Showing a Bit of Ass
January 23, 2012
Nope, I'm not talking about lying on a golden quilted bedspread with your pants down to expose your buttocks for a good hard spanking before the real fun begins, I'm talking about how some authors are just a little bit too...overexposed (and not in a good way) or, if you will, show too much ass.
Let me explain.
There has been a lot of discussion about promotion and the like lately. How does an author promote without 'showing too much ass' to gain new readers? An example of showing too much ass is countless 'event' invitations sent out to all and sundry through goodreads and facebook and numerous others. I get at least 10-20 of these a day. Suffice to say, delete, delete, delete. Unless I personally know the author or have had contact with them or am already a fan of their work, why would I waste my valuable time at an event I may not have an interest in? Why? It just doesn't make sense.
Another example is the countless showing of ass on twitter, facebook, and all the other social forums people frequent. Sure, a tweet or two, a message left to let people know you have a new book, a contest here and there, they are all good tools. But like tools, you can't overuse them. Imagine using a hammer to drive in a screw. It just ain't going to work...or not very well, or least until you've got desperate and hammered in that screw because you can't find the right size or fit screwdriver (*cough* I am guilty of that handyman mistake in my earlier days LOL).
Okay, so what works?
Well, firstly, for me (and I stress this is from my experience and others will be different) is be yourself. Let readers know who you are from your blog posts, posts in forums, and other social arenas. Don't, I repeat, don't constantly bombard people with 'buy my book' showing of ass. You're likely to get more readers if you interact. And that's the truth of the matter. Gone are the days of authors sitting in their ivory towers, looking down on their fans while they write for all hours. A good chunk of a modern authors 'writing time' should be spent interacting. And that means interacting without mentioning your work. I know it may be hard...but seriously, people will come to you and investigate what you do if they like what they read on those forums.
My general rule of thumb for promoting a book is:
1 tweet per day to let people know I have a new release, generally for about a week after release. No more.
1 post on facebook for the same time and frequency.
1 post on my blog about my new release with excerpt
1 post on my blog pre-release to do a competition to win a copy of an impending release.
The rest of the time, I post other stuff on my blog, most of the time making fun of myself or about my observations in life. My most popular posts are those that have NOTHING to do with books. Tells you all something, doesn't it? I bet the majority of authors out there could say the same--unless they're very well known and no matter what they do they're going to sell squillions of books.
So there you have it, don't show too much ass--unless your partner wants you to and it will lead to the ordering of pizza ;)
Let me explain.
There has been a lot of discussion about promotion and the like lately. How does an author promote without 'showing too much ass' to gain new readers? An example of showing too much ass is countless 'event' invitations sent out to all and sundry through goodreads and facebook and numerous others. I get at least 10-20 of these a day. Suffice to say, delete, delete, delete. Unless I personally know the author or have had contact with them or am already a fan of their work, why would I waste my valuable time at an event I may not have an interest in? Why? It just doesn't make sense.
Another example is the countless showing of ass on twitter, facebook, and all the other social forums people frequent. Sure, a tweet or two, a message left to let people know you have a new book, a contest here and there, they are all good tools. But like tools, you can't overuse them. Imagine using a hammer to drive in a screw. It just ain't going to work...or not very well, or least until you've got desperate and hammered in that screw because you can't find the right size or fit screwdriver (*cough* I am guilty of that handyman mistake in my earlier days LOL).
Okay, so what works?
Well, firstly, for me (and I stress this is from my experience and others will be different) is be yourself. Let readers know who you are from your blog posts, posts in forums, and other social arenas. Don't, I repeat, don't constantly bombard people with 'buy my book' showing of ass. You're likely to get more readers if you interact. And that's the truth of the matter. Gone are the days of authors sitting in their ivory towers, looking down on their fans while they write for all hours. A good chunk of a modern authors 'writing time' should be spent interacting. And that means interacting without mentioning your work. I know it may be hard...but seriously, people will come to you and investigate what you do if they like what they read on those forums.
My general rule of thumb for promoting a book is:
1 tweet per day to let people know I have a new release, generally for about a week after release. No more.
1 post on facebook for the same time and frequency.
1 post on my blog about my new release with excerpt
1 post on my blog pre-release to do a competition to win a copy of an impending release.
The rest of the time, I post other stuff on my blog, most of the time making fun of myself or about my observations in life. My most popular posts are those that have NOTHING to do with books. Tells you all something, doesn't it? I bet the majority of authors out there could say the same--unless they're very well known and no matter what they do they're going to sell squillions of books.
So there you have it, don't show too much ass--unless your partner wants you to and it will lead to the ordering of pizza ;)
Posted by Mark Alders. Posted In : General thoughts
I am Mark Alders, writer, intactivist, post office worker, and all round nice guy...except when someone steals my chocolate! I am a proud Australian, and as such use different spellings and have some weird phrases, too. Hey, perhaps that's why I write some damn weird shit!
I can't change who I am.
So when you read one of my books, enjoy the ride, but please don't say I can't spell. I spell how I damn well feel like it! LOL Naw seriously, I spell like an Aussie...do forgive me because we are a breed unto ourselves. Where else can a place have 11 registered public holidays and no one has any idea what they are for except to have a BBQ and down some beers!
If you do find a genuine error in my work, please let me know so I can speak with my editor...also, as an addition to that, offer chocolates as well. Lots of chocolates.
*hugs*
Mark
