Building a platform online is a lot of hard work. You have to put in the time over a number of years. Johnny B Truant has done exactly that, becoming one of the top bloggers in the small business blogging niche. But then he decided to self-publish his fiction which is basically like starting again. In this interview, Johnny is amazingly honest about his experiences marketing fiction.

Johnny B. Truant is the author of humor novel ‘The Bialy Pimps‘ as well as the Epic series of non-fiction ‘kick-your-ass’ essays available on Kindle. He is also a popular blogger and internet entrepreneur, appearing on many top sites and also has a business building websites. [Video at the bottom of the text]

• How Johnny started with creative writing, but didn’t pursue it as a career choice. He wrote his first novel 12 years ago but then started writing copy and articles for hire. Then he moved into websites and blogging, and later into business writing. More recently, he discovered self-publishing through people like Sean Platt who has been publishing serialized fiction and short non-fiction. [Listen to Sean's podcast interview here.]

• Johnny soul-searches about his own personal brand. He blogs about business, websites, human potential and challenges but it is all about questioning the norms and the rules. It’s about breaking out of the box. So his brand can accommodate a total change of direction because he’s breaking out of his own box. So the fiction has become a side event. We talk about The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (a recurring recommended book on this show!) Johnny was challenged to publish his fiction and so did release The Bialy Pimps.

• On the launch of ‘The Bialy Pimps’ and how it hasn’t done as well as Johnny would have liked. Read Johnny’s whole post on this here. When you have a non-fiction niche, your audience won’t necessarily carry over to a fiction audience but some people will check out the book out of curiosity or just support. Johnny started out with a free promotion but has a slow burn approach. Books online now are more or less evergreen so Johnny has more of a long term plan. There is no limited shelf space. Indies don’t have to focus on a big launch, it can be an ongoing thing over time.

• The difference between fiction and non-fiction marketing. Johnny is learning and focusing on the long term building of a fiction audience, as well as writing new books. He has started a podcast with Sean Platt at SelfPublishingPodcast.com. He is also considering a blog blitz on the big name blogs but those are just ideas right now. Having an understanding of marketing in any sense is useful when coming into fiction but the launch week mentality of internet marketing is wrong with ebooks. There is a long tail with marketing over time which compounds the more books you write.

• On the Epic series of non-fiction mini-books. Johnny has also released a series of non-fiction ebooks based on big ideas, like ‘The Universe Doesn’t Give a Flying F**k About You (Epic series)” It’s a case of brilliant copywriting, a great headline that makes people want to buy. It was originally a blog post that was re-purposed as a book and sells more than his fiction. I bought it as I am a fan of Johnny’s site and it resonated with the brand I am aware of. Johnny also included an advert for ‘The Bialy Pimps’ at the back of all his non-fiction books which is always a good idea!

• Johnny B Truant is a pseudonym, used for Johnny’s online profile and also for his fiction. But for Johnny, this is his persona online. So it’s not a pseudonym in the way fiction writers might use one per brand. It’s his online name that contains real aspects of his personality. He just wants to write what he wants to write and use the same name, regardless of genre. You can read why Johnny took a pseudonym here on Copyblogger. It was specifically about giving himself the freedom to write what he wanted without self-censoring. Johnny is a 110% version of himself. It’s authentic without the boring bits.

• On creating a new blog for readers vs writers. I have done this with my new site JFPenn.com. Johnny mentions John Locke who advocates this, but Johnny prefers to keep it in one authentic place. His readers are his readers, and we don’t know where our readers come from.

• The reader connects with the writer’s intentions. This will help people connect to you – if you’re authentic. People recognize your true motivations. Think about where you want to lead the reader. How do you want to develop the relationship? A book is not a standalone island

You can find ‘The Bialy Pimps‘ on Amazon and other online bookstores.

You can find Johnny at JohnnyBTruant.com and on twitter @johnnybtruant

Check out the new SelfPublishingPodcast.com – advice for writers

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You may have noticed that I use a lot of multimedia in my content.

There are text articles but I also use audio and video to make the information come alive. I believe that multimedia helps us stand out in a sea of millions of other blogs. In addition, few authors are willing to put their face and voice online, or they don’t know how to, so it is a way to connect with new fans.

If the cornerstone of authentic marketing is that people need to know, like and trust you, then surely seeing your body language, your smile and hearing your voice is a critical component.

In this video, Greg McQueen interviews me about being a transmedia (or multimedia) producer. I hope you find this interesting if multimedia is something you are keen on trying. Click here for the video on YouTube. There is also an audio download and text post below the video.

Audio => MultiMediaInterview.mp3

How I got started in multimedia production and podcasting.

