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Kristen Lamb's Blog
Archive for category Social Media Platform
Twitter for Writers—Eight Ways to Nuke Your Brand
Posted by Author Kristen Lamb in Social Media Platform on January 28, 2016
I've been an advocate of writers using social media since 2004, before social media was really a thang. In the early days of Gather and MySpace it occurred to me that we were seeing a fundamental shift in how humans would 1) be communicating 2) forging relationships and 3) finding/discovering entertainment.
Digital Age Writers? You have…no…idea.
Back in my day *wags cane* we were fighting the Russians and there were NUKES pointed at us for twenty years. We had to get our moms to drive us to a library to research for a paper using the Dewey decimal system. There was no Google.
If you wanted a popular book and didn't save enough babysitting money to preorder the next David Eddings book in the Pawn of Prophecy series? In hardback? You waited.
Your turn. Like behind fifty other people.
And hoped the book wasn't overhyped crap and the last thing you'd read before being nuked.
In my day, you wrote stories in ink by hand. Or? On THIS thing…which you could use to brain a Russian….before he nuked you.
And you prayed to GOD that your little brother properly screwed on the cap to the whiteout so it wasn't dried into one glob of white goo. And if you changed your mind where a scene went? TOUGH FRIGGING LUCK. You should have plotted it out better the first time, Smart Guy!
When I was growing up, we didn't know the author. Writers were proper and respectable and had the basic decency to keep their weirdness hidden from the public eye.
And books? We had to go to a store. A real store with like walls and freaking shelves. And if they didn't have the next Dragonlance book? Well then cry you whiny little baby. Cry. You had to WAIT and hope you weren't nuked before they got in the shipment.
I had a friend who skateboarded alone to a B. Dalton's. Yes, he was nuked.
Okay, I'm finished 😀 .
For now.
Okay, Twitter. You writers today are so spoiled but many are just wrecking one of the most powerful ways to build an author brand. Or, to go with today's goofery? Nuking it.
What's been strange to see is how in the older days when we were forced to interact face-to-face, interpersonal communication was just natural. Social media is supposed to simply be an extension of that. It is meant to be social and a reflection of how we would interact in person.
As a social media expert, I run into all kinds of strange behavior and tips that make me scratch my head. It's as if the second we want to create a brand or mention we have a book for sale, we forget everything we know about being human.
Twitter is a great way to build a brand and connect and cultivate future readers, but it is shockingly misused.
Today's post (obviously) is tongue-and-cheek, but humor can be the best teacher even if we've oopsed. Thus, here are eight ways to nuke your brand. Like glass-factory-glow-in-the-dark-grow-500-pound-strawberries-for-the-next-six-hundred-years.
Yes, I am being a drama queen. Too much Aqua Net killed off my brain cells.
So Eight Ways to NUKE your BRAND.
Tip #1—Only Use Automation
Writing a 140 characters is SUPER time-consuming. We aren't Jack London. Besides, people love robots. I know when I feel lonely, I call AT&T because I know a human being will NEVER answer…EVER. Humans can be so boring and don't offer us the option of hitting 6 if we want to hear everything they just said all over again.
Real Life Application: Program cell phones to call friends and family at regular intervals to ask for money. They'd dig that.
Tip #2—Make Sure All Preprogrammed Tweets are "Carefully Crafted"
Because when we take time to artfully craft our spam, people don't mind. They LOVE believing a real person is there only to be fooled. It's like when that cute guy/gal in high school pretended to want to go out with us. Now we can relive that experience as adults by being duped into thinking we were chatting with a real person who actually cared.
Real Life Application: At the holidays, volunteer to bring one of those awesome fried turkeys, then show up instead with Tofurkey. They won't know the difference.
Tip #3—When Programming Tweets Include Popular Hashtags…ALL OF THEM
Who goes to social media to socialize? People LOVE finding a community of real people to talk to and then having it crowded out by the same advertising over and over…and over. Because research shows that it takes at least 20 times to see an annoying face before we want to punch it.
Real Life Application: Some people see a funeral, others see a target audience in need of some cheering up with a NEW BOOK. If potential readers aren't coming to us, we should go to them. Find where they gather then SELL. So what if it's against their will?
Tip #4—Make People Prove Who They Are Before Talking to Them
Twitter validation services are awesome. We love meeting someone, only to have to jump through hoops to prove our love. We even get the added advantage of being redirected off Twitter to an outside site where we're easily hacked. How else will all our friends receive direct messages from porn sites posing as us? Nothing seals an on-line relationship like giving others a social media disease. Who will they think of when they have to spend hours removing viruses and trojans from their computers.
Can we say "Top of Mind"?
Come on! It takes three whole seconds to unfollow a bot. We need those precious three seconds to carefully craft witty preprogrammed tweets. Let the other person do the fifty hoops of leg-work to earn our trust. They have plenty of time.
Real Life Application: Whenever we meet someone and start chatting, if we like them, suddenly stop talking and find a way to casually get samples of their hair for your portable drug testing kit. Hey, gotta be safe these days. Don't want to just chat with any weirdo.
Throw in a urinalysis to be extra sure ;).
Tip#5—Tweet LOTS of Articles—Ok, ALL Articles
Most of us, when we wake up in the morning, think, "Gee, I wish I had a super long reading list. I sure miss my college syllabus." Those of us with a corporate job LOVE people who hit Reply ALL so we can read more. Wikipedia is a hot place to hang out. Why not bring that encyclopedic magic to Twitter?
Real Life Application: Make sure to print off a box of articles for that wedding you were invited to. Who wants to dance or flirt when they could be reading about intestinal parasites? Handing people a stack of reading material is way better than getting trapped in a "conversation."
Tip #6—Ask for Stuff Immediately
The second someone befriends us, it's our job to send an automated link to their Direct Messages so they can do stuff FOR US. Buy our book, like our FB page, follow our blog, or even answer a really inane question (as if we care about their answer) *rolls eyes*. Hey, great to meet you. Do you like vampires or werewolves?
