want to know more about YOU. If you’re trying to do it the other way around, well, that’s only going to work with mom.
Selling books is all about marketing and distribution. Once sales are where they should be, fans will be there too. As far as reviews? Good luck and God bless you with that one. Even most fans don’t leave reviews. Not sure why. But that’s a topic for another day. Properly market and distribute your book, and this time next year, you will have fans. I guarantee it. Write on!
You can have a mailing list that just won’t quit. You may have hundreds or thousands of people who get your newsletter every month. You may have your own YouTube channel or podcast with a decent number of followers. You may have thousands and thousands of social media “friends.” Unfortunately, that’s not a fan base for your book. Especially if all those people were in place BEFORE you even wrote it.
Fans are very specific people. Number one, as elementary as it may sound, they have to be people who read your book. Everyone on your mailing list, all your social media connections, and your podcast and blog subscribers probably didn’t read your book, did they? Therefore, they can’t all be fans.
Fans are people who read and enjoyed your novel, are interested in you as the author, and are hoping for more of the same in the future. Ask yourself how many of THOSE there are. If you’re just starting out, it’s probably not that many. But never let that discourage you. A certain percentage of people who read your book will like it. It may be a large percentage or it may be a small percentage, but you WILL get fans if your book gets read. So don’t put the cart before the horse, focus on getting your book READ as opposed to trying to get fans based on your “resume.” It just doesn’t work that way.
Even your author page on Amazon is irrelevant until someone likes your BOOK. Once they like the book, THEN they want to know more about YOU. If you’re trying to do it the other way around, well, that’s only going to work with mom.
Selling books is all about marketing and distribution. Once sales are where they should be, fans will be there too. As far as reviews? Good luck and God bless you with that one. Even most fans don’t leave reviews. Not sure why. But that’s a topic for another day. Properly market and distribute your book, and this time next year, you will have fans. I guarantee it. Write on!
No comments have been added yet.
