Discoverability

by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

a modern marketing buzzword. For writers, discoverability means the difference between gaining an audience and publishing into the void. Now, USA Today bestselling author and renowned business blogger Kristine Kathryn Rusch deftly tackles the topic of discoverability in this latest WMG Writers’ Guide.Rusch covers topics such as when to hire help, how to measure success and the most important thing a writers can do. With Discoverability, Rusch offers professional writers the most comprehensive guide available today to help them make an informed decision about the best marketing approaches for their writing businesses. “The bible for the self-employed.”—John Ottinger III, teacher and editor of Grasping for the Wind, on The Freelancer’s Survival Guide“A soup-to-nuts guide for business. Don’t be without it.”—Virginia Baker, President, Indigo Ink Communications, on The Freelancer’s Survival Guide“Not many people understand the publishing business as well as the author business—Kris Rusch is one of them. Her Freelancer’s Survival Guide is balanced, ambitious, and packed with information that all writers, editors, and publishers should read.”—Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times bestselling author, on The Freelancer’s Survival“[Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s blog,] The Business Rusch…is full of sound advice and analysis about what's going on.”—Jeff Baker, The Oregonian

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Business

ebook

First published October 13, 2014

About the author

Kristine Kathryn Rusch is an award-winning mystery, romance, science fiction, and fantasy writer. She has written many novels under various names, including Kristine Grayson for romance, and Kris Nelscott for mystery. Her novels have made the bestseller lists –even in London– and have been published in 14 countries and 13 different languages.

Her awards range from the Ellery Queen Readers Choice Award to the John W. Campbell Award. In the past year, she has been nominated for the Hugo, the Shamus, and the Anthony Award. She is the only person in the history of the science fiction field to have won a Hugo award for editing and a Hugo award for fiction.

In addition, she's written a number of nonfiction articles over the years, with her latest being the book "A Freelancer's Survival Guide".

She has also published as:
Sandy Schofield (collaborations with husband Dean Wesley Smith)
Kristine Grayson - romances
Kathryn Wesley (collaborations with husband Dean Wesley Smith)
Kris Nelscott - mysteries
Kris Rusch - historical fiction
Kris DeLake - romances

Reviews

[Theresa Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over and over again, Rusch says that she’s writing this book for writers who already have a few books in a series and a backlist. She repeats that the best marketing is to write your next book. Even if you have only one book out whether it’s traditionally published or indie published, I think she offers sound advice for how to spend your time—are you going to spend money and time on things that don’t produce sales or are you going to write? Also, even if you’re a newbie to publishing, her ideas might help you think about your career in the longer term.

The marketing practices for traditional publishing are all about getting a lot of sales quickly to launch your book onto bestseller lists, which can then be used as free marketing (it means a lot when you can say you’re a New York Times bestseller). Rusch encourages you to think of books not as something that go stale like bread, although if you have the rights to your book, you may need to get new covers every five to ten years so as not to look dated—because if your book is aimed at 30-year-olds, ten years from now there will be a whole new crop of 30-year-olds who have never heard of you, so you’re new to them.

She discourages you from hiring a publicist since there is little they can do and their cost is exorbitant.

I disagree with her that publishing houses don’t have brand loyalty. Yes, I buy books based on my interests and whether I’m a fan of the author, but if the author is new to me, having a good publishing house behind them makes me think the writer must have something going for her if she can land a deal with a major house. I’ve been burned a few times buying self-published books that needed much more editing, primarily for plot inconsistencies and quality of writing.

I’m traditionally published. A few years ago I went to a conference and heard great things about self-publishing. Then I heard bad things about going indie. Her book has made me reconsider possibly trying out the indie route—maybe I will try it someday. In any case I did like her thoughts on what has and has not worked for her and other writers.

