AUTHOR MARKETING© 2014, Tara Lynne Groth

About Me

Originally from Long Island, lived in Rhode Island, now Pittsboro Freelancing for 5 years May 2014 (4 years full-time), TW & AW PR director 4 years in NY, Marketing Manager 2 years in NC VP of Marketing, Atlanta Writers Club 2 years Memberships: Freelancers Union, ASJA. Former: AWC, NCPS, Authors Guild. Academia: Career Writing, Advertising/Marketing Communications; B.A.

Cinema & Cultural Studies at SUNY Stony Brook Non-writing: New moto rider, kayaking, QT

AUTHOR’S ROLE IN MARKETINGTraditional v. Self

Author’s Responsibilities

Evolution from traditional book signings to events

Out of book stores Signing e-books with Authorgraph Engaging readers in new ways, like LibraryThing Blog tours – duplicate content penalties, SEO signals Funding

Hybrid – No advances, no salaried workers, quick turnaround (4-6 weeks) Self Traditional

By 2020, half of the eBooks we buy will be self-published. (Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords)

Publisher and Agent’s Responsibilities

Book tour expenses Book store connections Reviews in specific markets Connect with editors Book cover design Advances – repaid Hybrid publishers - Booktrope, Entangled Publishing, Spencer Hill Press, and

Samhain Publishing, She Writes Press.

COMMON FRUSTRATIONSProblems Authors Have in a Digital Age

Author Problems

Formatting book for print Maintaining social media Managing physical inventory Consistently creating content: Blogs, podcasts, videos Website outdated, nonexistent, using outdated or black hat methods

2014 WordPress Trends: Typography over images, sharp backgrounds

New tool overload Getting lost on Amazon

SOLUTIONS FOR AUTHORSResolving Digital Conflicts

Solutions Book formats – Research user-friendly providers with downloadable templates, hire a designer, hire an independent publisher Social Media

73% of US online adults use social networks; 71% use Facebook, more than LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter combined. (Pew Research Center, 2013) Google & Twitter Alerts (Tweetbeep, Twilert) Facebook: Videos, timing, completely paid in 2014 Google+ Authorship

eBooks – KDP, USB, Seth Godin’s 20 Rule, pricing strategies Blogs, Podcasts, Videos

Maintain quarterly sessions for creation and schedule over weeks Simple strategy: Complementing content.

Website Quarterly is better than nothing. Goal of the user: Buy a book, hire you to write/edit, etc. Mobile users only growing – test on multiple devices

Solutions

Marketing automation – Online tools that manage social updates on your behalf 24/7. Some tools allow you to designate rules, such as “If someone ‘likes’ an update on Facebook, send it as a Tweet.” Or “If someone retweets a status, reply back with XYZ and post it to LinkedIn.”

Pros: Less time spent monitoring and engaging. Content that users are interested in is shared. Timing can be strategized. You can be the source for the latest publishing trends.

Cons: Less real engagement. You don’t know your fans. What if you meet them in person? Content cloud. Users are smart. They know it’s not you. Reliability

Solutions

Optimizing Your Amazon Author Page and Listings Description – check character limits prior to drafting, tell a story and set yourself apart Powerful Headline – Do not include promotions or pricing Bullets – Highlights of your description Don’t rely on reviews 4-5 high quality images (As of this writing, Amazon’s guidelines for images: Plain white

background without any text or watermarks. The product should take up at least 80% of the image. No drawings or illustrations are accepted. Recommended size is 1,000 x 1,000 pixels.

Videos Sponsored Product Ad Option Verify the book is classified correctly – do not be misleading and list in inaccurate genres

How Hard is Publishing an eBook?1. Sign in with Amazon account on kdp.amazon.com and complete tax information.2. Click “Bookshelf” and “Add new title.”3. Fill out the form, including book title, description, and keywords you want people to search to find your book.4. Upload: Cover image and separate book file. Preview for accuracy before saving.5. Select desired rights options on “Rights and Pricing” page.6. Choose royalty rate and name your price. (Royalty typically 70%.)7. Save and Publish. Book available in under 48 hours.

