A Critical Marketing Secret: Don’t Go It Alone
By Jane Friedman | May 27, 2011 |
One of my favorite bestseller stories is from Tim Ferriss, author of The Four-Hour Workweek. Just about everyone was curious how he managed to hit No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list with his first book.
Here’s what Tim says in his infamous post, How Does a Bestseller Happen?
Before I began writing […] I cold-contacted and interviewed close to a dozen best-writing authors about their writing processes, followed by close to a dozen best-selling authors about their marketing and PR campaigns. I asked several questions of the latter group, but one of the assumption-busting home runs was: “What were the 1-3 biggest wastes of time and money?”
This led me to create a “not-to-do” list. Number one was no book touring or bookstore signings whatsoever. Not a one. All of the best-selling authors warned against this author rite of passage. I instead focused on the most efficient word-of-mouth networks in the world at the time—blogs. The path to seeding the ideas of 4HWW was then straight-forward: Go where bloggers go. … Build and maintain those relationships through your own blog, too.
Pop-quiz: Do you have to blog or know bloggers to have a successful, bestselling book?
NO!
Do you need to build relationships and share knowledge with successful or authoritative people (or organizations/businesses) in your community?
YES!
Tim’s first step is critical: He interviewed people who had achieved the level of success he wanted. He found out what worked for them. And he not only emulated it, but built critical relationships with those who were influential in spreading the word about his book.
You’ll find this kind of story played out again and again.
Dan Blank, in his excellent workshops for writers, offers similar advice. (The following quote is from his talk on blogging at the 2011 Writer’s Digest Conference, and applies not just to blogging, but to many online activities.)
Before you start blog, think about who’ll send you traffic. Know community players, who you’ll build relationships with. … Comment on other people’s blogs. Create a post as a response to someone’s blog, tweet, comment, or e-mail.
Dan practices what he preaches. Before he launched one of his first classes for writers, he and I had a series of conversations about what writers need, and how he could best serve his students. He didn’t jump into it without input, and he had a variety of people in the community (people who respect him, and vice versa) helping him spread the word about his class.
Tying all of this closer to home—and to the offline world—I read a recent article at Publishing Perspectives about how authors can best work with booksellers. Here’s a great tip from Katherine Weber that illustrates the value of reaching out and establishing relationships:
Ask the [bookstore’s] events manager if there are any book groups connected to the store or local library who should be told about your event. Offer to have coffee or a drink with the group, before or after your event.
I wonder how many book signings might turn out to be worthwhile (and succeed despite the advice Ferriss received) if authors devoted time and energy to bringing their own communities to—or creating communities around—those in-person events. I wonder how many signings turn out to be worthwhile long after the fact, due to sparking or sustaining valuable relationships and stronger networks.
Many times, when an author’s marketing efforts fail, it’s because they tried to go it alone. (Actually, even your writing efforts are apt to fail if you don’t have a mentor or trusted critique partner who can give you honest and constructive feedback.)
Relationships are critical, and often when you see a successful author, what you see are only the VISIBLE aspects of their content, their online presence, and their credibility. What you can’t see is all of the relationship-building and conversations that go on behind the scenes that contribute to a more impactful and amplified reach. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there.
But I guarantee that no successful author has gone it alone.
If you’re curious about building the visible and invisible aspects of your platform, then don’t miss my online class next week with Writer’s Digest.
Jane Friedman has more than 20 years in the publishing industry, with expertise in digital media and the future of authorship. She’s the co-founder and editor of The Hot Sheet, the essential industry newsletter for authors. You can find out more about her consulting services and online classes at her website, JaneFriedman.com.
Jane, Thanks for sharing this. Like most authors I know, I absolutely hate book signings. And, when granted anonymity with their answers, most book store folks do, as well. But you’ve added some advice that could turn these non-events productive.
As always, you offer wise counsel. Thanks.
“I guarantee that no successful author has gone it alone.”
I think this blog is perfect proof of that. WU is one of my fave communities. :)
Wonderful! At minimum we always have WU!
For @Richard (and everyone, as a P.S.) —
From a broad/generalized perspective, I agree that bookstore signings aren’t sustainable, at least the way they’re typically conducted.
But there will always be demand, from readers, to meet their favorite authors and enjoy some kind of personalized, intimate experience. Maybe such events happen in bookstores, maybe not.
Either way, authors (and their publishing partners) will more intelligently and strategically choose WHERE and WHEN to have signings. Some authors are already offering to visit cities and hold events where fans promise a sizeable turnout.
Again — it goes back to relationship building. It only makes sense that you would visit places where you already have a strong support network and the relationships in place to make the investment worthwhile.
I’ve been to a signings by famous authors where it’s been so empty there’s tumbleweeds blowing by. A signing isn’t promotion in its own right: authors need to promote their appearances in some way. And people aren’t going to come in droves to get their book signed by a little-known author unless there’s a good reason to.