Real Life Application: If someone is nice to us in the grocery store, make sure to have books to sell and the ability to take credit cards on the spot. Sure, that person is trying to buy a chicken to make for dinner and now she can buy OUR BOOKS, too. Win-win. If we don't have books for sale, we can ask for life, love or career advice from total strangers, because that isn't creepy at ALL.
Tip #7—Tweet from Several Accounts/Identities
People on Twitter might miss out on all those "carefully crafted" preprogrammed tweets. Make sure to have anywhere from 2-7 identities sending the same messages. What's better than spam? MORE SPAM, duh.
Real Life Application: This tactic rocks for singles on the dating scene. Meet a date then several times throughout the conversation, change names and accents. Multiple-personalities are just more people to love.
Tip #8—Never Tweet ANYTHING Original Just Retweet
Again, 140 characters cuts into word count. Save time and retweet what everyone else has to say. Two clicks? DONE.
Real Life Application: Repeat what everyone else says. Don't you remember how your siblings loved it when you did that to them?
I am not kidding.
I am not kidding.
Why are you repeating everything I say?
Why are you repeating everything I say?
Okay, I am going to tell Mom.
Okay, I am going to tell Mom.
Man, those were good times…until the arm-bar and atomic wedgie.
Okay, Serious Now
Twitter can be very valuable and a great place to make wonderful friends. Be real and enjoy. People are on social media to be social. We crave connection, fun and escape. If we wanted more ads we'd read the door in the bathroom stall or not bother fast-forwarding through commercials. We don't need to be profound, deep or immensely witty to do well on Twitter, we just need to be vested, present and authentic ;).
Don't Get NUKED! A PSA from Kevin Bacon and yes I totally ripped off his idea. Good writers borrow great writers steal 😛
Before we go…
THIS SATURDAY! We can't sell a book if we cannot articulate in one sentence what that book is ABOUT.
Your Story in a Sentence—Crafting Your Log-Line. Our stories should be simple enough to tell someone what the book is about in ONE sentence. If we can't do this, often there is a plot problem. Okay, about 99% of the time there is a plot problem. I can tell by a log-line what is right or wrong with a book (HINT: So can agents). Save a ton of money with editors and a lot of time trying to fix the wrong stuff and spring $35 for TWO HOURS of fun with me. Recording of class is included with admission.
This class is great for teaching you how to be master plotters and the first FIFTEEN SIGNUPS get their log-line shredded for free, so you will be agent ready.
I LOVE hearing from you!
If you are old enough, how did YOU suffer? Writers today have NO CLUE! We used to get paper cuts!
To prove it and show my love, for the month of JANUARY, everyone who leaves a comment I will put your name in a hat. If you comment and link back to my blog on your blog, you get your name in the hat twice. What do you win? The unvarnished truth from yours truly. I will pick a winner once a month and it will be a critique of the first 20 pages of your novel.
And yes, I am a complete and total slacker. December's winner will be announced later because I seriously had three posts go viral. Great problem to have…but tabulating a winner? Gonna take a little time. Love you *air kiss*
Remember to check out the new classes listed at W.A.N.A International.
Branding for Authors (NEXT SATURDAY). This is your best way to get PAID in the digital age. We have to cultivate that 1000 die hard fans who won't settle for FREE.
For those who need help building a platform and keeping it SIMPLE, pick up a copy of my latest social media/branding book Rise of the Machines—Human Authors in a Digital World on AMAZON, iBooks, or Nook.
authors of the digital age, bad habits on Twitter, building an author brand, building an author platform with Twitter, how to use social media effectively, Kristen Lamb, Social media for authors, Twitter, Twitter for writers
Why Writing Isn't Enough—The Savvy Writer's Guide to Success
Posted by Author Kristen Lamb in Social Media Platform on January 25, 2016
Today, we're going to do something a little different. You want to know one thing I love probably more than anything in the world? Spotting great talent and getting to share it. Thus, today I would like to introduce you to one of my followers who snagged my attention over the holidays and I asked her to come and share her wisdom today because I think we can all gain something from her (even me because am always learning BAY-BEE!).
I would like to introduce, Britt Skrabanek!
A lot of you may be wondering how I ended up on Kristen's blog in the first place. She's pretty big-time, an influencer—she's worked her tail off to build her brand presence. Many of us look to her for writing tips we can actually use, knowing some esoteric BS like "If you write it, they will come" will not be waiting in our inbox to insult us.
Chances are, you have no idea who in the heck I am. But, Ha! Now you do 😀 .
I'm an indie author.
The other thing I am, even though it's more difficult to say than "writer"…I'm a businesswoman. Me—a beer-drinking, tree-hugging Yogi in Portland—I'm in the marketing biz.
When Kristen and I were working out logistics for the topic of this guest piece, she said to use my business/social media wisdom with you guys. In her typical no-nonsense wisdom, Kristen said: "There is some savvy to this."
You know what? There is.
Writing here is a big honor for me. I've been following Kristen's blog since I started my indie author adventure many moons ago. The reason why she was kind enough to invite me over to her place was, quite simply, because I did some savvy marketing.
I was greatly inspired by one of her blogs on branding, Why Our Author Brand is More Important Than Ever. So I mentioned her in the post I wrote, and though we hadn't talked more beyond a casual conversation on her blog, I asked if she would share it on social.
She shocked the hell out of me when she asked me to write a full piece on her blog. My small-time blogger heart went pitter-patter. You know what? I took a chance with a marketing tactic and put myself out there. All she could say was No. But maybe…just maybe, she'd say YES.
Many of you introverted writer types are totally cringing right now. But if you want others to know what you've written, you have to do more than shut up and write.
Writing is only half the battle. We have to market it—tell people about it and hope to God they'll listen.
