Wednesday Writerly Way ~ Online is Easy

Marketing online is easy with social media, right? I mean there are tons of sites that you can promote your books as an author. Is there such a thing as being online too much? How do you know you are reaching your target audience?

I'm on MySpace, GoodReads, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, SheWrites, belong to a large number of writerly sites for authors and readers alike, and follow blogs when written. If I spent any number of hours on these sites I'd never get any writing done on any WIP. Besides there are tons of indie and traditional authors doing the same thing...get to know me, howdy, I wrote a book, buy my book blurbs in 140 characters or less, and websites and blogs. It's a disorganized mess out there with tons of competition. So what's my angle?

I've been accused a time or two of having Montezuma's Revenge of the mouth...talking too much. My blog isn't any different. While most blogging experts say to keep blogs short and sweet, I do just the opposite. My blogs are meaty chunks of succulent details that you can't help but sink your teeth into and come back for seconds. The only thing short about me is my stature, but then only if I'm not riled up because I can get ten feet tall and in your face if the circumstances warrant it. I've made full grown, good old boys cower in fear. My blog is my perfect platform for my condition and it works for me.

Those other places, I check in weekly unless there is an event going on. I get weekly digests of who said what and when that happened while I was away. I do spent quite a bit of time, several times a day, in emails. There may be a three week backlog in my answering you back.  I'm there but not there. They are my silent salesmen working 24/7 just like this blog does. My Amazon author space and Smashwords is updated automatically as I publish. My blogs and twitter comments are posted on several site usually within twenty-four hours of posting them...I'm all about double or triple duty uses with one effort. That's because I have a life too, don't we all?

Be it tenacity or pure mule headed stubbornness, however you cut it. We as indie authors face the same challenges without a Big 6 publisher holding our hand or offering support. We have our own support and hand holding network of friends and authors...like Indelibles and a host of other sites.

So how much of an online presence do you need? A lot, but if you can find options that allow double duty for the same action, grab it and run. I'm averaging 5,000 to 10,000 hits a month on this blog so for me its exposure. If everyone that stopped by bought even one of my books, I'd be rolling in money. I realize the more likely number from sales is 10% of that. I spend a lot of time doing the analytics thing. I analyze what is the best use for my money and time is money. Although the experts say that blogging doesn't relate to book sales I beg to differ...mine does. In each of my books there is a section in the about author that I add contact information. Yep, this website is listed. It works for me. I can see the numbers.

I did something really smart or very stupid during the Smashwords "Read an e-book" promotion. I set all my books for free except one. Over 100 books flew into people's e-reader formats. But Jo, that's money out of your pocket. Yes, it is. I advertised the sale everywhere listed above, but only 100 books were downloaded. That's good news and bad by my calculations. I really expected the number to be higher on the bad side of the scale considering it was five titles. Conversely, my sales to B&N and Apple accounted for 200 books paid for tipping the scales the other way. So I lost some money during the promotion but made twice as much in sales in other areas...go figure. It was a gambled risk that worked out. Sometimes an author just wants to see what happens and to get books into readers' hands.

Seeing how I advertised the sale everywhere along with quite a few other authors the numbers of downloads didn't sway the numbers too much. So the question I pose is why spend hours upon hours promoting a book online? Use your time and resources wisely. I know I do.

Keep writing and loving the Lord.

Monday Mailbox ~ Online Presence

As my leg bounces up and down, clonus, as I type,  I wonder if my being online is worth it all and long for the days when I could just write. I spend on average of 60 hours online per week between blogs, promotion, emails, writer forums, research, and games. That's more time than a full-time job. Or at least a standard job. I've never been lucky enough to have a 40-hour work week.

That leads us into your question for today.

How much time is enough when building an online presence? You are everywhere. How do you keep track of it all? LC

Start small and grow it bigger. I started with forums and blogging. To build an audience the forums are great. You just have to invest a few hours a week commenting and posting. If people like what you have to say, they'll follow your blog. This is where links comes in. I put them everywhere. They are in my email signatures, my forum signatures, my books, my author pages, etc.

For forums I belong to quite a few. Mainly the Compuserve Books & Writers, GoodReads, and SheWrites. Keep in mind that there are forums within forums. Join as many or as few as you think you can follow that pertain to information or promotion. There are many I do frequent but it's not a life long quest. It's a question of balance. I could spend hours in these places, but it would not allow me to create and that's why I joined these forums to begin with. I always keep in mind why I'm doing what I'm doing and "because" isn't a good enough reason.

My blog is my lifeline to readers and writers alike. I've got about an even distribution between the two where once it was more skewed to the writers. It's a place I can be me the expert and the novice, the doubtful and the assured, the comedian or the crybaby, the tunnel is black and goes on forever and the hope giver because the end of that tunnel is near.

I can't be in two places at once. I'm only human, but I can be with emails. While I might not be physically present in all areas, I'm just a message away. When I have a few seconds to spare I might open my twitter, or facebook, or my space, or linkedin accounts and post something or comment on something. But mostly I stay away from those time drains. Even this blog is pre written  on Thursdays or Saturdays during my non blogging days and scheduled. My Thursday and Saturday sporadic postings are the only ones that are off the cuff blogs and maybe written 24 hours in advance.

How do I keep track of it all? Digest options and emails. Those I can read or answer during the free seconds of my day or the middle of the night if I choose to. I believe in a less stress life, although I don't have one. Easy is better than hard, but hard is not without merit. While I do not promote my book per se with a buy-my-book plea I do use them as examples here in my blog. I'm all about building relationships with readers and writers alike. After all, writers are readers too.

Keep writing and loving the Lord.