Category Archives: marketing/publicity

April 28, 2010   DG&B   marketing/publicity, Miriam, opinion, our blog, social networking, writing  
27

Is blogging killing writing?

by Miriam

Being the chatty bunch we are here at DGLM, we spend almost as much time talking about whether we should be blogging as we spend actually blogging. For us, the issue is the time it takes to come up with a blog topic on our allotted blogging day each week, the time it takes to find an interesting story to comment on, the time it takes to write our post, the time it takes to read the ensuing comments and respond, if appropriate or necessary…. In short, all of us are conflicted about how much time away from our always reproducing piles of work blogging demands. And, yet, we do it because you can’t be a forward thinking outfit in this day and age without a blog presence (secretly, some of us even enjoy the interaction with our readers and followers).

This piece in the Daily Beast is interesting in that it raises another topic. Is blogging making writers less able to write anything with more substance than a People magazine article? Is it imperiling long, satisfying narratives, replacing them with the literary equivalent of gossipy chit chat?

Obviously a lot of people are worried about the fate of the publishing business. But what about the fate of literary works and the actual craft of writing?

April 22, 2010   DG&B   advice, feedback, marketing/publicity, reading, Stacey  
14

Author websites

by Stacey

An author recently asked me to take a look at her revamped, updated, and exciting new website. It got me thinking about what a good website entails, which author sites are worth seeking out, and what readers are looking for when they visit an author website. My research took me to this old but interesting piece written by the head of Thomas Nelson which offers some ideas about tools to rank your website’s success, and some, as he calls them, surprising conclusions about traffic to author websites.

All of this author website talk now turns to you, our blog readers, to find out what you want to see when you visit an author’s website? Is it personal information about the author, videos of interviews, excerpts from their book(s), contests? I’d love some feedback from you on what’s of personal interest to get some perspective and perhaps allow us to better inform our authors of things they can do to make their websites more appealing to readers and fans. It would also be helpful to know some of your favorite websites, ones you keep going back to over and over. Thanks!!

April 07, 2010   DG&B   advice, conferences, marketing/publicity, Stacey  
1

Humble reminders

by Stacey

This article from last week’s PW serves as a good reminder to published and aspiring authors alike to remember to take nothing and no one for granted in this very fickle and cyclical, not to mention small, business. Sometimes we all get complacent, caught up in our busy, fast paced lives, but this kind of article for me is a reminder to take a step back, breathe, and forge on, doing the little things that can make a difference in your career, or in your life. I always try to remind my authors that there is a benefit to daily upkeep of your role as author, and there are cumulative and ongoing effects of networking, staying involved, going to conferences, meeting other authors, and most importantly, connecting with your fans. I recently sold a book by an adult author who was writing for the children’s market for the first time. Last summer, he had met a big, bestselling children’s author at a writer’s conference (and an adult writer’s conference at that) and decided to ask that author to read his book before we sent it to publishers. We wound up with a great quote, and all because of a networking event at a writer’s conference. Small things do matter, and each book sale does make a difference. If you believe that, and you stay focused each and every day, you will get to where you want to be, and stay there.

April 06, 2010   DG&B   fun, marketing/publicity, Michael, publishers  
2

Penguin’s got skillz

by Michael

Well, I’m not sure they’ve actually got “skillz,” but they’re proving that they know how to have fun and don’t take themselves too seriously. In this video, the staff at Peguin rap, sing and dance a parody of Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind.” While I don’t think they’ll be winning any Grammys, and I hope they’re keeping their day jobs, it’s an amusing publishing video! Enjoy.

[UPDATE:  Sadly, it’s been taken down.  According to Publishers Lunch, it was never meant for public display.  Not entirely clear what they did mean it for.  Hope you got to check it out before the magic went away!  – Lauren]

March 31, 2010   DG&B   Facebook, marketing/publicity, Miriam, opinion, social networking, Twitter  
5

If Margaret Atwood can do it…

by Miriam

One of the more frustrating things about our work these days is trying to convince certain authors of the need for establishing a presence on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Some of them claim that they can’t possibly do this, as it would prevent them from meeting their deadlines. Some tell us they’re too old to learn new tricks and they’d rather leave that newfangled stuff to the kids…who don’t read anyway. Others get on a very high horse and lecture us about the death of culture these sites represent and chasten us for asking them to prostitute themselves.