I wrote my first book back in 2008 and was hugely disappointed to find I couldn’t sell any copies. Basically, I didn’t know anything about marketing so no one even knew I existed! So I went on a 6 month campaign to learn about online marketing. I also wanted to target the US, a huge market compared to Australia, or even Britain. I discovered blogging and podcasting at that point. I learned mainly from Yaro Starak from EntrepreneursJourney.com. I started the podcast to learn from other people but also so I would have something of value to share with an online audience. It’s just snowballed from there.

• How I started with podcasting.

The very first interview I did was with a breakout author of a cookbook so it was a big deal, but all I had was a handheld recorder that I held by the phone which I put on speakerphone. I didn’t have a clue at that point. I edited in Audacity and the Blubrry plugin for WordPress. The need to share was greater than the need to get a load of expensive kit. I started where I was and then expanded over time. This is a good way to start.

• Read this article for how I produce podcasts now – it has changed a lot. I use Ecamm with Skype for my video posts and Screenflow to edit.

• Here’s the backlist of all 125+ podcasts – you can also subscribe on iTunes

• How long did it take for any traffic? I mention Entreproducer.com and that I am good at content production but terrible at stats. But it certainly took a year of the blog to get any real attention and the podcast took the same. It took 2 years to get decent traffic and I went fulltime as an author-entrepreneur at almost 3 years. This is why it’s critical to do this for a topic you are passionate about. It doesn’t matter what the result is as I am still enjoying it and it’s not a chore. I would do it if no one was listening!

On creating video

• I went into video when Google bought YouTube and because the technology for voice recognition was expanding so it will impact search engine optimization. Not many authors put their face out there, I’m an introvert but not shy, so I can stand out this way. I also do video interviews when I do my podcasts. So I can create multiple content types from one interview.

• Transmedia implies that all modalities have the same importance. I use video, audio, text as well as social media, plus I write books. I consider all of things important as people will find you from different modalities. There is a different audience for the podcast than there is for the text based posts. People who watch video may not listen to the audio. I also make sure the content can be found by writing a text based post for search engine optimization as well as releasing the multimedia.

• I talk about some free platforms like BlogCastFM which enables you to do free audio but you don’t own the content or the hosting. You have no control. When you own the content, no one can delete them. If you rely on one site that you don’t have control over, and then that site goes downhill or bankrupt, you may lose your content. It may cost a bit more to self-host but it is empowering and you have more freedom.

• On the amount of time it all takes. I was working full-time when I started doing the multimedia stuff and it did take crazy times. I used to do interviews at 5am before work. It is about priorities and for me, this is worth it. For me, the interviews are about building relationships and this can pay off in the future with social karma. I also get great content that gives me traffic. If I write a text post, I only get one benefit but it doesn’t compare to the interaction I get with multimedia. It probably takes 3 – 3.5 hours for each show.

How to find content to produce

• The ideas are endless when you have a topic you’re passionate about! Most of my interviews are people I meet on Twitter. I give an example of how I recently met a couple of people on twitter and how I can use their expertise on the blog. It snowballs but when you start out, just ask people as most people will say yes as they like to have some marketing! It’s always important to tie the content to your niche. Everything I do ties to writing, publishing and book marketing.

• My top advice: If you find a topic you like, don’t stop. Keep on going and you will build up a big backlist over time. People are finding me now and downloading all the past episodes. They become real fans if they listen to 60+ hours of your voice. So it’s worth it, hang in there and keep going. You will get better over time!

• I mention Mitch Joel’s Six Pixels of Separation which is probably my favorite podcast. He has been going for years and indeed the people who persist over time are the people who are truly successful online. There’s a threshold where you can make a living at this. On fiction podcasting, like Scott Sigler and Dan Sawyer.
• On how much fun this is!

If you’re interested in creating multimedia, I’ll be releasing a new course on this in the coming months. If you subscribe to the blog, you’ll be notified as I will announce it here first.

Thanks to Greg McQueen for the interview. I also interviewed Greg a while back on multimedia publishing and book marketing for 100 stories for Haiti.

Do you create multimedia? Do you consume it? Is there a place for multimedia? Please do let me know what you think in the comments.

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I love the community we have as writers online. I find it tremendously supportive to know you are all out there, and that we can share our lessons learned along the way. I primarily connect with writers through blogging and twitter, but have also transitioned into the ‘real world’ at publishing events and also with the Alliance of Independent Authors. I’m sure you have your ways of connecting too. In this guest blog post Tina Blain talks about the many resources available to make writing a more sociable pursuit.

Connecting writers together

As writers, we can spend a lot of time focusing on how to connect with our readers.