Quitting Is Easy, Not Savvy
Like many of you, I threw myself into this writing thing without knowing diddly-squat about marketing, sales, and branding. I believe that writing a novel is one of the greatest achievements of the creative mind, and though anyone can self-publish, not just anyone can pull it off.
Sure, they can put some crap out there on a whim. Amazon makes the process nice and easy—and free. To actually write a novel, you must have a die-hard imagination, you have to be relentlessly organized, and above all, you have to have the vision to see it through.
WAY back in 2012 when I self-published my first book, Beneath the Satin Gloves, I thought people were going to buy it. Real cute, isn't it?
With great diligence, I followed the indie author rules. I had the almighty platform, with a weekly blog and consistent social media posts. Such a sweet little nobody writer I was…I started building my platform two months before my book release.
So, you can guess what happened. My friends and family, out of pity and curiosity, were my paying customers—my only fans. After that release weekend, my sales fell off.
I'm not going to lie to you. I was devastated and I wanted to quit writing. I was editing the final draft of my second book when all of this was going on, and I had to stop before I chucked my laptop out the window.
About a week later, my temper tantrum was done. There was no moment of clarity or anything—I just realized how ridiculously naïve I had been. As Kristen said, there's some savvy to this. We can write a badass book, but it will never see the light of day if we don't learn how to sell it.
To sell our book, we don't need to sell our souls, but we do need to sell ourselves.
Why Writing Isn't Enough
I've self-published three novels and I still have a day job. I know how heartbreaking it is to hear that writing isn't enough. Writing the best content possible—whether it's a blog post, a tweet, or a full-on novel—is a must-do. Also, a must-do is engaging people. One of the ways I've found to make a living as a writer has nothing to do with fiction. (Shocked, aren't you?)
I'm a Content Manager at a B2B (Business to Business) marketing agency. While writing about email metrics and marketing automation isn't as fun as writing about a lounge-singing female spy in WWII Berlin, I'll tell you what is fun about it. I get to learn what it takes to get people's attention.
Because every business has a blog these days, we're in the same boat as indie authors. That boat is rickety as all get-out, and most of the time we're trying not to sink into the sea of online noise.
We have to work our buns off within our niche, we have to provide value to our target audience, and we have to be consistent and tactical.
These are the non-negotiables of creating content to bring awareness to your brand. Awareness is just the tip of the iceberg of the buying cycle, and people have a very long way to go before they make a decision to buy.
I know that's a lot of B2B jargon, but I hope you're still with me. Because these realizations are critical for any indie author to understand.
Knowing this will keep you from bailing on your dreams.
There Are No Short-Cuts in Marketing
By now, you may be thinking that I'm just a spineless marketer. As a fellow indie, I'm just trying to keep it real. If we go back to this savvy idea, think about what that means. Someone who's savvy is intelligent, but they're also cool and charismatic.
As writers, we have to be Rico Suave. Remember that song? Watch this and you can have it stuck in your head for a week. You're welcome…
In the 90s it was a one-hit wonder, but the singer, Gerardo, left us with an unforgettable image. Like "ubered," Rico Suave crept into our English slang. Seriously, it's in Urban Dictionary. This is branding, people.
We're running a business. We creative types freak when we hear this, but the likelihood and longevity of our writing careers depends on it.
Have you ever seen a business become a sensation overnight? Me neither.
Starry eyes can happen to anyone—not just indies. In fact, starry eyes happen to businesspeople all the time, and guess what? Their business fails.
I had the craziest conversation with a guy I know, who is basically a B2B marketing superstar writer. He really has a handle on business writing and blows my mind with his ability to bust out copy on a daily basis that consistently engages people.
BUT, Mr. Savvy B2B Marketer had starry eyes when he started his personal blog. I had seen his first blog post release, and I congratulated him. As we talked, he told me he wanted to have 5,000 blog subscribers by the end of the first month.
My jaw dropped open. 5,000 subscribers in the first month? Holy s*&t…how?!
I asked him to share his master plans, because with almost four years of blogging under my belt, I have yet to reach 1,000 subscribers. (P.S. This is something I'm totally okay with, because engagement is more important than follower numbers any day.)
Anyhoo, he discussed duplicating the blog content on LinkedIn and possibly some social ads.
Aha, aha. Though I would never dare to copy and paste the exact blog content on LinkedIn to potentially piss off the Google Gods, I nodded along with the tactics. Getting your content in front of different audiences through different channels is good stuff.
I waited for more master plans that never came. We talked a couple of months later, and he was disappointed in his traffic. He wore that defeated writer expression I was all too familiar with, and he was already considering quitting his blog.
Because 5,000 subscribers in the first month of blogging would be a damn miracle and…because there are no shortcuts in marketing.
So, How Do We Stand Out as Writers?
Write good s&*t and become Rico Suave. Kidding, kidding. Kind of.
As devout followers of Kristen's blog, you all know there are so many elements at play, and one measly blog post isn't going to cover it.
I'll be completely candid with you guys and tell you I'm one of the most impatient people I know. Now perseverance is a very different thing. Perseverance will propel you forward, so you can finish the novel you've been working on for three years. Impatience will disappoint you, make you think you're not good enough when people don't come running to buy your book you worked so hard on.
Impatience doesn't serve us in the self-publishing world. Perseverance does.
I know we're sick of hearing it, but it takes time. Building a brand/business is a necessary part of being an indie author, and it doesn't happen on its own.
We have to keep going. We have to be savvy. And most of all, we have to do it for the love.
THANK YOU, Britt! Just so you guys know, I actually do pay attention when you link to me or talk to me. Most posts I do take time to read and this year my goal is going to be cultivating and promoting a fresh crop of W.A.N.A. talent because that's what W.A.N.A. is all about. Teamwork. Big fish helping the baby fish so THEY can become big fish…who then help the next baby fishies.
