Jessica Russell's Blog - Posts Tagged "books"
Networking! (But...with WHO?)
The term that means everything and nothing. Networking. It's important for sure. We all know THAT. But what does it mean exactly? Hmmm. Nobody really knows. Here's why. Networking, in reality, probably means something different to every person and no two "networks" are the same.
One BROAD definition of networking is "the action or process of interacting with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts."
So... Some people network to climb socially, some network to get clients, some network to sell something. However, there are what you might call "subdivisions." For example, for networking to sell something, you want to make sure you’re hitting the right demographic for the product you want to move. If, like me, you network at times to promote your novel, you want to network with the people who (drumroll) might enjoy that type of book. Not just book lovers in general. If you get too general, you waste a lot of time.)
Figure out the demographic, and half the battle is won.
The rest is just being a sociable person and being able to talk to people, be likable–even on those days you don’t feel like it–and subtly bring up your book (or the reason you are networking) WITHOUT OVERDOING IT. That way, if the person is interested, you may get a new reader, client etc., and if not, you may at least have a new business associate or even a friend–can always use another of THOSE. But either way it’s a win-win as long as you know who to target.
So be careful if you are just following a "they say you should" formula that might not be what you need. I wrote historical fiction, murder-mystery/romance. The fan base I want to build isn't going to be the same as that of a 25 year old who released a fantasy novel set in 2066. My demographic is primarily women–even though my book isn't a fluffy romance–but overall, I target women between 28-70, because stats show that's the primary demo for my novel.
Well, the moral of the story is...network in a way that will get you in touch, in any way, with the people most likely to be interested in what you want to share. It sounds simple, but when you sit down and work it out, you may find that you’ve been wasting a lot of time on “connecting” with people who don’t really share any interest in what you are promoting. Really scrutinize it, fine tune your market and you will get a lot more yield for a lot less blood, sweat and tears.
One BROAD definition of networking is "the action or process of interacting with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts."
So... Some people network to climb socially, some network to get clients, some network to sell something. However, there are what you might call "subdivisions." For example, for networking to sell something, you want to make sure you’re hitting the right demographic for the product you want to move. If, like me, you network at times to promote your novel, you want to network with the people who (drumroll) might enjoy that type of book. Not just book lovers in general. If you get too general, you waste a lot of time.)
Figure out the demographic, and half the battle is won.
The rest is just being a sociable person and being able to talk to people, be likable–even on those days you don’t feel like it–and subtly bring up your book (or the reason you are networking) WITHOUT OVERDOING IT. That way, if the person is interested, you may get a new reader, client etc., and if not, you may at least have a new business associate or even a friend–can always use another of THOSE. But either way it’s a win-win as long as you know who to target.
So be careful if you are just following a "they say you should" formula that might not be what you need. I wrote historical fiction, murder-mystery/romance. The fan base I want to build isn't going to be the same as that of a 25 year old who released a fantasy novel set in 2066. My demographic is primarily women–even though my book isn't a fluffy romance–but overall, I target women between 28-70, because stats show that's the primary demo for my novel.
Well, the moral of the story is...network in a way that will get you in touch, in any way, with the people most likely to be interested in what you want to share. It sounds simple, but when you sit down and work it out, you may find that you’ve been wasting a lot of time on “connecting” with people who don’t really share any interest in what you are promoting. Really scrutinize it, fine tune your market and you will get a lot more yield for a lot less blood, sweat and tears.
If it's Broke, FIX it
We’ve all heard the expression “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” That’s very true. However, sometimes it’s broken. Point blank. One mistake I see new authors make consistently, whether they’re writing a book, sales copy, web content, or any other type of material, is to keep going down a particular road when it’s not accomplishing anything. I see it over and over again and I fail to understand it!
There’s a lot to be said for not ever giving up. Nevertheless, sometimes the thing you are doing to try to achieve your goals just isn’t working and nothing is going to change that. Switching gears is not giving up!