This makes perfect sense as we want our readers to enjoy our work, recommend it to others and be inspired to read even more and undoubtedly a good connection with a reader can achieve this.

But what about connecting with other writers? Where’ s the value in that?

In short, there are loads of benefits to surrounding yourself with other writers. You can share ideas and stories, get advice on things that you’re struggling with and tips on where to find useful resources – all of which can positively affect your inspiration and motivation to write.

The main difficulty here is creating an authentic connection in often quite a short space of time (and word limit if you are connecting through social media!).

However, it can be done! Here are a few of my suggestions on how to get started.

1. Master social networking

Engaging in social networking is great first step to connecting with other writers.

Have a look on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn for your favourite writers profiles and use them as a tool to discover and meet new writers through the pages or groups that they offer.

I find that the best first step in initiating contact with a writer is to offer something -  appreciation is a good start!

2. Comment on an authors’ blog posts

As you have discovered through the www.thecreativepenn.com, there are some really useful, interesting and inspiring authors’ websites out there.

Commenting on an author’s blog post can be a great way to initiate contact with an author.

I would recommend contributing a useful comment, such as asking a follow-up question to the post or referring to something particular in the post that you liked and why.

Not only will this put you higher on the author’s radar and more and likely to interact with you, it also gives other readers of the post something to build on and it may generate a dialogue between several writers.

3. Join an online writing forum

Personally I find online writing forums a really valuable resource for my writing. I particularly like their search function so I can easily find answers and advice on lots of different topics.

You can also post questions yourself and have other members comment on them. Members are usually a mix of published and non-published authors, complete beginners etc. So you can get a wide variety of perspectives on your issue and answers to your question.

4. Go to a local writing event

Are there any writing events happening in your area? For example, a book festival, a book launch, a writers festival, workshops on how to plan a novel or how to improve editing skills, a writers meet-up etc.

There are loads of benefits to the online writing community but sometimes it can be nice to have a good old face-to-face conversation and get away from your computer screen.

Local universities with Creative Writing programs, libraries and local newspapers are a good place to start looking out for writing events in your area.

5. Attend a free online writing seminar

Free online writing seminars or web conferences are another way that you can connect with other writers and hear from an author and ask them questions.

Usually you just have to register for the seminar or web conference in advance and then sign into the seminar with your login details at the specified time.

The tricky part is finding out when they are happening! So simply search the internet every now and then for ‘free online writing seminars/classes’ and see what comes up.

It’s important to remember though that to build authentic connections with writers, you need to have a mutual and regular exchange of information. This is quite different from connecting with a reader as they read your latest book.

How do you connect with other writers? Please do leave a comment.

Bio: Tina is passionate about writing and communicating ideas. She is the creator of the StorySimplicity free email series, designed to help writers finish the story that they’ve always wanted to write. More information about Tina’s email series can be found at StorySimplicity.com

Image: Flickr CC / rent-a-moose

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There are books that seem to come out of nowhere and storm the Amazon charts, ranking highly and selling well. The truth is that they get to the top through word of mouth which can be boosted by strategic marketing. Rachel Abbott wrote a brilliant guest post about making #1 on Amazon a while back and so I asked her on the podcast to talk more about it. This interview will give you some great marketing tips [video at the bottom of the page]

Rachel Abbott is the author of suspense thriller ‘Only the Innocent’ which reached #1 on Amazon.co.uk and continues to remain in the Top 100 books on Kindle in multiple categories 5 months after launch. Rachel is British but lives in Italy and she shares her knowledge about book marketing generously on her blog.

• How Rachel got started with writing. She used to be a business writer for proposals in a media company, also writing scripts for products. She sold the business and eventually moved to Italy, renovating and renting property. Rachel is a business woman so always has to have a business to run! She had the idea for a novel for a long time and finally, one winter, got down to writing.

• Rachel did try to get an agent and publisher, but had no luck, putting it aside for a couple of years. Then she heard about Amazon Kindle publishing but at the time it was closed to non-US citizens. Once it opened up, she decided to have a go and self-published ‘Only The Innocent’ just as an idea.

• On ‘Only The Innocent’. The book opens with a man murdered by a woman, and Rachel wanted to come up with a scenario where killing him would be the only option out of a terrible situation. The mystery is which woman does the killing and why – the motivations behind. On hinting about violence and leaving it up to the imagination vs/ graphic violence. Rachel and I both prefer the former.