I hope you enjoyed Britt's perspective and please check out her site and all her social networks are listed at the bottom of this post so you can follow her. I asked her here simply because I wanted you to know that what you are feeling right now is NOT unique to writers. Yes, most of my job is working with you guys, but I'm also a consultant for I.Q. Solutions in major big brand marketing with companies like Absolut, Budweiser, Luis Vuitton, etc.
Trust me, when we are in a world that BEER companies are struggling? You know it's tough.
I can tell you that even the big names are having to hustle to keep, gain or maintain an edge. So don't get too hard on yourself because this is just the tough reality of the digital age. We cannot do business like it's 1992 and survive let alone thrive.
But good news is… We Are Not Alone.
I love hearing from you!
To prove it and show my love, for the month of JANUARY, everyone who leaves a comment I will put your name in a hat. If you comment and link back to my blog on your blog, you get your name in the hat twice. What do you win? The unvarnished truth from yours truly. I will pick a winner once a month and it will be a critique of the first 20 pages of your novel.
And yes, I am a complete and total slacker. December's winner will be announced later because I seriously had three posts go viral. Great problem to have…but tabulating a winner? Gonna take a little time. Love you *air kiss*
Remember to check out the new classes listed at W.A.N.A International.
Registration for Branding for Authors has been EXTENDED (thanks to me getting a stomach bug). This is your best way to get PAID in the digital age. We have to cultivate that 1000 die hard fans who won't settle for FREE.
Also, I have one craft class listed.
THIS SATURDAY Your Story in a Sentence—Crafting Your Log-Line. Our stories should be simple enough to tell someone what the book is about in ONE sentence. If we can't do this, often there is a plot problem. This class is great for teaching you how to be master plotters and the first TEN SIGNUPS get their log-line shredded for free, so you will be agent ready for the coming year.
For those who need help building a platform and keeping it SIMPLE, pick up a copy of my latest social media/branding book Rise of the Machines—Human Authors in a Digital World on AMAZON, iBooks, or Nook.
Britt Skrabanekis the spirited indie novelist of Nola Fran Evie, Everything's Not Bigger, and Beneath the Satin Gloves. Her blog is a whimsical snapshot of life, musings, and the glory of the written word. She is blissfully married, has two delightfully incorrigible cats, and loves to experience the world—all of its quirky beauty inspires her endlessly. When she's not writing, she's a bike-riding Yogi who loves to dance.
Links: Website | Amazon Author Page | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube
B2B for writers, Britt Skrabanek, how to build an author brand, how to sell more books, Indie Author Britt Skrabanek, Kristen Lamb, marketing, marketing for writers, social media for writers, Why Writing isn't Enough
Brain Games—Are You Unwittingly Killing Your Book Biz?
Posted by Author Kristen Lamb in Social Media Platform on January 19, 2016
The past three weeks have been the weirdest game of telephone ever. In my scandalous post Pay the Writer, I knew this would happen but there really was just no getting around it. I knew the second I made any negative commentary about a sacred cow (used bookstore) we'd have problems.
I also knew my post was going to ripple through the web and get redacted down to the juicy and untrue morsel of: Did you hear? Kristen Lamb hates used bookstores.
But this is a really cool lesson in neuroscience and communication and I believe that nothing should ever be wasted. I'm going to use this to show you some cool tricks that will help you reach out to readers, improve your book sales and up the effectiveness of your promotional efforts.
THANK YOU Critics for Proving My Point
So, this all started when I got pissed off at writers (not readers). Writers were sharing an article with a click-bait headline that was bashing Amazon (and by association all on-line retailers) and digital while hailing the great return of the used bookstore. All would have been fine…had the article simply been hailing the return of the used bookstore. I love used bookstores. Need a 12 Step Program for the money I spend there.
But the article wasn't just hailing the return of the used bookstore. The article was using this as an opportunity to bash the best (and only remaining) ways authors are paid.
Here's the thing. All that lovely exposure a used bookstore offers does writers no good if you spend an entire article trashing the only remaining places to buy NEW. And not just any article…a Washington Post article.
And yes, I called foul. It was a dirtbag move that was undermining writers and their ability to earn a living. I knew I'd take heat and I would do it again.
Anyway, back to the brain.
If you read my book Rise of the Machines—Human Authors in a Digital World you're going to find it has a lot of neuroscience in it. The human brain is a really interesting thing and the more you understand it, the more effective your brand and promotions will be.
Did you know that the human brain only begins listening at the first active verb?
So if you say, "Don't forget your keys." What your brain hears is, "Forget your keys."
Seriously, use this with goal-setting and resolutions and I promise it will change your life. I say, instead, "Kristen, remember your keys.
This was why I knew my blog was going to probably come back and bite me. Yes, I knew I needed to construct it better. I had pneumonia when I wrote it and was ticked off, so I really just didn't care.
For the folks who took time and read the blog post thoughtfully, they were dumbfounded that anyone disagreed with what I said.
I never really attacked used bookstores. I attacked the article.
I repeatedly said buy from used bookstores and that I buy from them. I even said feel free to promote them…but make sure to educate readers that you don't get paid there so IF they read something of yours they LIKE, please buy something new.
That's pretty much it.
And it IS okay to disagree with me. But many people who initially believed they disagreed with me, later realized they actually didn't. We'd run into terrible miscommunication fueled by my NyQuil induced fugue state 😛 .
The problem (I feel) came as a side-effect of the digital age and that people tend to do a lot of scanning material. And while it was all kind of a pain in the @$$, I think some great discussion about authors being paid has come out of it and today we are going to use it for a very different but VERY useful lesson.
What Went Sideways?
Because I had to add a caveat to many of my assertions, I knew I was running a huge risk. Any audience member who was not wholly focused? I chanced losing. When I wrote an assertion akin to:
Don't promote used bookstores, unless you then tell readers at some point they are going to need to buy new. If we don't educate our reader, they won't know how to support us…
What do you think most people scanning the article likely saw?
