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Publishing and Promoting
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Social networking fails to generate media publicity
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Oh, I totally agree. The best results for me are events and personal contact. I get a few sales through social media - especially sites like Goodreads, but not much from other avenues.
Still, with bookstores closing, having a visible web presence is important for all authors. Just use it wisely and don't get high hopes for becoming the next best-selling author.
Still, with bookstores closing, having a visible web presence is important for all authors. Just use it wisely and don't get high hopes for becoming the next best-selling author.
Shawn wrote: "Oh, I totally agree. The best results for me are events and personal contact. I get a few sales through social media - especially sites like Goodreads, but not much from other avenues. Still, wit..."
Shawn, once again we're in (almost) complete agreement. High hopes often provide the extra nudge that makes for a best seller. :-)
Larry, the problem with applying this to self-publishing is that most reporters are not going to review an indie book: legacy publishers are their advertisers and one doesn't bite the hand that feeds you. So indie authors need to social network, including as Shawn wrote, networking directly with readers. But without a travel budget, online communications are the only way to connect with readers outside one's geographical area.
M.A., I've seen that argument before but don't believe it's valid. I spent many years on news staffs of various publications, was editor of two and publisher of one newspaper and that never occurred. Most advertising departments operated with little or no interaction between themselves and editorial. (The single exception is special preplanned revenue generating sections and those are always clearly marked as special advertising sections.)
The Murdoch scandal is showing how unethical some media outlets can be, but I seriously doubt that happens. A good illustration is that despite traditional houses pouring huge amounts of money into bestseller advertising, many newspapers have curtailed or eliminated book sections. If there were a hand-in-glove situation there, that wouldn't be happening.
Just my view as a former insider.
Actually, M.A, this is where the events I attend come in and I look at them as advertising/travel - to take me outside my geographic area of Middle Tennessee (Nashville area).
In Memphis, I met people from Iowa, Texas, AK, Missouri, Mississippi and even Kansas. In Georgia, I met people from Florida, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
Next year I plan to expand further north from Tennessee into Ohio for a major convention.
In Memphis, I met people from Iowa, Texas, AK, Missouri, Mississippi and even Kansas. In Georgia, I met people from Florida, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
Next year I plan to expand further north from Tennessee into Ohio for a major convention.
Just saw a piece this morning that has the results of a survey conducted by an international network of PR firms. The survey was of professional journalists as to the most successful way to obtain publicity results. Contrary to popular thinking on social networking sites, traditional methods ranked highest, with Twitter and social media press release distribution ranked lowest. Not surprising when one realizes reporters are far too busy to be constantly reading the social media sites in hopes of finding something. Here's the link: http://www.linkedin.com/news?actionBa...
I was happy to see that my position was borne out that journalists don't obtain their stories from social networking nor from social blurbs like Twitter. In fact, those categories were at the bottom of list of sources journalists use. The techniques outlined in my book, Self-Promotion for Authors are thus validated yet again.