• The Marketing plan. Initially Rachel found her book didn’t move at all. There was no impact on sales. So she started to do a lot of research, and finally decided to put it into action. In the end, she wrote a marketing plan, allocating time for different activities to be most strategic. You want your books to be bought by people who have bought a lot of books, because then you get ‘People who also bought’ titles coming up and your book appears on other places based on the Amazon algorithms. Rachel also used Twitter strategically connecting with book readers and people in the niche. Click here for Rachel’s full blog post on her marketing plan.

• Forums worked well – Goodreads forum and also KindleBoards – interacting with readers and talking about other things. But the links to your books are in the footer of your profile. This is a time consuming process, as you need to establish relationships in here. It probably was an hour a day in the forums. You do have to be in the ‘Meet our authors’ area on the forums. Rachel gives an example of when the forums pushed her book sales up.

• Formal review requests. Rachel does professional review requests with formatted blurb and book cover. She got reviews from high level reviewers which made a difference. Click here to read Rachel’s post on how to get book reviews.

• On targeting reviewers.  Rachel spent a lot of time doing Google searches and created a comprehensive list (available on this post). You must follow the submission guidelines – don’t scattergun requests. Make it easy for people to review your book. Rachel did all this before her sales went up at all.
• This was a slow process. At Xmas, she sold 6 copies which she thought was fantastic. In January, 10 a day and then end of Jan, it went berserk and got to #1 on 18 Feb.

• On what could be improved next time. Building up a list prior to launch would be the biggest thing. Sending advance copies to reviewers in the hope of getting earlier reviews. It takes time for reviews to kick in. But the strategy can’t just be about reviews. The main thing would be setting it all up prior to launch.

• On traditional vs indie. Rachel can understand why it was difficult for agents to take ‘Only the Innocent’ as it is hard to categorize. It’s not in an obvious genre. Traditional publishers do have a lot to offer. Rachel now has an agent who is helping her to improve her writing. This kind of editing helps a lot and continues to be a stand out for traditional publishing. Even with indie, Rachel will get an editor next time, and she is still interested in having her book in a bookstore. But saying that, going indie is a great, viable option – as long as you’re prepared to do the marketing. There’s no guarantee of replicating success either.
• There are positive choices either way – it’s about the choice per book. It puts a more positive, entrepreneurial spin on the publishing experience which is great! It’s not just about the advance, it’s about how they will use the book and how it will be targeted.

• On ebook pricing. Rachel doesn’t like the 99c price but eventually used it as the book crept up the charts. She then changed it to 1.99 and sales weren’t impacted. But the low price is important when people haven’t heard of you. Publishers charge a higher price, similar to print cost, but it is difficult as ebook readers do prefer lower prices for new authors. Established authors can get away with having higher prices. We talk about our experience as readers and how we are drawn to lower prices and our justification for it.

• Go for it. Don’t be shy. It’s well worth the effort and even if you only sell a few copies, it’s better than you would have done otherwise. You have to be prepared to put some work in. Work out what works for you and what doesn’t For example, fliers on cars at the location of the setting of the book which worked for one person, but ‘live’ marketing isn’t easy for Rachel as she is in Italy. Think about what you can do in terms of marketing. Rachel gets a lot of emails about books that don’t sell, but mainly it’s because authors aren’t marketing. The bottom line is – you have to put the effort in, and making a plan will really help.

I highly recommend you check out Rachel’s blog which has fantastic articles for writers and self-publishers.She’s also on twitter @rachel__abbott

You can also check out Only The Innocent on Amazon

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I have big dreams as a writer, and as an entrepreneur.

But I often try to squash those dreams down because they feel too egocentric or too ambitious or too unreasonable. Not sensible at all. And I have always been a sensible girl, taking everything very seriously! I try to be practical and pragmatic and realistic.

But today I read this passage from the brilliant Julia Cameron in  The Sound of Paper, an excellent book to dip into for creative inspiration.

“A great deal of the time we dismiss our longings on the grounds that they aren’t reasonable – and often they aren’t. Where did we get the idea that life was intended to be reasonable? … We have very little evidence that sensible and frugal are actually qualities cherished by the Great Creator … Most of us have a dream that we could set sail if only we dared … Rather than act on these dreams, we often shoo them from our consciousness, saying ‘I need to be sensible. I would never be able to manage that.’ But perhaps we can manage more than we think.”

This passage challenged me, so I am sharing my big dreams with you. Please share yours with me in the comments. Maybe together we can make some of them come true – even if it takes this writer’s lifetime.

• I want to be a brand name fiction author – which means becoming an excellent, commercial fiction writer and all that entails
• I want to be a New York Times bestselling fiction author
• I want to write a James Bond book – maybe be the first women to do so – and have a book launch with a fantastic sports car and hot guys in tuxedos flanking me in a scarlet dress (inspired by the launch of Carte Blanche by Jeffrey Deaver)
• I want my books to be made into action adventure movies, preferably featuring Angelina Jolie, and I want to walk down the red carpet at the premier
• and yes, I want to be on the Forbes list of the highest paid authors

Nothing too ambitious then?!

