A Blast From the Past...

It's Monday again and that usually means book review time on my site, but I am still in transit from the Iowa City Book Festival I attended this past weekend. Being that as it may, I could not leave you without a post of some kind, so I am re-sharing author advice I handed out in 2011. Think of it as recycling of classic  material which never goes out of style. And I promise, I will have an extra post later this week sharing pictures from my trip!

 

 

 Five Ways To Help Yourself By Helping Others

Often authors think of other authors in terms of competition. And while this is true in some sense, it is much more helpful to think of other authors as partners and support systems. The old saying what goes around comes around is very true. When you help others, they are inclined to help you also. Below are five ways that you can help yourself by helping other authors.

1. Offer to do book reviews for your fellow authors. Book reviews posted on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, Library Thing, and Shelfari not only help other authors spread the word about their book, but usually will be reciprocated.

2. Share marketing tips that work well for you. Knowledge is meant to be shared not horded. When you share tips, not only are you helping others, but you are branding yourself. You are promoting yourself as a caring individual who wants others to succeed in life as well.

3. Promote similar books by fellow authors on your website or blog. One great way to do this is to add an Amazon widget to your site. My favorite is the Amazon carousel which is a rotating collection of books with prices and links. When you sign up to become an Amazon associate and someone buys a book through your link you earn a small commission. There's even a helpful video on this subject by marketing guru Tony Eldridge.

4. Offer words of encouragement to other authors. This costs absolutely nothing and helps bolster moral. Many times a small word of encouragement has helped me to forge ahead when instead I felt like giving up.

5. Include other authors in your social networking. For those of you who belong to Facebook or Twitter, share a fellow author's link or tweet about other authors on #Writers Wednesday or #Follow Friday. Not only does this help your author friends, it also gives you a broader base of potential followers. People who follow your fellow authors may see and follow you as well.

There  you have it my friends, five really simple things you can do for others that will benefit you as well. And  in case you were wondering about the fabulous clip art that is a staple on my site, It is created by the wonderful Phillip Martin.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. And feel free to drop by my personal website, Fun With Aileen, any day of the week for even more on reading, writing, my very own early grade chapter book, Fern Valley, and my sequel, Return To Fern Valley! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

The Number One Thing Writers Should Never Do!

 

There is one thing that writers should NEVER do, but of which many are guilty. What is that you adk? Abusing Social Networking, Networking by definition means: a supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest. Social means: inclined to seek out or enjoy the company of others; sociable. Now if we put the two of these words together, we should come to the conclusion that Social Networking is a way to share information and support each other's common interests in an enjoyable and friendly manner. The problem is, however, that most authors seem to be under the impression that using social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter means they can post a constant stream of Buy My Book.

I will be the first to admit I want to sell books. Actually, I want to sell a lot of books . But I know one thing for certain, what annoys me will probably annoy others. Sp what should one post on Social Networking sites?

• Helpful Information: Information on marketing, venues for authors, tips on writing, what should be on an author website, etc...

•  Book Reviews: You love books or you wouldn't be a writer, so use this as an opportunity to share a genre you love, help a fellow author, and show people it's not just about you and your book.

• Photos and Personal Information: People in general are interested in getting to know you. Share your favorite recipe, what special things you or your family are doing, pictures of your crazy cat, or your spouse sledding with your children. People want to know you are just like everyone else.

• Replies and Comments: Being sociable is a two-way street. Show an interest in others and what they are doing. Be genuinely interested in what others have to say and they will be genuinely interested in what you have to say as well.

• Special News: It's okay to tell about an award you won, an event you were invited too, or a new book being accepted by a publisher. People usually share in the good fortune of others, as long as those people don't come across as conceited or boastful.

Once you have established good relationships with your followers, work together to find ways to share information about your books that is less annoying the buy my book  or  you need get my book because it's only $2.99. One of the things I do is to ask a handful of people I have formed relationships with to tweet about my upcoming events or my book in hopes that their followers might be interested. But in return, I do the same for them. And one thing I keep in mind, especially in writing groups I belong to, is that other authors are not my target audience. From time to time other authors might be interested in purchasing my book, but in general they are more concerned about selling their own book/books then purchasing mine. Therefore, targeting them with constant purchase pleas will simply aggravate the very people who could prove invaluable as marketing partners.

Signing off for now with wishes for a bright and beautiful day!