Don't promote used bookstores.
Every single article later criticizing me completely missed the point of my blog, likely because they scanned it or relied on second hand accounts.
Or worse? The reading comprehension in this country is at an all-time low. This morning I awoke to a blog claiming I was up in arms that writers needed to be paid royalties on used books. WTH? Okay, some people apparently need me to blog in crayon and use way smaller words.
I got this on Facebook last night.
For the record, all my human sacrifices are on altars constructed of old hardbacks. Paperbacks soak in blood too quickly and then you can't finish summoning the demon properly…
Moving on.
Another weird trick about the brain is that order dictates emotional weight/importance.
So, if you work for me as my assistant and I tell you, "I need you to get me Tom's number, an appointment with the dentist and an espresso."
What will you assume that I probably want the most/first? What are you also most likely to remember?
If the AC guy shows up and your kids start blowing up your phone with texts and you spill coffee in your crotch and you then look at your watch an hour later…which item are you most likely to recall? That I needed Tom's number.
Thus, when the original article that send me into orbit began with bashing Amazon and digital sales…then later talked about the rise of used bookstores. What do you think was the most lasting impression on the brain, whether readers were conscious of it or not?
If the brain uses order to assign importance, then many Washington Post readers walked away not just feeling good about a used bookstore. They also walked away believing Amazon and digital were bad because the article began with that.
That was part of why I was so angry. It was a blatant manipulation of the audience. See, people like me can spot the man behind the curtain.
***BONUS TIP: When people are emotional, angry or upset, they will reverse the order (emotional distancing). So, if you are in a fight with your wife and she finally tells you what is wrong? And she says, "You forgot the dishwashing soap, left your clothes in the dryer, and we don't spend time together anymore." You are wasting your breath arguing about dish soap. She does NOT CARE ABOUT DISH SOAP. Book a B&B. You can thank me later.
Brain Business—ARE YOU KILLING YOUR BOOK BIZ?
You, dear writer have gone through all this trouble to build a platform of not just writers, but people who might be readers (code for family friends and regular folks who might buy a book). They look to YOU to be their expert and guide.
Since only about 5% of the literate population are the type who inhale multiple books a week, most of these folks may read a handful of books a year if that.
Who cares if it is your book?
Since they are NOT the type of reader who requires an intervention for their habit, this argument about everyone who reads books being so broke they can't buy new is crap.
Most regular folks? If they want a book, they buy off Amazon or go to a B&N at their local mall. They're generally not the reader who's trolling the bargain bins in front of Half Price Books because they just sold some plasma and can afford a couple new Neil Gaiman books.
Ignore Outliers
The BIGGEST mistake too many writers make is they assume they are selling to themselves. That their best market is the avid reader. Yes, we love the avid reader. But she is rare and not our best market.
The left side of the bell curve (the complete non-reader) is not our market at all. But the far-right, the reader who goes through a book a day? That reader would go bankrupt trying to buy everything new. She's going to buy mostly used or check out stuff from a library and frankly I don't blame her.
Also, she's likely going to be a far pickier reader to please, so reviews are going to be much rarer because she's a tougher to impress than the person who reads two books a year.
So we ignore the non-reader for the most part. Not a bad plan. But then writers ALL chase after the far right part of the Bell Curve (The White Stag).
And THEN we ignore the 90% of the population in need of being informed or entertained. I call those Brown Deer Readers (fat part of the bell curve).
Yes, the White Stags loooove the used bookstores, but Brown Deer Readers? Not so much. And there are a heck of a lot more of them and guess what?
Brown Deer Readers are the game-changers.
J.K. Rowling did not become a billionaire by landing only White Stags. She became a billionaire by captivating the fat part of the bell curve of folks who didn't believe they enjoyed books…until her books.
The fat part of the bell curve would rather be trying out pilates or watching Game of Thrones or head shooting buddies on PS4.
THIS is the reader you want. It is the reader I want. Why? Because when you captivate these readers this is when legends are made.
There are people who will tell you they do not read. They do not consider themselves readers, BUT they bought every single 50 Shades book in hard cover. They bought every Twilight, every Harry Potter book. They are the most avid fans any novelist can have simply because they are NOT avid readers.
Many of these folks still believe they hate reading…but they love YOUR books.
These people become an author's single greatest asset. They will not only buy your books, they will evangelize them.
THIS is OUR CUSTOMER.
Now. Go back to what I was talking about. Modern communication.
You post articles and blogs bashing digital and Amazon. Regular people in your platform see those scroll by and since they are not avid readers, they don't read further. They don't want to buy books. They like you so they want to buy YOUR book (maybe).
Later, your books come out. I can tell you (from my background) what very likely will happen.
Wow! I see Penelope's book is out. Better not get a digital copy or go to Amazon. She said it was bad.
And THIS is what started it all. Being aware what we are posting because we are supposed to be guiding our consumers, not confusing them. We cannot take for granted that every person buying our books is an avid reader who understands the book business.
Khaled Hosseini tells a funny story of how his mother bought all the copies she found of his book The Kite Runner in Iran not knowing she was buying pirated copies of his work and that he would never make a dime off her beautiful gesture of support.
Use Our Brains Other Places
How we say things has always mattered. Now that we are in the digital age it is probably more important simply because we are dealing with an overwhelmed and distracted audience. The opportunities for miscommunication are endless.
I don't regret writing the post, but I could have saved myself a lot of time defending misunderstanding if I'd followed my own teachings.
But phrasing stuff in the negative is so common and it's a killer. I see writers doing promotions all the time and I cringe because they're shooting themselves in the foot (I see this with businesses too, btw).
Don't forget to buy my book!
What did you just tell your audience?