[Iola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the books I’ve read about marketing books (such a mouthful!) have either been written by self-published non-fiction authors, or self-published fiction authors who have branched into non-fiction. Few have been written by fiction authors, and none by authors with Rusch’s publishing pedigree. She’s traditionally published in a range of genres under a number of pen names, and has been working in and around the publishing industry for a long time in a range of roles. When she says:

“Traditional publishers don’t know—and have never known—how to get books in the hands of readers.”
I believe her. She explains how traditional publishers have focused on getting books in stores, not attracting readers (on that basis, is it any surprise so many books don’t make money?). She then quotes a blog commenter as saying:

“Publishing is the only business in which marketing is an entry level position.”
Rusch comments, “Yeah, and it shouldn’t be”. However, the fact that marketing is an entry level position, probably populated by interns and graduates in English or Creative Writing, means that the savvy independent author had a good chance of doing a better job simply by learning some of the concepts and principles of marketing, and being prepared to experiment (the publishing intern won’t experiment. She’ll do exactly as she’s told in order to keep her job—even if what she’s told is what failed last time).

The advice in Discoverability is focusing on fiction writers with an extensive backlist of titles, and who are prepared to market their books like any business would market a consumer product (she’s got no time for authors who think books are like babies). Her advice is simple:

“Write well. Do your passive marketing correctly. Write a lot. Very simple to say. Very hard to do. “
She goes on to explain in detail what she means by passive marketing, and how all the marketing she does has to pass the WIBBOW test: Would I Be Better Off Writing? Most of the time, the answer is yes.

She discusses a lot of marketing tactics, explaining why she would (or wouldn’t) recommend them, and makes strong points about defining success for any marketing programme, and measuring the results.

Discoverability isn’t going to appeal to some authors: those who believe the best way to be “discovered” is to give your book away, to spam your Twitter followers. What she has to offer is no-nonsense advice based on years of experience.

Recommended for those who want to leverage their backlist titles to sell better—and those who want to pick up ideas for when they eventually get that backlist!

[Nicholas Kotar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cold shower of a book. One you should come back to again and again if you're serious about a career in writing.

[Monalisa Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of actionable items and insights into planning for success. One of the best (if not the best) insights into getting your fiction in front of the right audience (fans), by an expert and veteran of the industry. Highly recommended, whether you are self-published or not. There are things in this book many self-published authors may not want to hear, but they are all things that they should be aware of.

[Karen Morrissey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm an indie publisher of mostly other people's work, and I found this book very helpful. It speaks to a topic not well covered by other sources: how to market specifically fiction. The two most useful things I learned from Rusch about marketing fiction were:
- the difference between passive and active marketing activities
- that the most effective long-term marketing activity for a fiction writer is to keep writing and publishing

I bought this book as part of a NaNoWriMo bundle, and for me, this book was worth the price of the entire bundle.

[Miguel Ángel Alonso Pulido · Rating 5 out of 5]

Los libros de Kristine Kathryn Rusch deberían ser una lectura obligada para todo escritor independiente. Si su Freelancer's Survival Guide ya era un libro muy recomendable, Discoverability es simplemente imprescindible para los que queremos vivir de la escritura. El libro está lleno de reflexiones y consejos para los escritores independientes, y también para los publicados de forma tradicional, acerca de cómo hacer que los lectores puedan descubrir tus libros. Cuestiones como los tipos de lectores o los antiguos métodos de promoción junto a capítulos dedicados al precio, el branding o las redes sociales convierten este título en una lectura obligatoria para todos los que queremos desarrollar una carrera como escritores y vivir de nuestros libros en el mundo de la autopublicación. Cinco estrellas es poco.

[Karen Heenan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would I be better off writing!

This is the entire, and very useful, premise. This book is helpful in that it sets out - very clearly - what no longer works in book marketing, and what sometimes has never worked but the traditional publishing system has never stopped using. At every juncture, the reader is reminded that the most important thing for discoverability is to write the next book. Thinking outside the box and treating each book individually also gets its due. I think I won't know how much I've gotten from this book for some time.

[Chris Syme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing beats writing good books to sell more books. If only it was that simple for indie authors. Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s new book Discoverability is by far the best resource I have read to date to help indie authors succeed after the book is written.

As a matter of fact, there is so much in this book that I won’t be able to give it justice in this review. Let’s start with her pedigree. As an award winning author, she writes in just about every genre, maintains an industry standard blog, is a prolific short story writer, and runs a publishing company with her husband and fellow writer, Dean Wesley Smith. She has been around the block…several times.