Once again, a great post Jane. As I start to formulate my promotion plan for my upcoming memoir, The Next Fifteen Minutes, I’m planning on a book tour that includes the right demographics. My book is about my life as a ski patroller and how my experiences helped me endure my husband’s illness. So, I plan to visit bookstores in ski towns. Thanks for your practical ideas to make these events more effective.
I use online marketing tools primarily. I have a blog at http://www.danielcavallari.com as well as a Facebook page and a Twitter account; Goodreads.com tends to be the most useful marketing tool so far, and I’ll tell ya:
Signings are valuable if you are helping people find you online.
I hand out bookmarks with all the web addresses on them and I offer free or discounted purchases if the people who show up to my signings go online to my website. Signings are useful, but the smart writer needs to use them differently.
Also, they’re good for getting a bit of cash by selling a few copies. Sort of a side bonus. Usually pays for a nice dinner at least.
I don’t blog, and I’m not sure I ever will. The time/energy vs. payoff ratio leaves me in doubt. There are so many strong, wonderful voices out there, it would take something special to rise to the fore. I’m not down with accepting mediocrity, and I’m not sure I’m up to the effort I know it would take to rise above it.
What I can do, and have begun doing, is to be an active part of blogs and communities I respect, including this one. I love WU FB group member Cathy Yardley’s concept of self-promotion through contribution, outlined on her Rock Your Writing site. This is an active strategy I’m comfortable taking. I’m not sure I’ll ever have a bestseller, but I’ve never really aspired to that. I would like an ongoing career and continued growth. I don’t have a paying career yet, but I’ve already been blessed and enriched by those I’ve met through taking this path.
Good points. It’s so easy to convince ourselves that we’re ‘the’ rugged-individualist exception…
I love this post. I’m a publicist with Entangled Publishing, and I am not recommending book signings for my authors unless we’ve got a good relationship with the bookstore and a lot of hand-selling.
I also love the emphasis on building connections. Marketing can’t be done alone, at least, not effectively (and not if you want to keep your sanity intact!)
Thanks for a great article.
In Pasadena we’re fortunate to have a powerful, independent bookstore (Vroman’s: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/). Author appearances there are popular and well-attended. But I know it’s the exception to the rule.
I read an interview with a publishing professional (wish I could remember who and where) who said if we don’t want book tours to disappear, we have to go out and support them. I really enjoy meeting authors and hearing them talk. I hope book tours don’t go the way of the dinosaurs.
Great post Jane! Thanks for sharing your tips with us! Love the info, support and comraderie at WU!
@Dan Cavallari: I had not thought of offering discounts to people who find you online after attending a signing, but it’s a fantastic idea! How do you do it? Do the bookmarks have a coupon code or something similar, or do you just trust that people are telling the truth about attending?
As Jane Friedman said, there will always be demand from fans to meet their favorite authors; in any arena, people want chances to meet the celebrities they admire. This might not mean small bookstore signings, though, although they could still be useful for pointing out your online presence. One thing I’d like to know from published authors: do you find you tend to do better at conventions, where fans are attending because there are a lot of things that interest them and it’s easier to just stop by your table? I’m sure the size of the convention is a factor, but every signing I’ve attended at one has seemed to have a decent turnout, and if the author had appeared on a panel with other writers, they seem to attract new fans that way.
Great post! I agree that book signings are a waste of time if there isn’t some kind of community organized around the signing. I’ve had wonderful signings in communities where I live and have lived. I have a built-in community in those regions and people bring their friends. Other good signings have been at writing conferences and festivals where, again, there is already community interest. The worst ones are when you don’t know anybody and nobody knows you are coming! Those are the times I felt like I was at an information desk. People had no idea what I was doing there. Talk about AWKWARD. :-)
Good info! My problem at the moment is that blogger isn’t posting my comments on some blogger-hosted blogs. Not good, is it?
Great post! As an unpublished author, I’m doing whatever I can to get myself out there and build relationships. I’m learning that I don’t need to tweet about writing all the time or ask questions; I just need to join in and chat as I would in “real life.” I’m not going to support someone I don’t know just because they tweet links or word counts, so why should I expect them to support me?
I’ve also began participating in flash fiction, which is a great way to get new readers to your blog and get your writing out there.
As I’m still getting my feet wet with the whole social media thing, I’m looking forward to checking out Cathy Yardley’s site. Thanks for the link.
Great post, Jane!
Thanks Jane. Great article and as usual good timing.
Going it alone is what I have been doing as I am generally not an out there social or self promoting person. I don’t have a support network but I do have my website, blog, twitter, Facebook etc and feed it some content, but do people listen….?
This definitely needs fixing.
Having a non mainstream topic (spiritual fiction) makes it harder to find the target market but finding my promoting voice like you have and refining/defining my strategy becomes the priority.
Thanks for the motivation.