Don't forget to buy my book! Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter! Don't miss this promotion!
Strive to tell people what you do want. It's far more effective. If you are writing to make a living, you're going to have to communicate clearly to consumers because it is really easy to confuse them. Yes, I love used bookstores, but I really am fond of being able to pay my light bill even more. So I work hard to promote places I am paid because I appreciate how easy it is to confuse a consumer. Trust me, they can find a used bookstore on their own 😉 .
So what are y'all's thoughts?
Seriously, now does every fight you've ever had with your spouse make sense? Do you now understand why your kid keeps forgetting his backpack? Don't forget your backpack! Have you spent too much time chasing after avid readers and underestimated the regular folks? What are your thoughts? Aside from wondering why I hate used bookstores 😛
I love hearing from you!
To prove it and show my love, for the month of JANUARY, everyone who leaves a comment I will put your name in a hat. If you comment and link back to my blog on your blog, you get your name in the hat twice. What do you win? The unvarnished truth from yours truly. I will pick a winner once a month and it will be a critique of the first 20 pages of your novel.
And yes, I am a complete and total slacker. December's winner will be announced later because I seriously had three posts go viral. Great problem to have…but tabulating a winner? Gonna take a little time. Love you *air kiss*
Remember to check out the new classes listed at W.A.N.A International.
Branding for Authors (THIS SATURDAY). This is your best way to get PAID in the digital age. We have to cultivate that 1000 die hard fans. FIND YOUR BROWN DEER!
Also, I have one craft class listed. Your Story in a Sentence—Crafting Your Log-Line. Our stories should be simple enough to tell someone what the book is about in ONE sentence. If we can't do this, often there is a plot problem. This class is great for teaching you how to be master plotters and the first TEN SIGNUPS get their log-line shredded for free, so you will be agent ready for the coming year.
For those who need help building a platform and keeping it SIMPLE, pick up a copy of my latest social media/branding book Rise of the Machines—Human Authors in a Digital World on AMAZON, iBooks, or Nook.
branding for authors, how to cultivate an audience, how to sell more books, Kristen Lamb, marketing for writers, neuroscience and branding, neuroscience and marketing, pay the writer, social media for writers
Selling Books in the Digital Age—We ALL Have an Image Problem & Here's What To Do
Posted by Author Kristen Lamb in Social Media Platform on January 14, 2016
We live in a wonderful age to be a writer but a terrifying one as well. It's wonderful because there was a time when we could have gone to our graves without ever seeing our work published and holding our work physically in our hands. Now? Good news is everyone gets a chance. Bad news is everyone gets a chance.
Before self-publishing took off, I was not a fan of the whole idea. The reason? I knew the problems it was going to create. We were opening a door we could never close.
When we had gatekeepers, there was an assumed standard. To say we were "published authors" actually meant something. Now? It means next to nothing.
Great you're a published author. So is my cat.
With barriers to entry removed, we've created a problem with public perception when it comes to how they view our product—BOOKS and by association? Us (authors).
Perception is Reality
Ever heard the saying "Power perceived is power achieved"? Works for value too. "Value perceived is value achieved." Therein is a lot of our problem. The sheer volume of books paired with the ability for everyone to be published has diminished the perceived value of our product. It is now up to authors to actively demonstrate value to the consumer.
See, in the "olden days" a book alone meant something. A book had inherent value. A book in and of itself represented more than just a story. A physical book in your hand represented countless other authors who tried and failed, but this author, this author got an agent, landed a contract and was…published. This author was worth a publisher's investment. This book was worth shelf space at a bookstore.
Fast-forward into the digital age and now what is a book? Heck, what is a "real" author?
Since self-publishing was not a viable model until very recently, most of your average consumers really had no idea it existed…until now. These days, even regular people, if you say, "I am a published author." The next question often will be, *weird face* "Yeah but are you self-published?"
This is because the very nature of the product has changed. Now in a world of infinite "shelf space" with no real barriers to entry, anyone can be published and the public has caught on to that. So "books" mean far less to them than ever before and for good reasons.
I am not here to pick on self-published authors because I am one. I have actually published all three ways (traditional, indie and self-pub). Sometimes, there are excellent business reasons to self-publish.
For me? I had one of the top agents in NYC. I was with Russ Galen. Love Russ. Great agent. But it turned out that a social media book just was not a good fit for traditional publishing. Russ worked his tail off because he saw a book like mine was necessary.
Though my agent loved my book, traditional publishing was at that time, simply not as open to the idea as Russ was. So? I published on my own. But Rise of the Machines—Human Authors in a Digital World was guided and had the oversight of the best set of eyes in New York. I hired the best cover designer in the industry and the best interior designer and formatter money could buy.
Meaning? Not all self-published books are junk.
Problem is? Too many of them are.
What does all this mean? It means that twenty years ago selling a book was very different than selling a book today. Customers had a far different perception of the product twenty years ago.
Why the Struggle?
One of the reasons writers are struggling and will continue to struggle is that everyone thinks they can write.
See, the arts have always been vulnerable to people, consumers, corporations, etc. taking advantage of us. There is nothing new about that. But, for musicians, it's different. The average person at least recognizes that they can't play a guitar like Slash, the piano like Billy Joel or sing like Beyonce. The regular consumer for the most part doesn't believe they can do what the musician does.
Now? We writers are in a real pickle. A lot of people honestly believe that simply having command of your native tongue qualifies you to be a writer. I can't count the number of times I have heard people say to me, "I've always wanted to write a book. I just never had the time." As if TIME is the ONLY factor separating that person from George R.R. Martin.
Could you imagine us saying, "Yeah I have always wanted to cut open a person's head and do surgery. But wow I just never had the time."
Before self-publishing, sure folks believed they could write a book, but they didn't all believe they had what it took to get published. So at least we had that in our favor.
But now that everyone has the ability to claim the title, "published author" let's just say we have to approach our careers very differently because "When everyone is special then no one is."