You can’t get stuck on stubborn and think that your way to do something is the only way. This may sound a little silly, but think about the Wright brothers. When they were trying to invent the airplane, they were studying birds. So, their original plan was to make the wings of the plane go up and down like our fine feathered friends. If they had refused to acknowledge that that plan was failing, we would not have airplanes today.
Sometimes you just have to look at what you’re doing and evaluate whether or not it’s giving you any return on your money, efforts or both.
For example, something I harp on continuously is writers giving free books away. If you’re a year or more out from your book launch and you’re still running around handing out free copies of your book to try to stir up some interest, but you have very few sales, then you are doing nothing to further your career. Of course, that approach is doomed to failure anyway, but suppose you have a GOOD idea for a marketing plan? Or at least what you THOUGHT was a good idea, but months or years down the road your sales volume is very low. Clearly that plan is not working and you should troubleshoot to try to find out why and switch gears as soon as you can to get on a better track.
Sometimes there’s a lot of trial and error involved and there’s nothing wrong with that! The thing that’s WRONG is when you get fixated on “not giving up,” to the point where you refuse to acknowledge when something has failed. Lots of different approaches fail. And interestingly enough, some approaches work very well for certain authors but not so well for the next. That’s okay too. Find what’s best for you and run with it. But part of finding out what’s going to work also involves admitting what ISN’T working, and that’s very important as well. Therefore, never feel like you’re giving up because you need to move on to a different method or technique, it may be exactly what you need to do!
There’s a lot to be said for not ever giving up. Nevertheless, sometimes the thing you are doing to try to achieve your goals just isn’t working and nothing is going to change that. Switching gears is not giving up!
You can’t get stuck on stubborn and think that your way to do something is the only way. This may sound a little silly, but think about the Wright brothers. When they were trying to invent the airplane, they were studying birds. So, their original plan was to make the wings of the plane go up and down like our fine feathered friends. If they had refused to acknowledge that that plan was failing, we would not have airplanes today.
Sometimes you just have to look at what you’re doing and evaluate whether or not it’s giving you any return on your money, efforts or both.
For example, something I harp on continuously is writers giving free books away. If you’re a year or more out from your book launch and you’re still running around handing out free copies of your book to try to stir up some interest, but you have very few sales, then you are doing nothing to further your career. Of course, that approach is doomed to failure anyway, but suppose you have a GOOD idea for a marketing plan? Or at least what you THOUGHT was a good idea, but months or years down the road your sales volume is very low. Clearly that plan is not working and you should troubleshoot to try to find out why and switch gears as soon as you can to get on a better track.
Sometimes there’s a lot of trial and error involved and there’s nothing wrong with that! The thing that’s WRONG is when you get fixated on “not giving up,” to the point where you refuse to acknowledge when something has failed. Lots of different approaches fail. And interestingly enough, some approaches work very well for certain authors but not so well for the next. That’s okay too. Find what’s best for you and run with it. But part of finding out what’s going to work also involves admitting what ISN’T working, and that’s very important as well. Therefore, never feel like you’re giving up because you need to move on to a different method or technique, it may be exactly what you need to do!
Why Do We Do It?
During a completely unrelated episode in my life, where I had to just scratch my head and say to myself "why would somebody DO that?" I also started to think about why readers and writers do some of the crazy things they do.
For example, what on earth would drive someone to throw a full throttle hissy fit because a person didn't like a book that they liked? There are several books out there right now that have dyed in the wool cult followings and Heaven help ANYONE who indicates that they think those books are anything less than five-star.
Newsflash:
It's okay not to like a book.
Second Newsflash:
It's okay not to like a book that everyone else likes.
Third Newsflash:
It's okay not to like a book that got a celebrity endorsement or was the Book-of-the-Month according to a famous person.
Was that kind of silly the way I did that? Well that's exactly the way I scoff at the people I see practically throwing angry fits because a person didn't care for a particular book.
Everyone is different. If you say you don't like a book, you're not a "hater" who has something against the writer. You just didn't like the book!
If you say a book wasn't realistic enough for you, you don't need to be beaten down by a dozen people telling you that a book doesn't HAVE to be realistic to be enjoyable. You weren't contesting that. You were just saying it wasn't realistic enough for YOU. (You're allowed to do that.)