Then, there are those adventurous souls who are game to try anything that will broaden their readership, allow them to connect to their fans, and sell books! So, it was with great delight that I read this piece by Margaret Atwood–whose literary bona fides are hard to challenge and who could comfortably rest on her mountain of laurels at this stage of her career–about the pleasures of tweeting.

What it boils down to is “communication,” isn’t it?

March 19, 2010   DG&B   advice, Lauren, marketing/publicity, social networking  
3

In control

by Lauren

Yesterday, Michael offered some really sound advice on how to deal with potentially difficult situations that arise in the publishing process, and I wanted to follow that up with a link to something of a companion piece over at Pimp My Novel. Eric outlines what you can’t control as the sales force tries to make magic happen for your book and then finishes with a sobering but important fact: “Everything from having your partial MS passed on to the agent by his/her assistant to the final sales call to winning all kinds of fancy literary awards will inherently contain an element of randomness or luck, and it’s up to you to make the best of it, regardless of the circumstance.” That last part is key to a satisfying publishing experience. Some things will be affected by chance, but that doesn’t mean you should just passively leave your entire career in the hands of fate! For everything that lines up perfectly, capitalize on opportunity and don’t bank on chance. Lucky enough to have some author signings in an era where that’s less and less the case, don’t forget to tweet about it, make a Facebook invite, and email your address book. When things seem to be going wrong—and inevitably something will—do what you can to fix them and do everything you can in other areas to minimize their impact. Pretend you’re in AA and memorize the serenity prayer—and talk to your agent when you need help with the “wisdom to know the difference” part.

And if you’re still wondering how to make the best of it, run don’t walk to the previous post Eric links to in his entry: What You Can Do: Twelve Easy Steps. His hypothetical timeline may well be much shorter than what you’ll experience—except in the parts where the work is on your desk and you’ll be praying to every god anyone has ever believed in for more hours in the day—but it outlines clearly just how proactive you can and should be. You can’t force luck to go your way, so make sure you don’t forget to do all the things within your power.

March 18, 2010   DG&B   advice, covers, marketing/publicity, Michael, publishers  
12

Think before you kvetch

by Michael

Over on the Waxman Agency blog, there’s a great piece for authors on how not to piss off your editor. The main advice is very good, and comes directly from a “very smart lady who people love to work with.”

But I wanted to highlight a few of the smaller points that might be overlooked. Before writing a vitriolic email to your editor (or publicist or assistant or whomever), call your agent first. We all get frustrated, we all need to vent, and your agent is the person to do that with. We agents play an important part of the publishing process because we serve as a buffer between author and editor in contentious situations, giving perspective to the author and communicating clearly and professionally with the editor. We may be able to address the matter in a way that doesn’t offend the editor and gets the client what she wants. So call your agent!

For all authors entering the publishing process, please read, memorize, and repeat this sentence: “I’d add an additional caveat that you have to let the people on your team be good at what they are paid to do (otherwise why are you working with them?), and accepting that your process of publication won’t be exactly like what your friend/critique partner/Stephenie Meyer’s was like is also an excellent skill to cultivate as you enter the publishing process.” Let me tackle the first part of that sentence: “Let the people on your team be good at what they are paid to do.” The advice in the first half of this sentence may seem obvious, but I don’t think it’s often adhered to. Authors (ok, and agents) often second-guess the editor, the designer, the publicity and marketing teams, the publisher…the list goes on. And, we have every right to do so, especially in a business where most things are subjective. But I think everyone in the publishing process would benefit from taking a step back and thinking, “We all want to succeed here. I may not agree with the decision, but let’s discuss why the decision was made and figure out how to move forward in the most productive way.” Especially in these tough times, I like to think that we’re all in this together, trying to make the best books possible.

The second half of the sentence is just as important. The publishing version of keeping up with the Joneses is the most destructive game an author can play. Instead of worrying about what so-and-so got for an advance, print run, publicity/marketing plan, gift from editor, etc., worry about making you book as successful as it can be. I’ve seen authors destroyed by jealousy and preoccupied with parts of the process well beyond their control. Don’t let it happen to you!

We’re all in this business together, and working collaboratively with one another is the best way to achieve our mutual goals.