I want to start with some bedrock concepts from this book that bust a couple myths indie authors seem very fond of.

1. Indie authors cannot promote their books following the traditional publishing model. Traditional published books usually have a livelihood of 90 days. This forces traditional publishers to market their books in competitive and ill-thought out methods. Indie authors have books with an indefinite shelf life, which gives them a multitude of marketing options that traditional publishers do not have.

2. There is no thing as “one-size-fits-all” marketing. A strategic mix of factors including reader habits, purpose of promotion (and there are many options), time, resources, and comfort levels that determine how books should be promoted. I am thankful she is banging the gong of strategic, planned campaign marketing—something a lot of indie resources are missing big time. On top of all that, there is the WIBBOW test to apply: would I be better off writing? Know thyself.

She describes books as assets. Yes, they are art. Yes, they are products. But when we approach the promotion side of being an author, view them as assets. It’s a different, but necessary mindset.

Pay close attention to the chapter on types of readers. This information is key to choosing your marketing strategies and setting price. She writes, “Marketing one way to all readers—whether it’s free or inexpensive, ignores how complex readers as consumers really are.” So true.

She talks about the old ways and news ways of marketing—what works and what might be a waste of time (book signings). But, the bottom line is, what is your goal? That dictates your marketing. If it’s just sell as many books as fast as you can, you may be ignoring many good opportunities to sell more books.

The book divides marketing into two basic types: passive and active. There’s plenty of advice on both types. But the bottom line is, one-size-for-all marketing is a mistake. You have to find your comfort zone, and it needs to intersect with a successful strategy that always up against WIBBOW.

Discoverability is key for indie authors. Just pick up a copy.

[Adam Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book on marketing and getting discovered as a writer that I'm not sure has ever been written before. But boy is it good, with lots of practical and helpful advice. Now, Rusch is writing for writers with a blacklist of novels (10 or more) and I'm not quite there yet, but I will be soon, so this is stuff I'm planning ahead for. This will basically be my discoverability bible, and it is comprehensive. Get it.

[Gillian Kevern · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those authors with such a clean, unobtrusive style, that you barely notice you are reading a book about marketing. Good advice for fiction authors!

[Vito · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been following Dean Wesley Smith for quite some time and while I knew his wife, Kris, was a tremendous fiction writer, it was only recently I peered into her blog.

Holy crap am I ever feeling stupid for not reading it sooner.

Within two posts, I immediately went to her non-fiction books and purchased this one. Yes, I know it's a series of posts on her blogs that were re-configured for book format, but the information inside is absolutely worth the cost. You're not only buying action oriented advice from someone who's been in the field for decades, you're also buying the wisdom that comes from it.

Discoverability is more than just putting your book in front of a reader. It's a whole world more and if there's one thing I really appreciated is Rusch's admittance that not everything works all the time. She speaks to how different strategies work, when they work and the results that come from it, but leaves it to the reader to put in the work and find out what works for them.

The biggest strategy?

Ask yourself the following question: Would I be better off writing? (WIBBOW)

In almost all instances, the answer is yes.

While simple to say, the explanation for why makes perfect sense. It's enough of a kick in the pants to get you back in the chair and churning out the next story.

You can feel the many years experience on every page of this book, which is why I will be working my way through her library in the upcoming months. There's just so much good insight.

[Alexandria Blaelock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ms Rusch warned me that I'm not ready for many of the techniques in this book, and she was right, but I read it anyway. And I am so relieved to read a marketing book that encourages me to think like a reader, not a writer, and comforted to know that I'm heading in the "right" direction. Not to mention the reminder that overall, you're probably better off working on your next project than doing a bunch of marketing stuff you don't enjoy.

But I wish there was an index so I can go back and refresh the bits that become more important as my body of work grows.

[Cora Foerstner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

Although a few things in Discoverability are dated, for me, this is a five stars book. The dated stuff is obvious. Her ideas are practical, eye opening, and suit my introverted personality. I had so many epiphanies as I read that I plan on rereading this in January.

Also, some authors aren’t going to agree with her opinions and suggestions. So go into the book aware Rusch will often go against commonly accepted advice in the publishing world. I’m not completely agreeing with everything she says, but I’m willing to test her ideas.