In this world of hatred and anger, sometimes we need to settle down and realize that what were getting mad about really doesn't matter. At the end of the day, what difference does it make to you if you liked a book and so-and-so didn't? These are the little things that make human beings human beings. Were not all the same.
So the next time someone says they didn't like Where the Crawdads Sing or Golden Girl, just remember...you don't have to go into a blind rage over it. Honest. Write on!
For example, what on earth would drive someone to throw a full throttle hissy fit because a person didn't like a book that they liked? There are several books out there right now that have dyed in the wool cult followings and Heaven help ANYONE who indicates that they think those books are anything less than five-star.
Newsflash:
It's okay not to like a book.
Second Newsflash:
It's okay not to like a book that everyone else likes.
Third Newsflash:
It's okay not to like a book that got a celebrity endorsement or was the Book-of-the-Month according to a famous person.
Was that kind of silly the way I did that? Well that's exactly the way I scoff at the people I see practically throwing angry fits because a person didn't care for a particular book.
Everyone is different. If you say you don't like a book, you're not a "hater" who has something against the writer. You just didn't like the book!
If you say a book wasn't realistic enough for you, you don't need to be beaten down by a dozen people telling you that a book doesn't HAVE to be realistic to be enjoyable. You weren't contesting that. You were just saying it wasn't realistic enough for YOU. (You're allowed to do that.)
In this world of hatred and anger, sometimes we need to settle down and realize that what were getting mad about really doesn't matter. At the end of the day, what difference does it make to you if you liked a book and so-and-so didn't? These are the little things that make human beings human beings. Were not all the same.
So the next time someone says they didn't like Where the Crawdads Sing or Golden Girl, just remember...you don't have to go into a blind rage over it. Honest. Write on!
No–It’s Actually NOT Just a Numbers Game
Beware when you first publish a book, because promotional offers will come out of the woodwork from far and wide. One of the most popular– probably because it’s the easiest for merchants to push– is the classic “I will tweet your book to 500,000 people,” or “I will advertise your book on my Instagram account to 5000 followers.”
It sounds great, right? Getting your book in front of all those eyes? Unfortunately, those ventures rarely work out. Here’s why:
It’s NOT just a numbers game. The issue is, who and what makes up the database? Many times, the followers to whom your book will be advertised are primarily other authors who want to advertise THEIR books. Well, you don’t need me to tell you that that particular demographic is NOT the one you’re looking for.
Unknown authors are the worst offenders when it comes to turning up their noses at OTHER unknown authors’ works, so you definitely don’t want to waste your time and money advertising to that demographic.
Before you get involved in any venture like that, ALWAYS ask the person soliciting WHO your book will be advertised to. The merchant should be able to show that they can target your demographic, whether you write fiction, nonfiction, mysteries, sci-fi, romance or any other type of book. It’s not just getting it in front of a lot of people, it’s getting it in front of the RIGHT people.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions and demand that they pinpoint the type of market to which the book will be advertised, and if they can’t answer that question, you should consider it a red flag. Write on!
It sounds great, right? Getting your book in front of all those eyes? Unfortunately, those ventures rarely work out. Here’s why:
It’s NOT just a numbers game. The issue is, who and what makes up the database? Many times, the followers to whom your book will be advertised are primarily other authors who want to advertise THEIR books. Well, you don’t need me to tell you that that particular demographic is NOT the one you’re looking for.
Unknown authors are the worst offenders when it comes to turning up their noses at OTHER unknown authors’ works, so you definitely don’t want to waste your time and money advertising to that demographic.
Before you get involved in any venture like that, ALWAYS ask the person soliciting WHO your book will be advertised to. The merchant should be able to show that they can target your demographic, whether you write fiction, nonfiction, mysteries, sci-fi, romance or any other type of book. It’s not just getting it in front of a lot of people, it’s getting it in front of the RIGHT people.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions and demand that they pinpoint the type of market to which the book will be advertised, and if they can’t answer that question, you should consider it a red flag. Write on!
