tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503889855562099029.post3258665902514573616..comments2024-03-10T05:06:25.309-04:00Comments on Livia Blackburne: How to Self Promote Without Selling Your SoulLivia Blackburnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15805379309049803903noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503889855562099029.post-37975958808371296152011-09-27T11:30:12.476-04:002011-09-27T11:30:12.476-04:00Jesse -- And maybe once you get the ball rolling, ...Jesse -- And maybe once you get the ball rolling, you'll get the legions of ravenous fans :-)<br /><br />Anonymous -- I don't know much about those sites. Sounds interesting though.Livia Blackburnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15805379309049803903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503889855562099029.post-65460379521422662472011-09-27T09:20:46.461-04:002011-09-27T09:20:46.461-04:00I hear reviews are really important. With Kirkus n...I hear reviews are really important. With Kirkus now gone, writers are turning to resources like the TheDigitalIN.com to get their books to reviewers. What do you think of these services?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503889855562099029.post-83353056514127999552011-09-16T14:37:19.858-04:002011-09-16T14:37:19.858-04:00In a perfect world, you'd have legions of rave...In a perfect world, you'd have legions of ravenous fans, waiting to devour your work. You'd only have to tell one of them your book was ready, and they would telephone the message out on their way to the store.<br />In a next to perfect world, your agent and publisher would handle these messy details, send out press releases, set up events, contact potential reviewers and so forth, and do it exactly the way you'd like them to do it.<br />Odds are, you don't live in either of those worlds. Odds are, you have to let people know you've created something, and they might like it. As long as that is your goal, and you're not excessively Machiavellian in your approach- it doesn't have to be a bad thing. Advertising/marketing can be fun, if you do it right.jessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16489502078962823639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503889855562099029.post-66383331325751788722011-09-16T11:48:15.939-04:002011-09-16T11:48:15.939-04:00Damyanti - glad you found it helpful. Good luck wi...Damyanti - glad you found it helpful. Good luck with your blog!<br /><br />theinklesspress - Yeah, I also saw the branding post. Again kinda I also half agreed, half disagreed. Mostly I thought he was right, but didn't have the same negative view of the word "brand". I wrote a response in the comments section.<br /><br />linda - yeah, definitely takes some creativity to be interesting and not annoying. But then, we are writers, so hopefully we're good at being creative :-)<br /><br />Anne - It helps sometimes if you can put names to the nameless crowd, either by building a network and getting to know people, or creating an imaginary person that is your target audience. It feels more concrete that way. That's a good idea with the short novella. Let me know how that goes!<br /><br />Gina - :-) and thanks again for your response post.<br /><br />Laurin - that's a good trick about pretending it's another author's! I wonder if I can pull that off…<br /><br />Laurel - yes, that's why it's so helpful to get positive response from test readers. Then you can really start convincing yourself that people enjoy it.<br /><br />Catherine -- Good luck!<br /><br />jbchicoine - yes, go be brave! In a smart, creative way of course :-) <br /><br />Ava - yeah, the way I see it, if you have to beg people for something, then there is something wrong with either your audience or your product. Granted, you do have to let people know about things so that they can decide whether or not they want it, but after that, it's up to them.<br /><br />Cathy - good to see you again! Yeah, exactly. You're not trying to trick people. I think it definitely helps to be genuine, and interact with your readers so you actually see what value they're getting from it.<br /><br />catwoods - glad you found it useful! Selling is definitely a different skill set, but hopefully authors can find at least a few techniques that work for them.Livia Blackburnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15805379309049803903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503889855562099029.post-64773764393053245792011-09-15T15:08:25.723-04:002011-09-15T15:08:25.723-04:00Livia,
This was a great post for the laywriter. ...Livia,<br /><br />This was a great post for the laywriter. I don't think selling our words comes naturally--at least not in the sense of self-promotion. By thinking about it in terms of product promotion, the process becomes easier and less about us and more about connecting readers to words they may enjoy.<br /><br />Thanks~Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503889855562099029.post-47241942974613056172011-09-15T14:10:35.581-04:002011-09-15T14:10:35.581-04:00Great post. I'm pretty sure you know my take o...Great post. I'm pretty sure you know my take on self-promotion -- it's important, but it doesn't have to be the hard sell, used car salesman schtick. Loved your line: "But the thing is, in a good business transaction, everybody ends up happy." That's it exactly. You're not trying to trick people. Sometimes, I think the hardest part of promotion is really believing in your story enough to think "you'll like this. You'll have a good time."Cathy Yardleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11968956085630495203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503889855562099029.post-74711651443809697902011-09-14T20:50:00.198-04:002011-09-14T20:50:00.198-04:00Fantastic post! It's easy to forget that self-...Fantastic post! It's easy to forget that self-promotion isn't about begging for people to click your