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIESNew Tools for Authors

Reaching Readers in Digital Age• Tablets outpaced PCs• More mobile devices than

people• Readers• Cloud-enabled• Subscriptions• Serials

Where Are Adults Online?

Pinterest continues to appeal to female users (women are four times as likely as men to be Pinterest users), and LinkedIn is especially popular among college graduates and Internet users in higher income households. Meanwhile, Twitter and Instagram have particular appeal to younger adults, urban dwellers, and non-whites.

Emerging Apps and Technologies (1) Flipboard – Create your own magazine. (Alt: Periodical exclusive to iPhones.) IFTTT – Automation for everything AND eBook reading. eBook deals, articles

to Kindle, Amazon Gold Box, Nook Free Fridays. Ex: Newsletters, new books. FreebooksHub – Free Kindle, Reduced Price, Free Prime. Upworthy – Inspiring stories with “irresistible headlines.” Pic a Moment – App only. View social images based on location. PressBooks – Open source. WordPress plugin. Publishing software. LibriVox – Free public domain audiobooks. Evernote Soundcloud

Emerging Apps and Technologies (2)

IngramSpark – Single author dashboard for both eBook and print distribution (Amazon requires CreateSpace for POD and KDP for eBooks.) Unlike CreateSpace, Spark allows authors to set the 55% discount.

Scribd – eBook subscription service Vook – Previously short-run printing only, added POD in 2014 ACX – Audible’s professional recording booth space for self-pubbed authors Swagbucks – compensates readers, partnership with St. Martin’s Press

BEST-SELLING AUTHORSWhat did they do?

Author Strategies• Pen name• More than one• E-book• Timing• Edit• Covers• Platform• Hybrid• Be everywhere

Top-Selling Authors• Theresa Ragan, Lizzy

Gardner Series, Abducted – SAHM, formatted, hired designer, KDP first 3 books free. 1,500 first month, 40,000 few months later. ($2.99 at 70%) Now 7 novels and $1M.

• Jennifer L. Armentout, Wait for You – First #1 self-pubbed eBook on Digital Book World’s list as of March 2013. Hybrid. Price $0.99 increased to $2.99.

• Andy Traub, $20K in 90 days. Gave away 1-month online course, audiobook and membership to his site w/purchase of a book.

BOOK REVIEWSHow, when & where to get reviews.

Book Review Steps

Target

Your connections – Author acquaintances, critique groups, mentors, editors, professors, industry leaders.

Review brokers – Kirkus Reviews, Publisher’s Weekly, Book Rooster, Story Cartel

Media – MondoTimes, Wooden Horse, Writer’s Market, local v. national Communities – KindleNation, KindleReader, GoodReads, IndieReader,

eReaderNewsToday, Pixel of Ink. (Goodreads doubled for the second time in 2013.)

Platforms – Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Bub, Bookish, Jellybooks, Riffle, Sony Reader Store, What Should I Read Next, Which Book

How to ContactMedia Kit – Create a tab/corner on your website with a media kit. This will contain:•3-5 sentence bio•Longer bio•Headshots/book images in multiple resolutions•Award infoEmail – Personalized, include the press release pasted below your note and add link to Media Kit.

Become a Source

Source Networks Help a Reporter Out Reporter Connection Source Bottle Story Cartel

Book Reviews and Shelf-Life

12-Month Publicity Plan Tip from each chapter as monthly article (NF) Publish a chapter in a market Follow trends – Offer your perspective when relevant. Ask media if they want to receive your newsletter. Local example: Book Beat on radio. Don’t think consumer. Ask trade markets if they are open to interviews. Create and release a survey Coordinate a contest Contact local media well in advance of a visit Align with organizations/causes related to the book. Example: Romance with characters

experiencing memory loss? Historical fiction featuring local spots? Press release top-selling

© 2014, Tara Lynne Groth

Connect:‘Resources for Writers’ – www.taralynnegroth.comTwitter - @writenakedwritenaked.wordpress.com

September – December 2014Book Marketing at Duke (10-week class)

October 2014Sensory Writing: From Prompt to Page at Central

Carolina Community College’s Chatham Campus in Pittsboro

UPCOMING EVENTS

View this presentation at slideshare.net/taralynne0