March 16, 2010   DG&B   Chasya, covers, fun, marketing/publicity, video  
1

Getting creative with book promotion

by Chasya

We at DGLM talk about covers from time to time. When one comes in that is noteworthy we pass it around amongst ourselves to garner thoughts and feedback. Having seen so many in their finished stages, I was fascinated by this great video that I first saw on Galleycat, which offers a glimpse into the work that goes into creating a book cover. For anyone who missed it in the past few days, check it out. It pulls double duty here as a clever promotional video, too! Kudos to Orbit, the creators of this clever clip! This is a great example of a publisher getting creative with their online marketing. Super cool!

March 10, 2010   DG&B   advice, Facebook, marketing/publicity, Miriam, social networking  
8

Facebook for fun and marketing

by Miriam

Being a relative latecomer to Facebook, I’ve embraced it enthusiastically. On a personal level, I enjoy knowing what my friends are up to without actually having to schedule a phone call in the middle of a busy week. Given how busy most of my friends are as well, I’m pretty sure that the feeling is mutual. On a professional level, I like to keep tabs on our clients and publishing colleagues – it’s helpful to know who’s doing and saying what, and, often, rumor and information get around faster on Facebook than through PW or Pub Lunch. And, of course, it’s undeniable that with the gazillion members and the sophisticated networking capabilities, Facebook is a great way to market yourself and your book. Thing is, you gotta do it right.

Because I’m far from being an expert in this area, I won’t go into technical details about what doing it right entails. (In fact, I would suggest that those of you trying to establish an effective presence on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites, who have the means to do so, should seek help from a good brand building consultant specializing in this area.) But, I can share some of the things my colleagues and I have discussed as being turnoffs:

1. Be interesting. If you’re using social media to further your career, don’t treat it like the equivalent of sitting on your couch in an old t-shirt, watching reality tv and eating Doritos. You should make an effort to make interesting observations, post entertaining links, etc. Telling all your friends repeatedly that you love your cat, or offering local weather reports in your area, or what you had for dinner last night is nice every once in a while but if all your posts are the same, people will stop paying attention.

2. Don’t oversell yourself or your book. If you only post when you have a book event you want people to go to or use your update screen to post fragments of your novel, your “friends” will start to get annoyed. Your posts will become the equivalent of spam and be roundly ignored.

3. Try to read your friends’ posts and comment when appropriate – don’t just indiscriminately “like” everything or offer clichéd or throwaway responses to their posts. Remember, their friends are seeing your comments too and that’s an opportunity to expand your own network.

4. Avoid sending “gifts” en masse. A birthday greeting to a friend is fine. A “blessing” that will appear on the walls of your 1,500 friends…not so much.

What are the Facebook practices you all find irritating? And which other social networks do you find yourself and your favorite authors on online?

February 10, 2010   DG&B   advice, marketing/publicity, social networking, Stacey, Twitter  
7

The big picture

by Stacey

Pondering blog ideas while observing the blizzard of 2010 outside my window, I thought it would be a good idea to talk a little bit about authors and their commitment to social networking, and in particular building and maintaining a loyal audience that continues to grow long before and after a book’s publication date.

For nonfiction and fiction authors alike, the importance of connecting with your audience is crucial at every stage of an author’s career. At the beginning, it’s about finding your readers — identifying who they are and where they hang out online; then it’s about building and growing that fan base, but also about maintaining fans’ interest and keeping them coming back for more. It’s not helpful to put up a website or blog, or start a Facebook page or Twitter account, and only keep them active right before and right after publication. It’s about building a long term relationship, and it has to become a part of your daily routine. Seriously, none of this is new information, but it bears repeating because the results are clear and in many cases quantifiable. A recent example worth noting is my client, Shreve Stockton, whose book the Daily Coyote stems from her popular blog. An author who is intimately connected to her fans has the ability to stay close to his or her audience, and as a fringe benefit can even sometimes generate national publicity (and not necessarily directly book related, but that’s the point) months after a book’s publication.

There are a lot of resources available for anyone’s use on the web, and a long term commitment to building your name, creating ongoing content that is fresh and engaging, and creatively thinking of new ways to connect with readers are some of the ways to ensure a successful career that has longevity. Books have become only a part of the bigger picture of an author’s platform, and staying focused on these efforts will pay off in the long run in expected and sometimes unexpected ways. If you have any stories that illustrate this point, please share.

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