link or buy your book--it's about offering something of value to your readers. Point taken.Gabe (Ava Jae)https://www.blogger.com/profile/04778524723148508140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503889855562099029.post-88446254638410068422011-09-14T15:08:17.374-04:002011-09-14T15:08:17.374-04:00You have certainly addressed my concerns! and happ...You have certainly addressed my concerns! and happily diffused them (to a tolerable level). I know when the time comes I'm going to have to abandon my bad attitude, just not think about it and jump. I will bookmark this for courage! Thanks so much!J.B. Chicoinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06894797553204276281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503889855562099029.post-79975737888447202912011-09-14T11:56:55.037-04:002011-09-14T11:56:55.037-04:00Thanks, I needed to hear this, as I'm consider...Thanks, I needed to hear this, as I'm considering going indie on one of my novels.Catherine Stinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08131569196977321229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503889855562099029.post-43504935150196405622011-09-14T11:52:19.205-04:002011-09-14T11:52:19.205-04:00I think this has been the aspect that has made me ...I think this has been the aspect that has made me most hesitant to put my book "out there" whether with an agent or without--that scary marketing part. The idea that we're offering something great, not being a whiny beggar, is SO helpful to keep in mind.Laurel Garverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03657218435228802535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503889855562099029.post-48962623120880876092011-09-14T09:44:05.666-04:002011-09-14T09:44:05.666-04:00Someone told me not too long ago, though I can'...Someone told me not too long ago, though I can't remember who, that she hates talking to readers about her books, so she's learned to pretend that she's talking about her favorite author's books, not her own, and it becomes easy. She loves her own stories so as long as she pretends (in her head) that she's not talking about herself it works. <br /><br />I like the idea that there is value on both sides of the transaction, too. That will definitely be integrated into my thinking when selling my books!<br /><br />Thanks for casting a new light on self-marketing!Laurin Wittighttp://laurinwittig.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503889855562099029.post-11061075586261522032011-09-14T08:31:29.471-04:002011-09-14T08:31:29.471-04:00I want to dog-ear this post forever! This post is ...I want to dog-ear this post forever! This post is extremely helpful and packed full of good, useful information. Thank you so much for posting this!Gina Pennhttp://ginapennfiction.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503889855562099029.post-14590102970197251132011-09-14T06:46:03.835-04:002011-09-14T06:46:03.835-04:00Fantastic post. I do think it's a very fine l...Fantastic post. I do think it's a very fine line to walk, self-promo without losing either, your friends or your integrity. Pandering to a nameless crowd isn't my thing at all, but in order to get my book out, that's exactly what I have to do. <br /><br />I think subtle is good. There are blog fests and hops and parties all over the place, and quite frankly, they don't entice me to buy the book. It actually annoys me. I am definately going with a much quieter approach.<br /><br />A friend of mine did an experiment on her blog. She announced she had a book for sale on Kindle with one line at the bottom of one of her regular posts one day. Just once. I asked her how it's been going and she said, even without advertising or any kind of coverage, she's averaging almost 50 sales a week through word of mouth and reviews. Which I think is pretty cool.<br /><br />I think the free aspect is a good idea. I've already written a short novella to come out for free on the day I announce my book out to Kindle. I'm hoping that's all the promotion I need.Anne Gallagherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05816355522284492131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503889855562099029.post-39275693693644874922011-09-14T06:41:40.259-04:002011-09-14T06:41:40.259-04:00Great point about successful transactions adding v...Great point about successful transactions adding value for both parties. I admire people who self-promote in a way that's fun and interesting and not annoying. It doesn't come easily to everyone, but I agree that it doesn't have to be painful or evil. Thanks for the tips!lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16524291742541007382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503889855562099029.post-79100144404057103892011-09-14T04:14:18.202-04:002011-09-14T04:14:18.202-04:00I too have been reflecting on Nathan Bransford'...I too have been reflecting on Nathan Bransford's post, and I appreciate your thoughtful take on it. I agree that avoiding that selling your soul feeling really comes down to not blindly marketing AT people, but offering something worthwhile in return for your target's attention. As Bransford says in this <a href="http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2011/09/on-internet-theres-no-such-thing-as.html" rel="nofollow">related post</a>, to create an online presence you're comfortable with, your best bet is being yourself.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503889855562099029.post-2859119164844633032011-09-13T23:31:43.939-04:002011-09-13T23:31:43.939-04:00Thanks for this lovely article. I'm uncomforta...Thanks for this lovely article. I'm uncomfortable with self-promotion, so this was helpful.<br /><br />I've recently written about getting more followers to my blog...discussing much the same aspects of self-promotion, though probably not so well :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04283371140346602856noreply@blogger.com