These dreams may be crazy and ambitious, but I also know the difference between dreams and goals. My current goal is to get the third novel in my ARKANE series, Exodus, finished before July. I know I can achieve that goal.

But our dreams feed our goals, inspire us and keep us focused on the future. I’ve always wanted to be a brand name fiction author, that’s a little guilty secret from years ago, but I am definitely closer now than I was 3 years ago. Back then I didn’t even have one novel. Our dreams have to start somewhere, right?

I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below.

Image: Flickr CC KayveeInc

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There’s a magic moment when the story suddenly emerges from the writing. For me, that happened the other day when it seemed that all the stars aligned and synchronicity blazed and I was writing in the flow, and the story came to life.

This post originally appeared on my fiction blog J.F.Penn.com [Text below the short video]

Let me explain a little more.

Mosaic of the Ark of the Covenant at the Grand Lodge of England

Exodus is my third novel and is based around a hunt for the Ark of the Covenant as the Middle East counts down to a religious war. I’ve been researching the Ark and possible locations for six months, reading the official papers and also the conspiracy theorists.

I have my series characters in place and my secret government agency, ARKANE which investigates religious mysteries. I had a broad outline and had started writing, but the story hadn’t really caught fire for me.

Then a few days okay, that magic moment happened.

I visited the United Grand Lodge of England, the Freemasons Grand Temple in London, and what I saw there crystallized a whole load of ideas. It’s an awesome place, full of symbolism and hints at the secrets that lie within.

Then I went to a spin class and while I was cycling away, the ideas mashed together and the rest of the story fell into place. It fits the research theories and it fits some of the conspiracy theories. My story could actually be plausible, which for me, is essential for a thriller. I won’t give too much of the plot away, but I wanted to share this magic moment and part of how I write a novel.

So I am 40,000 words into Exodus now, but I know where the story goes from here. I just need to get the words down for the first draft and then move into the editing phase. But this is a precious moment, when you know there’s a story to be told, one that will intrigue and entertain people.

You’ll have to read the book to find out where the Ark of the Covenant might be!

[and if you're interested in my fiction, you can sign up for my newsletter at JFPenn.com to get exclusives and early deals]

Do you know what I mean about the magic moment? How does it happen for you?

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It’s much harder to write a book than people think. Because the words never come out the way they sounded in your head. And it takes a long time to get those words out. Many people want to write a book, but most of them give up because it’s too hard. Today’s guest blogger Dr John Yeoman poses one of the question that all writers fear … are the rewards really worth the hard work and endless rejections?

The reward: creating a world

Here’s a dangerous game. A long time ago, I went to a literary festival and asked a newly successful novelist before an audience of her fans: “Was it truly, honestly worth it?” The room fell silent. Everyone stared at me, the heretic who had made a rude noise in church.

“What do you mean?” The author looked at her agent. He studied the ceiling. “If you mean in money terms,” she said hesitantly “of course, not.”

Gasps from the audience. “But in terms of my self-esteem, yes!”

The audience relaxed.

“Not least, I have the pleasure of standing here before you wonderful people today” she glared at me “so somebody can ask me that damn fool question.” Laughter and applause.

Later, I apologized to her. And she apologized to me. “It was actually a good question.” She smiled. “It took me 15 years to get my first novel published and even that was a fluke.”

“But you’ve just received a $150,000 advance,” I said. “Surely that makes it all worthwhile?”

She shook her head. “I had to write and throw away five novels in that time, more than one million words. On an hourly basis, I’d have been better off working at MacDonalds.” Then she sold me her novel.

No, I won’t tell you her name, though you’d know it. Her novel was turned into a film and she now tops the bestseller lists. She might answer my question differently today. But the truth remains: only a few authors make any significant money from their novels. The upside is, if you accept that truth from the start, it doesn’t matter.

Do authors make money?

Is it the truth? Four out of five published novels by new authors lose money and most new authors never earn out their advance (J A Konrath, The Newbies’ Guide to Publishing, 2011). Fulltime novelists in the UK make 33% less than the average industrial wage (The Society of Authors). And most mid-list authors have to moonlight to pay the rent. (Check the tutors at writing foundations.)

[Note from Joanna. This article is based on traditional publishing, but we have seen a lot of authors making decent money from self-publishing, so it is certainly not true for everyone.]

But there’s another ‘truth’.