Books Are No Longer Enough
When I first started this blog years ago I said this would happen and here we are. We have to have a brand and a platform capable of driving sales. It is not enough to have a book. Even if you want to traditionally publish, it doesn't matter. Agents won't even look at you of you don't have a platform and for good reasons.
Platform and Brand Aids in Discoverability
There are millions of books for sale. Millions of choices and this is overwhelming for consumers. Our greatest enemy is obscurity.
Before the digital age, shelf space was limited and finite. Thus, the infinite shelf space of the web is a double-edged sword for authors.
If you read my post The Ugly Truth About Publishing then you know that one of the major problems created by the arrival of the megastores like Borders and Barnes & Noble was that they didn't leave authors on the shelves long enough to cultivate an audience. Also, since shelf space was limited, authors no longer had their backlists available and this seriously impacted the earning ability of many writers.
The Digital Age helped this tremendously. Now, a new writer can publish a good book and maybe it only sells a handful of copies. But, because there is no expiration date for it being on the shelf, the writer has time to cultivate an audience and be discovered.
I had this happen with a writing duo who bought my first social media book. Saffina Deforges and Mark Williams (her coauthor and silent partner) went from selling a couple of books a month to selling a hundred of thousand copies in only a few months and breaking all kinds of records. Sugar & Spice, a book no agent would rep and no one would publish went from complete obscurity to one of the biggest selling e-books in UK history.
Same book that sat at #1,372,760,092 on Amazon later shot to #1 in multiple categories. Same book that sold no copies later broke records. Only difference was they applied my methods and gained discoverability using social media.
What good is a book no one knows about?
Even traditional publishers appreciate discoverability is their problem too. Borders and B&N in their greed wiped out the indie bookstore ecosystem. Borders then imploded and B&N has experienced record contraction. Even if you go into one of the handful of remaining B&Ns it's a lot of books to sift through and you want consumers to find your book, you will need a brand.
Books Have an Image Problem & Brands Can Fix That
Remember a book no longer holds inherent value.
Because the concept of "books" has been contaminated with so much bad writing, now the author also has to be part of the package. Told you guys we were really the oldest profession 😉 .
I have my contest that I hold every month to encourage you guys to comment. It's my way of giving something back and nudging you out of your shyness. But I've gotten 20 page samples that were so bad I nearly could not finish. But when I sent the pages back, dripping RED…the author responded with, "Well, my publisher loved it and it's being released."
…and the other half of that sentence is—being released into the world and onto the unsuspecting public.
There are ways to counter this with the product. We write better books. Seek people who will be truly critical. Hire real editors. Invest in good formatting, covers, etc. The problem is, no matter how good the book is? It won't matter these days. Until that book is in someone's hands, all that is moot.
Fortune Favors Those Who Hustle
So branding is going to aid your audience in finding your work (they can judge you later). It's no longer a nice little extra. It is mandatory if you want to make it in this business. One of the reasons I am a huge fan of authors having a blog is that it helps develop trust. Readers need that because a lot of other writers (or "writers") have betrayed that trust.
You can't slap lipstick on a pig and call it a super model.
When we claim I am published readers assume a level of quality. Too many writers were so eager for the title they cut corners and didn't earn the title and relationships with readers have suffered.
Thus, sadly, all of us now feel like we are dating someone who's broken up with a psycho. We now have this additional burden of proving we are not out to boil their bunnies.
This is where social media comes in and where a blog is super helpful.
These days people are looking for the pros and when they find them they latch on something fierce.
Search engines deliver new fans to me daily, but why I keep fans is because I have content. I don't just blog when I feel like it. Most of my competition however? Does. Thus, when people find my blog, there are vast archives for them to peruse and get to know me. They learn that I am not "playing author."
I am doing this for real. I am a pro. I show up no matter what. Also, blogs play to a writer's strengths. Writers write. People get a taste of your writing voice and can fall in love with it. Even though I blog on writing, social media, pop culture, humor, etc, the unifying feature is my voice. Right now I have a mystery thriller that has been accepted by a traditional publisher. I assume when it is for sale, y'all might give it a go because you enjoy the blog. It is far simpler to go with who you know and like.
By reading this blog you learn so much about me as an author. The writing is clean. It isn't riddled with typos. It's coherent. It's fun. It's engaging. I'm using my blog to earn your trust. If I earn your trust here? Far easier to then ask for the sale because I have actively demonstrated I am valuing your time. You spend time with me and TIME WITH LAMB = TIME WELL SPENT.
Those who come across my blog and don't feel time with me is time well spent, well they are
clearly brain damaged and have bad fashion sense not my audience. My blog has done us both a favor. My voice connected me with the unusually good-looking and intelligent people out there who are my audience and weeded out the secret nose-pickers who would have possibly left a bad review except Amazon doesn't let them review in Crayons.
It's a great time to be a writer. Focus on writing the best book possible no matter which way you publish. There is no bad way to publish, no wrong way to publish. But you do need a platform if you would like to make money.
For those interested in learning how to create an author blog, I am holding a class on it this Saturday in my W.A.N.A. International virtual classroom so you can attend from home and at your computer #pantsoptional. The recording of the class comes with purchase. Yes blogging is a very unique form of writing especially when you are blogging to build a fan base for fiction. Also you are going to need time to actually write books. We cover all that. Feel free to peruse the old free archives or pick up my book if you would like to know more.
And for some EXTRA FUN! ME! Hey, don't feel dumb. I did once write crap too!
What are your thoughts? Are you frustrated that everyone believes they can write a novel? They can't. But whatever. Are you vexed with the hacks and amateurs? What are your thoughts? Questions? Suggestions for what you'd like to see in upcoming classes?
I love hearing from you!