[DoodleBug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the topics were a little vague (social media, for example) and some topics that should've been covered weren't.

All in all, Discoverability provides a solid overview of the many ways writers can help their books find readers. I'll be coming back to this one again and, in fact, recommend that new authors begin their forays into marketing with this easy-to-understand book.

[Dani Jorgensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

I enjoyed the approach to marketing in this book, "Would I Be Better Off Writing?" It really puts into perspective what marketing we do as authors and if it's worth the time and energy. I began to implement the advice as I read.

[Joslyn Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sensible direction for sustainable book marketing

No hype, overwhelming mandates, or band wagons. Just straightforward information and advice for getting books on the market and planning for long term success. Highly recommended!

[Terry Freedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Discoverability is a how-to guide on how to be discovered by readers. It is aimed at the self-publishing author of fiction books, but much of the advice is applicable to non-fiction writers too. In fact, much could even be valuable to those who decide to go with traditional publishers.

I appreciated the advice in the book, which I thought was very useful. The author has a wealth of experience in publishing, writing and self-publishing, and so she speaks with the voice of authority.

There is a wealth of information in the book, which on the whole is very readable. I foundmyself wanting to read the next bit each time I reached the end of a chapter.

Three pieces of advice stood out for me. First, the best way of getting your book discovered is to write another book. I've read lots of books about using social media, having a mailing list and guest blogging to name but three devices, but this was the first time I'd read that writing the next book is of paramount importance. Once you've been told that, and had a chance to digest it, it makes perfect sense.

Second, Rusch cites the acronym penned by Scott William Carter: WIBBOW, which stands for Would I be better off writing? It's the same concept as the economists' one of opportunity cost, but applied to writing. In a nutshell, while you're busy updating your Facebook status, or trying to create a good cover design, would you not be better off doing what you're really good at and which, ultimately, is going to earn the money, ie writing?

Third, she says that you have to decide early on whether you're going to promote yourself, or your work. Promoting yourself will potentially earn you nice speaking fees -- while you're in demand. On the other hand, promoting your work is arguably more likely to result in a steady income stream from royalties over the long term.

I found this especially helpful because it made me realise that I had, in fact, made that decision a long time ago, unconsciously. I am always berating myself for not being more self-promotional, but to be honest I don't feel very comfortable doing so. Like many people, I think it is, or can come across as, too egotistical. But on the other hand, I still come across people who remember a book I wrote nearly 20 years ago, and which helped them, and many people know of my writing through magazine articles, my blogs and newsletter -- which I have no problem promoting at all. Reading about the choice between self-promotion and works-promotion made me feel vindicated in my (unconscious) choice.

There are other insights in the book too, and what all of them have in common is that they stimulate the "Of course! That's so obvious. Why didn't I see it before?" response.

I should mention a couple of things I found supremely irritating, if only to get them off my chest.

First, I found that some of the explanations went on far too long. One in particular seemed to go on forever. I suppose it's good that the author takes such pains to make sure the reader understands something, but I became impatient and ended up skimming pages quite rapidly.

Second, occasionally I felt like I was being lectured at, a feeling that was reinforced by being addressed as "folks" or "some of you reading this...". As far as I know there is only one of me, and I'm not a folk, so in this sense I did feel that the book lacked the personal touch.

However, these are stylistic irritations, and as I tell other people who get irritated by such superficial things: get over it. The important thing is that the advice in the book is excellent, and I will be returning to it many times.

A piece of advice that I am not sure about. This isn't an irritation, just a question mark. Rusch says that you shouldn't ask readers to review your book if they liked it. If they liked it, they will. If they didn't, your pleading won't change their minds. True enough, I suppose, but a part of me thinks that a gentle nudge might remind people to post a review on Amazon. I don't know that I have enough courage to ignore the advice of every other book marketing book I've read. Perhaps when I have two new books out there, I'll insert a review request/suggestion in one and not the other. Hardly a scientific test, but one that may prove interesting nevertheless.

If you want to learn about what works and what doesn't work in the realm of being discovered, buy this book.

Cross-posted at http://www.writersknowhow.org/article...