Regards
George
Love this post. Buzz is such an illusive thing to deliberately create. The more I read about it, the more magical it seems. Like the universe has to agree on synchronicity on your behalf.
(Okay, too late at night for me to be commenting on blogs, as I’m usually not so fanciful–at least not in public :)
A bookseller once told me that it’s not about how many people show up at your booksigning, it’s about establishing a relationship with the bookseller who will then handsell all those autographed copies you left behind during the coming week. And, if you make a good impression, will handsell your next book because they have that personal connection.
I love this post and will definitely be paying it some attention in my own desire to succeed.
Thanks Jane for this great post. Writing can be a solitary life if we let it. Marketing is another part of the business a writer has to learn and keep up with. The way to get a reputation (either good or bad) is through word of mouth and nowadays that’s through social media. I do facebook and twitter and I have a blog where I post once a week. Is that enough social networking? Probably not, but there is no need to go it alone with a world network available. After all, if Facebook and Twitter could help fuel a revolution think of what it can do for you.
Thank you!
I needed this post right now.
A reminder to actually get out and talk to people instead of lurking around the Internet as I am wont to do :-)
Thank you so much for this post! Such helpful food for thought . . . and I’m always hungry.
When I started writing I wasn’t aware of ANY of this, i.e. writing communities, blogging, Twitter, FB. Now that I’m a member of several RWA online groups and spend time reading other people’s blogs and commenting, I don’t feel so alone. There is a great deal of support I’ve received online from “virtual” friends that I would never, ever have without the online community. And I’m so grateful the internet exists because writing is such a solitary endeavor and one can get mired in self-doubt and misinformation without it.
Patti
In the short time I’ve been blogging, I’ve been amazed, pleasantly so, at how it can be a way to forge meaningful relationships, not only with other writers across the country, but with local writers whom I’ve since met in person. It’s not something that comes automatically, though, nor immediately.
This post is a keeper. Thanks, Jane!
Thanks Jane for the great advice! As always, you’ve nailed it right on the head: it’s all about relationship-building!
Just a question: don’t you think that book-signing events are on their way down in part because of the rise of ebooks? Bookstores are closing (vide Borders) and if not closing, they have to start thinking of doing things differently. And the classic book signing event is likely to go out the door, or to have to be rethought into some kind of other event that would include other, additional activity (I’m not sure what). What’s your take on this? I’d love to know!
I think part of the decision to do readings–or not–depends on the bookstore itself. I’m lucky to live in a place with (still) quite a few small and supportive independent bookstores, but also, like Petrea, a large independent bookstore, in my case, Powell’s. Powell’s often has two or even three simultaneous readings in their Portland bookstores. Their readings are generally well attended and often have long lines waiting for signings and a word with the author. No surprise. Powell’s has good promotion, which makes a Powell’s reading valuable: the authors’ books on display before and after readings (front windows, bookshelves in front of the reading space or close at hand, including past and future featured books), preferred placement in the store, posters on windows, an e-mail service of events (with short book descriptions), events calendar and author interviews on website and separate book newsletter, enthusiastic introductions by store staff, and, of course, more books ordered than they might order otherwise. Even if no one came to the reading, the exposure would be worth the time and trouble. Making a decision about out-of-town readings or any venue you’re not familiar with brings up a question. Other than websites or a savvy publicist, how does one learn enough about the practices and usual results of the venue to make a cost-benefit analysis?
Rosemary Lombard’s last blog: “The Year of the Turtle and World Turtle Day”
I follow Tim Ferris – he has a bright mind and I have bought his first book the 4hww.
I closely followed his supreme efforts on the second book to get it to the #1. position, but I can’t see myself repeating that campaign. Besides my Grandma’s arm doesn’t twist that far without snapping.
Looking forward to your webinar.
@Claude – It does seem likely that the “bookstore signing,” in its most traditional sense, is neither desirable nor sustainable. But as I said in an earlier comment, I don’t think fans’ desire to meet authors will go away. So there will likely be some kind of personalized/intimate experience, just maybe not at a bookstore, and maybe not involving a print book signing (in the traditional sense).
@Rosemary – Very much agree that the bookstore itself (its promotion/publicity strength and outreach) determines some of the success. I think the best way to find out if a venue is worthwhile is to ask a set of authors who’ve appeared there in the last 6-12 months.
Jane – awesome advice again! I tend to lose my passion for the writing process b/c it can be long and drawn out but I have been going after best selling authors as Tim did, to seek their advice on the writing process. Glad to know I’m doing something ‘write’! ;-) (Ps – I am almost finished w/ The Future of Publishing so will be reviewing it on my blog soon! MO
I wonder, too, if writers (and bookstores or other venues) might benefit from ideas independent musicians have used, such as two or three people appearing together or read, or two discuss a topic, a local author pairing with a national or regionally known one, offer a talk on a topic related to a book’s topic, rather than a reading…
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