From the moment they see their first novel on a bookshop shelf, very few authors would choose another trade. Money or not.

In September 1999, I nearly missed my plane when I spotted my first published book on sale at Heathrow airport. I wanted to stop every passenger and cry: “That’s my book!” My wife had to drag me away. I went on to publish eight more books across twelve years, both fiction and non-fiction. One of them, The Lazy Kitchen Gardener – a work of fiction despite its title – netted me around £90,000 ($150,000) in year one.

Has the money been important to me? Of course. Writing is my principal source of income in retirement. But I’d have done it, money or not. Why? For the sheer joy of ‘meeting’ those thousands of readers who have mailed me, signed up for my newsletters and, in recent years, subscribed to my on-line writing classes. I’m still corresponding with folk who bought my first book in 1999.

That explains the mystery of the Blog Dance. I’d long wondered why authors, otherwise sane, would periodically embark on a gavotte of mutual admiration, making guest posts on each others’ sites.

They couldn’t be doing it merely to sell a handful of books at a few dollars each, could they? Or to chase that will o’ the wisp, an extra point on their Google page rank? The ratio of effort to monetary reward would make no sense.

Then I realized, the pay off is not principally financial. It lies in validation, recognition and self-esteem. Whether a bestseller or newbie, a published author creates a fan club and joins a community of peers. They’ve ‘arrived’.

The respect is priceless. Money is a bonus.

A novelist creates a world for the reader. Then the reader creates a world for the novelist.

So is it worth it, truly, honestly?

Of course, it is! If only so you can attend a literary festival one day, stand on a podium and hear somebody ask you that damn fool question.

What do you think of John’s article? Please do leave your comments below.

Dr John Yeoman, PhD Creative Writing, judges the Writers’ Village story competition and is a tutor in creative writing at a UK university. His hands-on course in story writing for profit can be found at:
http://www.writers-village.org/academy

Top image: Flickr CC / Tomas Fano

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The runaway successes we see in the Amazon charts often have years of work behind them. In this interview, I chat with Mark Edwards whose Amazon #1 bestsellers with Louise Voss got them a 6 figure book deal, but only after years of hard work. Mark also gives some tips on how he used the Product Description metadata effectively.

Mark Edwards is co-author of thriller novels ‘Killing Cupid’ and ‘Catch Your Death’ with Louise Voss. He is British and is also a copywriter and marketing director.

In this podcast, you will learn:

• How Mark got into writing and how he finally got a book deal after an indie #1 Amazon bestseller and 12 years of trying. He has been writing for 20 years and got an agent quite quickly but none of his books were sold. In 1999, he was featured on a TV program about aspiring writers and was then contacted by another writer, Louise Voss who was in the same situation. They became friends. Louise got a book deal for several books but Mark was still struggling. They eventually decided to write a book together, a stalker told from the point of view of male and female protagonists. This was ‘Killing Cupid’ which didn’t fit into any specific genre and was rejected. Then they wrote a straight forward thriller ‘Catch Your Death’ but still no one was interested. After all their efforts, in 2006, they gave up, sick of all the rejections.

• 4 years passed and then Mark started reading about Kindle Direct Publishing. Amanda Hocking was taking off. So they decided they had nothing to lose but putting the books onto Amazon. They re-edited them and had covers designed. They published ‘Killing Cupid’ in Feb 2011 and sold 2 copies. Over the next few months, it started to creep up the Amazon.co.uk charts and by end of April it was in the Top 200. Eventually it cracked into the Top 100. They released ‘Catch Your Death’ at the beginning of May and within 2 weeks it was in the Top 100. At the beginning of June, both books shot up the charts and got to #1 and #2 on the Amazon.co.uk store. After all these years, it was thrilling to be selling so many books. It was a vindication of all the years of trying.

• At this point, they decided that getting an agent would be a good idea. It was still a dream to get a book in the shops. Mark & Louise had been networking with a lot of indie writers, like Stephen Leather, so they had a lot of contacts in terms of agents. They signed with an enthusiastic agent and while they were still #1 publishers offered them. Harper Collins did a pre-empt bid of over 6 figures. They turned the first offer down (balls of steel!) and accepted the second offer. They signed a 4 book deal in July 2011 and have a pretty intense writing schedule with 6 months per book. The paperback version of ‘Catch Your Death’ came out Jan 2012 and has done well. It’s the 12 year overnight success story!

