Taking Charge #2
In my last blog I talked about the need for authors to take charge and I mentioned that we have three areas to be concerned with: 1) authoring, 2) publishing, and 3) marketing. In the past I didn't want to be involved with either the publishing or marketing end of the business. I wanted to write.
To be honest, that feeling has not changed. But the real world facts are that we authors must be engaged in all three areas.
At a later time I will discuss what I will be doing on the publishing end of business, but for now I make use of self publishers. In today's blog I want to delve into marketing.
Like I said, I did not like marketing. But I was forced to learn. Since writing my first book in 2003 (some eleven years ago) I have explored a variety of marketing techniques with varying success.
Here are some of the techniques I have used with a brief summary:
Blogging - This was an on again/off again effort. I tried it with Wordpress, with Website Tonight (Godaddy), and now with Goodreads. Up until now this has been erratic and independent of other efforts.
Book Signing - With my first book I began going to bookstores and doing book signings. I actually had a little success, but not all bookstores welcome authors and it is not very rewarding when you compare time invested with actual sales.
Bublish - This is a new tool that I am just beginning to learn about. Having talked to the co-founder I have learned that this tool has the potential to be the most important factor in my marketing.
Facebook - I have been using Facebook regularly and even have a page dedicated to me as an author. It is called R. Frederick Riddle's World. While FB has increased my public image, I have not seen it translate into a marketing powerhouse.
Goodreads - One of the reasons I moved my blog to Goodreads is that it provides a platform where I can market myself. I think it is a good fit and like Bublish has great potential for my marketing efforts.
LinkedIn - I have been with LinkedIn for awhile now, but have not seen it as an asset for an author. I am still evaluating it.
Newsletter - I had a biweekly newsletter that covered Creationism and Evolution. While it was very interesting and enjoyable, the whole idea was time consuming. Still, it had its merits. But as a marketing tool it didn't work.
Twitter - Twitter remains an interesting tool that enables me to keep in touch with a great many people. It has its own marketing features which I want to explore in connection with everything else I do.
In my opinion all of these tools are worthwhile, but there needs to be a coherent policy that unites them. For a long time I have been looking for that one tool that brings it all together under one umbrella and is consistent with my Christian beliefs. I have not found it, probably because it doesn't exist for authors.
I have found sites that are one-stop shopping, so to speak, but they are more suitable for the marketing of merchandise rather than promoting book sales. So what am I suppose to do?
There is one more tool I used: Blog Talk Radio. Today was the last broadcast, but I must admit I enjoyed it. Since its inception in 2012 it has evolved to more of a ministry rather than a marketing tool. In fact I would probably continue it as a ministry but it is quite demanding and my plans are leading me in another direction.
So what is my solution? I have decided after months of prayer that the answer lies within me. Taking a serious look at myself I saw that God first called me to be a Christian author, then He equipped and trained me to write, and He has provided me with the opportunity to write. That being true, I also noted that He has provided me with a ton of experience in marketing though I didn't think of it that way.
God has told me (no I don't hear voices) that it is time to stop asking Him to send someone to be my coach and to take charge. OK. But what does that mean?
It means that I am that coach under His guidance. It means that I am responsible for making proper use of all the tools available to me. In short, it means that for the short term I must invest time in learning how to bring all the marketing tools under one roof - mine.
It also means that I will be far more energetic and united in my use of the tools. An example is this blog that I am writing. Using Goodreads, I will post this article as my latest blog. I will then publish it to Facebook. On Facebook I will share it with my Facebook Page and Twitter.
Earlier I mentioned a new tool called Bublish. This tool is really new and already expanding. Basically I upload copies of my books into the Bublish system and then I write Bubbles (articles) about selected sections of the books. Through Bublish I share these Bubbles with Facebook and Bublish itself promotes my books.
But the future of Bublish is more than that and will probably figure prominently in all three areas of writing, publishing, and marketing. It has the potential of being that platform where I can speak with a single voice.
In conclusion, I have determined that instead of looking for someone who understands my writings, my publishing needs, and my marketing needs that I am already here. I understand my writings. I understand my publishing needs. And I understand my marketing needs.
