Author's Blog

Writers Don’t Just Write Anymore

Even without a finished book, you need to promote, promote, and promote some more.

 

As an author, who wanted to have a professional writing career as a novelist because I love to write and can’t afford to spend so many hours doing something that makes no money, I ignorantly thought that all I needed to do was write good books.

How wrong I was!

It used to be that you wrote a book and just prior to publication, your promotion work would begin and the publishing company handled most of it. Nowadays, if you want to be a successful writer, much more promotion is involved, and it must start long before your book is even finished for publication. It is recommended to begin marketing years before you want to publish a book.

So how do you start to promote your name and build up a large follow-ship?

 

 

Author Website

Today with the worldwide web and the growing demand for e-books,  I feel a website is the most important tool for marketing. Every author needs a professional website and the possibilities of what you incorporate on the website are endless. A few things are essential on your website if you want to build a good group of followers.

 

 

1) Author Blog

Incorporate an author blog and post regularly. This helps you attract followers, allows you to share yourself with them, and builds credibility.

 

 

 

2) Newsletter

A newsletter on your website is another way to keep your followers informed on all your latest news. Having your followers subscribe to your newsletter is a perfect way to gain a database of involved followers that allows you to contact them when your books or e-books are finally being published.

 

 

3) Interactive Tools

Having interactive tools on your site like quizzes, polls, contests etc. is another way to get followers involved, giving them enjoyment and motivating them to come back to the site. I think the key is to do something different, so you stand out in the crowd and your followers will remember you.

 

 

4) Subscriptions to Social Networking Sites

Use an array of social networking sites that you build-up and make sure to incorporate the icon links on your website. Register with Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Linked-In or other well-known sites. These sites help you to build followers all the while giving you a place to communicate with them, your peers, and promote your work.

 

 

 

5) Videos

In a time when  people love to watch videos, producing a commercial for your book and placing it on your website and on YouTube is necessary.

Do more by getting video and audio interviews done with radio, TV, and newspapers.

 

 

I have to admit, the list intimidated me when I first started the promotion of my book. I think it still does; it’s a job in progress. I also wondered how one finds time to write in between promoting. And how much time does one devote to each area of promotion? Honestly, I am still trying to figure that out, and in the meantime, juggling all of them as best I can.

 

My Advice:  Get professional help

No matter what you use to promote you and your book, it is important that it be done professionally. Since most writers are not versed in web design, video editing, cover art, marketing, etc., we need to hire a professional who is.

Remember, you want your work to stand out and nothing stands out more than professionalism. We often only get one chance at gaining or losing a follower. It has been reported, people decide in the first seconds whether they want to stay or leave your website. And even if they do stay, the average time spent on a website is less than half a minute! With these kind of stats working against you, second best is not an option.

 

 

 

 

Alandra CL Website Launch

The long-awaited day has finally arrived, and putting up my website is a milestone in my writing career.

I have to admit, I greet it with a sense of excitement but also a sense of dread. The internet has become a huge marketing tool, that reaches out to every corner of the globe.

Once something is out there, it’s out there!

For me, that is a scary thought and a huge step to take in my writing career.

Alandra CL Website Homepage

Screen capture of www.alandracl.com homepage

Writing is an art and like all arts, there is a huge piece of your personal-self mixed into that work of art. Showing your art to the world means not only exposing yourself, but also setting yourself up for critique – good and bad critique. Let’s face it, who likes bad critique. Not only will I need to develop a thick skin, I will need to look at that critique objectively; after all, there can be a lot to learn from constructive criticism.

I will, however, not allow this spark of dread to spoil all the excitement bubbling over in me and dampen this memorable occasion. There is so much to look forward to with the release of my website. The most important one is having a venue with which to communicate with you, my reader. Creating my stories has been thrilling, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoy writing them for you. I look forward to hearing from you.

Months of planning and hard work have gone into the design of my website. Many have participated in making this day possible for me. I owe a debt of thanks to my awesome web designer, Alex, who has created an artistic and functional masterpiece for me. I would also like to thank my computer programmer, Nathen, who not only has done a fantastic job but also squeezed my website work into his busy schedule so I could meet my deadline. More thanks goes to my editor and mentor, Pat Lobrutto, whose valuable input has made this website even better and who continues to make me a better writer.

Enjoy it!