• How did Mark & Louise market the book? The book cover was critical and having a striking image at thumbnail size is important. The blurb is the most important thing and Mark is a copy-writer. He continually tweaked the Product Description. He studied the books in the Top 10 and tried to work out what it was about them that set them apart. He rewrote the blurb and literally sales doubled. He simplified the story and hooked people in. People don’t need to know about you. They also did something controversial with the sub-titles, using ‘a gripping psychological thriller’ in the subtitle. There was a lot of controversy around using these types of keywords in the subtitle. People are still doing this but Amazon specifically warn against doing it (see right for the warning). They also put in brackets – for fans of Dan Brown and Stieg Larsen – which was really controversial. The publisher has now changed the blurb but originally it was catchy and optimized.

• They also put ads inside Killing Cupid for Catch Your Death, so the books would feed each other, and people would buy both books. This impacted the sales and sent them up the charts within a period.

• On the pros and cons of being indie vs traditional publishing. The advantages of having a publisher are (a) the editorial input you get which is far superior to hiring an editor. The editorial changes have improved the books and both Mark & Louise appreciate that. (b) Being in bookshops which was always a dream for both of them. (c) Kudos from other writers. You do get a different kind of respect. There is still a stigma to self-publishing, which is unfair but a reality.

• But Mark would happily go back to indie if things don’t work out and is considering publishing his backlist. Louise Voss has published her backlist which is all on Amazon now.

• What Mark recommends for new authors. Self-publish or approach traditional publishing? The risk with indie is that it doesn’t do very well and then the book doesn’t look good to publishers. Mark thinks it is still worth approaching agents and publishers. Try to get an agent, but only give it six months with multiple submissions. Then indie publish and try your luck with direct sales. Don’t wait too long. Don’t spend years trying to get an agent.

You can find Mark at VossandEdwards.com and the books are available online.

You can also follow Mark on twitter @mredwards

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I’ve been a fan of Mark Coker and Smashwords for years now, and Mark continues to deliver value to authors through his distribution platform but also through sharing his vast knowledge of digital publishing.

Free ebook: The Secrets To Ebook Publishing Success

He has just released a free book ‘The Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success” which contains a serious number of tips that will help you make your work better, as well as some amazing insights into successful authors who publish through Smashwords.

I learned heaps from the book. It really is well worth your time whether you are indie or traditionally published. Here are just some of things you will learn about.

•  A great overview of the changes in the industry
• Some financials around self-publishing, bootstrapping and resource allocation
• Tips on ebook covers that work

• Metadata magic and why it’s important as well as the algorithms that impact our book sales
• Why writing more books and books over 70,000 words is critical for longer term success
• How trust and brand loyalty work

• Why distributing through one site is short-sighted, even if that site is the biggest bookseller in the world. [OK, so I was one of those authors who took my books off Smashwords in order to try Amazon KDP Select which requires exclusivity. However, next week I will be republishing my books on all platforms based on some of Mark's points in this well-written chapter - as well as how impressed I am with Kobo.]

• Using strategic pricing as well as free
• Why patience is important and the sales behavior of different books – the invisible book, the slow boil, slow builder and breakout book.
• Why you shouldn’t fear piracy

• On long term platform building and marketing
• Word of mouth and how books go viral, or not
• How readers find books and how to optimize your touch points

• It’s not about book launches anymore, it’s an ongoing marketing approach
• Think globally about your book and the expansion of ebook markets
• How to behave as an indie – let’s be generous with each other – this is not a zero sum game

…and much more.

So what are you waiting for? Click here to go and download Mark’s ebook on Ebook Secrets and then spend an hour reading it – and take notes!

Related Resources on Ebook Publishing

* My interview with Mark Coker when we met live in Australia in 2010 – we get enthusiastic about the possibilities for authors

* Interview on Smashwords blog with Brian S Pratt who went from earning $7.82 in a quarter to $25,000 in a quarter, and $200,000 in a year from his books.

* Interview on Smashwords blog with Ruth Ann Nordin, romance writer who went from earning $0 to $75,000 on Smashwords

* Ruth Ann Nordin’s little ebook about marketing available on Smashwords (also free)

* The Smashwords Blog where Mark shares lots of great data

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I am a huge fan of Twitter and an increasing fan of Google+. But I use it more for the business of The Creative Penn and less for my fiction. I also know that there are always issues with time pressure and authors must choose methods of marketing that work for them. Today, J. Steve Miller explains why he’s given up trying to attract social media followers, and concentrates on other ways of promoting his book.

I’m an author who blogs casually – whenever I happen to feel like it. My Alexa ranking stinks, and I like it that way. I seldom tweet. I use Facebook to keep up with my real friends. Yet, I’m self-published and very pleased with my steadily increasing book sales.

I’ve studied and tried the “build a massive following” approach, which works great for some people; but don’t believe it’s the best approach for me, and perhaps most other authors as well. I actually use social media a lot, just not in the way many publishers and literary agents expect authors to use it.