This may not work for everyone else, but it will give me both total control and total accountability. I look forward to it.
Do you or have you faced similar needs? Feel free to share with me.
To be honest, that feeling has not changed. But the real world facts are that we authors must be engaged in all three areas.
At a later time I will discuss what I will be doing on the publishing end of business, but for now I make use of self publishers. In today's blog I want to delve into marketing.
Like I said, I did not like marketing. But I was forced to learn. Since writing my first book in 2003 (some eleven years ago) I have explored a variety of marketing techniques with varying success.
Here are some of the techniques I have used with a brief summary:
Blogging - This was an on again/off again effort. I tried it with Wordpress, with Website Tonight (Godaddy), and now with Goodreads. Up until now this has been erratic and independent of other efforts.
Book Signing - With my first book I began going to bookstores and doing book signings. I actually had a little success, but not all bookstores welcome authors and it is not very rewarding when you compare time invested with actual sales.
Bublish - This is a new tool that I am just beginning to learn about. Having talked to the co-founder I have learned that this tool has the potential to be the most important factor in my marketing.
Facebook - I have been using Facebook regularly and even have a page dedicated to me as an author. It is called R. Frederick Riddle's World. While FB has increased my public image, I have not seen it translate into a marketing powerhouse.
Goodreads - One of the reasons I moved my blog to Goodreads is that it provides a platform where I can market myself. I think it is a good fit and like Bublish has great potential for my marketing efforts.
LinkedIn - I have been with LinkedIn for awhile now, but have not seen it as an asset for an author. I am still evaluating it.
Newsletter - I had a biweekly newsletter that covered Creationism and Evolution. While it was very interesting and enjoyable, the whole idea was time consuming. Still, it had its merits. But as a marketing tool it didn't work.
Twitter - Twitter remains an interesting tool that enables me to keep in touch with a great many people. It has its own marketing features which I want to explore in connection with everything else I do.
In my opinion all of these tools are worthwhile, but there needs to be a coherent policy that unites them. For a long time I have been looking for that one tool that brings it all together under one umbrella and is consistent with my Christian beliefs. I have not found it, probably because it doesn't exist for authors.
I have found sites that are one-stop shopping, so to speak, but they are more suitable for the marketing of merchandise rather than promoting book sales. So what am I suppose to do?
There is one more tool I used: Blog Talk Radio. Today was the last broadcast, but I must admit I enjoyed it. Since its inception in 2012 it has evolved to more of a ministry rather than a marketing tool. In fact I would probably continue it as a ministry but it is quite demanding and my plans are leading me in another direction.
So what is my solution? I have decided after months of prayer that the answer lies within me. Taking a serious look at myself I saw that God first called me to be a Christian author, then He equipped and trained me to write, and He has provided me with the opportunity to write. That being true, I also noted that He has provided me with a ton of experience in marketing though I didn't think of it that way.
God has told me (no I don't hear voices) that it is time to stop asking Him to send someone to be my coach and to take charge. OK. But what does that mean?
It means that I am that coach under His guidance. It means that I am responsible for making proper use of all the tools available to me. In short, it means that for the short term I must invest time in learning how to bring all the marketing tools under one roof - mine.
It also means that I will be far more energetic and united in my use of the tools. An example is this blog that I am writing. Using Goodreads, I will post this article as my latest blog. I will then publish it to Facebook. On Facebook I will share it with my Facebook Page and Twitter.
Earlier I mentioned a new tool called Bublish. This tool is really new and already expanding. Basically I upload copies of my books into the Bublish system and then I write Bubbles (articles) about selected sections of the books. Through Bublish I share these Bubbles with Facebook and Bublish itself promotes my books.
But the future of Bublish is more than that and will probably figure prominently in all three areas of writing, publishing, and marketing. It has the potential of being that platform where I can speak with a single voice.
In conclusion, I have determined that instead of looking for someone who understands my writings, my publishing needs, and my marketing needs that I am already here. I understand my writings. I understand my publishing needs. And I understand my marketing needs.
This may not work for everyone else, but it will give me both total control and total accountability. I look forward to it.
Do you or have you faced similar needs? Feel free to share with me.
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