[James Cardona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this is the book I've been looking for! What a wealth of solid, real-world information!

One disclaimer is that this book would be most helpful for someone who has already written at least a few books and has done all the obvious and basic stuff like setting up a website, having a professional looking book cover and actually written good quality books (she gives a list).

So you've come to this place where you've done all of that; you've written multiple books and they're quite good, but readers are just not finding you. What do you do? If you visit writer's message boards and read multiple other books on this topic, as I have, there is no end to the things you can do: blog tours, book tours, purchase advertising, send to book blogs, tweeting, facebook and social media and on and on.

But what works?

This is where this book is so great and where Rusch excels. She not only describes many strategies, both passive and active, but also gives her opinion (and at times empirical data) on whether the strategy is worth the time and effort. Yes, any and all of those strategies can work. But here's the question: would your time be more productive and profitable if you forgo the strategy and just write? This was a tremendous eye opener for me as I saw that for almost all of the active (read: time consuming) strategies, we and our readers are better off if we spend our precious writing time actually writing more content.

I highly suggest this great book for the person who has written at least a few books and is looking to increase the amount of readers who discover their work.

[Chris Boutté · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good book that I think all indie writers should check out. Rusch provides some pretty good arguments for why self-publishing is a better option for most people in this day and age, and her opinion is based off of years of experience. I enjoy her style too because I'm the type of person who responds to "tough love", and that's exactly what Rusch provides in this book. 

My only critique is no fault of the author. I though the book was primarily going to be about getting your work in front of the right audience. While there are some sections on this topic, this is a more all-encompassing book for authors, and she has some strategies that I'm definitely going to try. Although her primary audience for this book is fiction authors, as a non-fiction writer, I can see many of these methods being useful.

2nd read:
Since I’ve been getting back into writing and self-publishing some more books, I wanted to give this book another read. Kristine is not only a fantastic author, but she does a great job educating other writers about the do’s and don’ts based on her years of experience. This book breaks down what every writer should know in order to have their book seen by the right audience. Kristine is blunt and has no problem telling you where she thinks you’re wasting your time and how you should focus your attention while marketing your book. If you’re a writer, self-published or working witha publisher, you should definitely read this book.

[Ellen Bard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book from Kristine Kathryn Rusch telling it like it is around how to approach marketing for authors. She has a substantial understanding of the market, and with experience on all sides - trad publishing, indie publishing, editing, writing etc - she is well placed to share useful, practical advice for authors. This book is written more for authors with a good few books under their belt, and so more of the advice will be useful for those in that position, but is nonetheless a useful resource of things to be thinking about for any author,

[Juli Monroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are lots of books out there about how to market your book. Some of them are good. Some aren’t. Discoverability is one of the best I’ve read, and I appreciate it because it looks at writing as a business, not as a way to game a system to make sales quickly. Since one of my day jobs is as a business coach, that appeals to me.

Full review on TeleRead http://www.teleread.com/book-review/b...

[David Macpherson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very readable book on how to market your book. I am not marketing any books but she writes so well and its such a natural voice that I really can dive into any of her non-fiction. It has a lot of smart thoughts about marketing. It is a very good book that can be read just for enjoyment and not just to learn about book marketing.

[Parker Avrile · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a free book but I personally don't feel it had much to say to me as a new writer in 2016. If an editor and a writer of many decades can't get her own Amazon rankings any higher than this, it makes me despair for the rest of us!

[Mary Hiker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth Reading

Lots of good information for writers here. I will be adjusting a few things in my business because of it.

[Carl Grafe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was pretty good - mostly common sense but very helpful for setting expectations and knowing that you don't have to do it all or what everyone else is doing. Good information.

[Dean Kutzler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Advice

The perfect book for anyone that is looking to learn the fitness of book marketing the right way... No spamy - scamy here!!! Just good, tried and true methods.

[Alisa Kester · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE best book on book marketing I've found to date.

[Cecily Paterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

The best thing I take from this is that its important to just keep writing. After all, it's what I'm best at. I also liked her take on the trad pub models of marketing.

[Lucas Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely a must for new author to read this book.

[Tracey Alvarez]

DNF