Problems with Building a Social Media Following

First, building a following consumes lots of time.

Social media guru Chris Brogan recommends a minimum of two hours a day. Think of J.R.R. Tolkien, who taught full time and hung out with his family after work, writing books after his children went to bed. Had he spent those two hours blogging and Tweeting, we may have never read The Lord of the Rings.

Second, there’s no proof that building a large following can work for every author.

Granted, it works for some authors, but that’s not the proof we need. Compare social media to the California gold rush. Had I lived in New England in 1849 and read regular newspaper reports of people striking it rich, I’d need better evidence to warrant selling the farm and moving west. I’d want to know, “out of the last thousand people who made the move, what percentage struck it rich?” If eight out of ten, I might move. If one out of 1,000, I’d keep the farm. But that’s precisely the statistical information we lack concerning authors trying to build social media followings.

Third, when I studied low profile authors who sold a lot of books, I found very few taking this approach.

When authors reported on book marketing forums, “Twitter works for me,” I’d ask, “How many books are you selling as a result?” Typically, they sheepishly replied “a few” or clarified that they were defining “success” in terms of how many people they drew to their blogs through Twitter.

How I Use Social Media

Some good studies have been done that relate to the effective use of social media. Drawing on about ten of them, I crafted some principles that guide me.

Principle #1 – “Let others praise you, rather than praise yourself.”

This principle is at least as old as King Solomon, who advised, “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips.” It also flows from Gallup’s study  of over 17,000 social media users which found that people don’t typically buy products as a result of companies pushing their own products through social media. People doubt our objectivity concerning our own products.

Razorfish found 61 percent of responders relying on user reviews, compared with 15 percent relying on editorial reviews. Unfortunately, trying to sell my books to my Facebook and blog followings is much like editorial reviews – it’s me pushing my own products.

Knowing the power of user reviews, I use social media extensively to give away free copies of my books for early input and early reviews. For Sell More Books!, I offered members of the popular Yahoo Self Publishing listserv a free digital copy for early input as I was still editing. After publication, I emailed those early readers a big thank you, and offered them a free paper copy, requesting an Amazon review if they felt compelled. Social networking allows me to find my niche audiences and get plenty of reviews, as well as allowing them to spread the word on their social networks.

Principle #2 – “Go where people already gather, rather than gather a crowd around yourself.”

According to Shiv Singh, social media guru for PepsiCo,

“The holy grail of social influence marketing is increasingly considered the ability to identify which referent influencers are the most powerful and have the highest impact on brand affinity and purchasing decisions. After you’ve identified them, the next question is, how does a marketer reach these referent influencers that surround their customers?”

Applying this principle to marketing my personal finance book, Enjoy Your Money!, I found the top 200 personal finance blogs and offered free copies to the bloggers for their review. Almost one in four asked for a copy. Eighteen came through with a review and/or giveaway. It was both cost and time effective. My sales tripled and I didn’t have to keep posting several times a week on my blog. Instead, I went into seclusion to write my next book.

Principle #3 – “Address the interested, rather than interrupt the disinterested.”

39% of people surveyed unfriend people on Facebook who try to sell them something. Even if you limit your sales pitches to one of fifty comments, many question your motives for keeping in touch once you start mentioning your books. Rather, I visit forums, blogs and listservs where people are looking for information on the topics I write about. I link to my books in my signature.

Principle #4 – “Consider your strengths and passions, rather than assuming you can replicate any marketing scheme.”

A Gallup study of over two million people concluded that people need to concentrate on their strengths. If your strengths and passions incline you to blogging, Facebook and Twitter, you may do well building a following there. But if it’s a chore that you endure solely to sell your books, don’t be surprised if you make little impact. There are hundreds of ways to market your books. Choose methods that fit your unique passions and strengths.

Let’s Talk!

My approach goes against the flow, and a brief post doesn’t give the subject justice, so feel free to agree or disagree below in the comments and I’ll interact. Thanks, Joanna, for letting me share!

About the Author

J. Steve Miller writes a wide range of books on topics ranging from personal finance to philosophy of religion to writing and publishing. Social Media Frenzy expands on the topic of this post. Sell More Books! helps low profile and debut authors narrow down which marketing methods might work best with their unique strengths and books. Publish a Book! helps authors decide on the best self-publishing company. Over 1500 people a day visit his website for teacher resources on life skills and character education.  He loves hanging out with his family, giving talks, caring for his 106-year-old granny, and doing weird stuff like spelunking. Connect with him at www.enjoyyourwriting.com .

Image: Flickr / AslanMedia

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