Jessica Russell's Blog - Posts Tagged "links"
Writers Lifts and Shameless Self Promos: Huh?
I know that I’m going to get a lot of flak for this post. Therefore, if you’re the type of person who cannot read something you disagree with without getting enraged, then I humbly request that you stop reading now.
I see so many people on Twitter and other social media sites declaring that they are doing a “writers lift” or a “shameless self promo” and they call for authors to drop the links to their books, which they do by the score. I appreciate what these people are trying to do, but mentally I am screaming “what’s the point?”
That’s because, unfortunately, the primary people who are going to see those links are other unknown authors. Well, I’m not including myself, because I buy, read and review a lot of work by unknown writers, but most of us don’t. In fact, unknown authors are the absolute worst when it comes to turning up their noses at works by other unknown writers.
Most do the very thing they don’t want done to them. They say to themselves “how good could it be? it’s an unknown author.”
With regard to promotions, it’s just as important to find out what DOESN’T work as it is to figure out what DOES. Advertising your book to other writers who are struggling to become known is probably, in my humble opinion, a major waste of time. You need to get your book in front of readers who are willing to take a chance on a new author.
It’s far better to join groups and network with book lovers in general, or groups of readers who enjoy your specific genre. Those are great places to drop your link for a bit of exposure.
Of course, to get serious traction, you do have to spend money on advertising. Where you do the advertising depends on various factors, such as your personal budget, and the demographic you hope to reach. However, advertising your book to other writers who are focused on advertising THEIR books is not really the best place for your time and effort. It’s not about how many people you reach, it’s about reaching the ones who will actually buy, read and hopefully review your book. Write on!
I see so many people on Twitter and other social media sites declaring that they are doing a “writers lift” or a “shameless self promo” and they call for authors to drop the links to their books, which they do by the score. I appreciate what these people are trying to do, but mentally I am screaming “what’s the point?”
That’s because, unfortunately, the primary people who are going to see those links are other unknown authors. Well, I’m not including myself, because I buy, read and review a lot of work by unknown writers, but most of us don’t. In fact, unknown authors are the absolute worst when it comes to turning up their noses at works by other unknown writers.
Most do the very thing they don’t want done to them. They say to themselves “how good could it be? it’s an unknown author.”
With regard to promotions, it’s just as important to find out what DOESN’T work as it is to figure out what DOES. Advertising your book to other writers who are struggling to become known is probably, in my humble opinion, a major waste of time. You need to get your book in front of readers who are willing to take a chance on a new author.
It’s far better to join groups and network with book lovers in general, or groups of readers who enjoy your specific genre. Those are great places to drop your link for a bit of exposure.
Of course, to get serious traction, you do have to spend money on advertising. Where you do the advertising depends on various factors, such as your personal budget, and the demographic you hope to reach. However, advertising your book to other writers who are focused on advertising THEIR books is not really the best place for your time and effort. It’s not about how many people you reach, it’s about reaching the ones who will actually buy, read and hopefully review your book. Write on!