To prove it and show my love, for the month of JANUARY, everyone who leaves a comment I will put your name in a hat. If you comment and link back to my blog on your blog, you get your name in the hat twice. What do you win? The unvarnished truth from yours truly. I will pick a winner once a month and it will be a critique of the first 20 pages of your novel.
And yes, I am a complete and total slacker. December's winner will be announced later because I seriously had three posts go viral. Great problem to have…but tabulating a winner? Gonna take a little time. Love you *air kiss*
Remember to check out the new classes listed at W.A.N.A International. Blogging for Authors THIS SATURDAY.
Branding for Authors (NEXT SATURDAY). This is your best way to get PAID in the digital age. We have to cultivate that 1000 die hard fans.
Also, I have one craft class listed. Your Story in a Sentence—Crafting Your Log-Line. Our stories should be simple enough to tell someone what the book is about in ONE sentence. If we can't do this, often there is a plot problem. This class is great for teaching you how to be master plotters and the first TEN SIGNUPS get their log-line shredded for free, so you will be agent ready for the coming year.
For those who need help building a platform and keeping it SIMPLE, pick up a copy of my latest social media/branding book Rise of the Machines—Human Authors in a Digital World on AMAZON, iBooks, or Nook.
author image problems, betrayed trust with readers, blogging for authors, book image problems, branding for authors, how to sell more books, Kristen Lamb, publishing, publishing image problems, self-publishing and bad books, W.A.N.A.
Social Media, Branding & Owning 2016—Because EVERY Day is Game Day
Posted by Author Kristen Lamb in Social Media Platform on December 2, 2015
Ah, I love this picture, namely because getting kicked in the face apparently is the only way I can get Angelina Jolie lips for FREE 😀 . Seriously, I found out yesterday that I am on the list to get my blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Most people who start Jiu Jitsu never get that far. They quit because, unlike other forms of martial arts, in Jiu Jitsu, you stay a white belt for a year and a half and most people can't endure that long without the outside validation of "changing colors."
For me? A broken nose, busted lip, three broken toes and a case of Shingles later?
Am I any good? Eh, who knows. See, a lot of being successful at anything really goes back to what we talked about not too long ago in the "real" odds of success. That pit bull tenacity of never giving up. Just keeping on and keeping on and keeping on while the competition falls away. That's a game changer.
But this dovetails into what I'd like to talk about today…
On Monday I talked about what it means to be a rainmaker. Rainmakers are those folks who get things done no matter what. I love that my blog can inspire you because frankly our souls need refreshing. Yet, I will say that passion is not going to cut it. This job is really really hard. It requires digging deep and doing a lot of un-fun stuff.
That is the difference in the real writers and the wannabes. The wannabes all love playing with their imaginary friends and doing the fun stuff. Fiction is WAY more exciting than making sure all my social media is tended and gutting through revisions and answering a gajillion e-mails.
But, this is a profession, not a playpen.
The difference in mediocre and magnificent is always in the details. In doing the work others don't want to do.
In a world of equally good books, readers will default to the writer they know and recognize over the awesome writer (books) they've never heard of. It is up to us (the rainmakers) to make it rain.
We do the extra that makes the difference. All rainmakers do.
In the 2011-2012 professional basketball season there was a major NBA lockout. No one knew when the season would start. When it did, there were a lot of games crammed into a far shorter span of time and, strangely, a lot of injuries. Why? Because many of the players didn't continue training. Since they didn't know when the season would start, they relaxed. Thus, when they finally did return to the game, they were soft, ungainly and out of shape.
The handful who didn't take time off, who kept pressing and training day after day after day went on to have record-breaking seasons. Why? Because they did the extra. They did what others were unwilling to do.
To them?
Every day was game day.
For us, every day is game day.
I haven't taught social media for a long time, but I have put together some new classes over at W.A.N.A. International that will be held in January to get you started off the right way. I've put this together to make it easy for you to get started in your New Year and maybe *hint hint* at loved ones for your gift 😉 .
Enjoy the holidays, but I hope you will treat yourself to the right start in 2016. Thing is, social media can drive book sales and it can be a huge game changer…if done correctly.
But, for those not yet convinced…
Social Media is a TOTAL Waste of Time (or not)
Write more books instead of tweeting or blogging. Social media is a giant time-suck better spent writing great books.
I don't know how to answer this besides, Er? *screeching breaks* Personally, I can think of no larger waste of time than researching and reading and spending countless hours crafting a wonderful book of 60,000-110,000 words and then?
No one knows the book exists so few people ever read it, enjoy it or are changed by the author's story.
It's like spending six months to a year on an oil painting to hang it in an attic.
These days, any agent worth her salt will not sign an author who doesn't have a social media brand and presence. Rarely, they will take a book from an author who doesn't…but usually it will come with the requirement the author get on-line and get to work.
I ADORE Dawn Frederick at Red Sofa Literary and once shared a panel with her. She told the story of a book she LOVED and took even though the author wasn't on social media. She was so impressed with the book she signed the author but told her she needed to get on social media and start building a platform.
After six months, the author refused. Dawn gave an ultimatum. Get your tail on social media or we drop the book and cancel the contract.
This is not the agent being mean.
Agents make money when we sell books and agents get that in a world where there are fewer and fewer book retailers, this means more and more shopping is being done on-line. On-line, if we don't have a brand, we might as well not even exist (and it isn't much better in the store, either).
Yes social media does matter because on-line is still growing…
No, E-Books are Not In Decline
There was a New York Times article that essentially claimed that the e-book tide was slipping and print was returning but this is not entirely accurate. According to a follow up article in Fortune it has to do with how one looks at the numbers. Yes, for traditional publisher there was a contraction in e-books because this is a pretty clear case of chickens coming home to roost.
Traditional publishers have continually demanded e-book prices remain high and most of us are just not going to pay the same price for the e-book as the paper, so YES of course paper will increase and e-book will decline.
I know I've seen this in my own buying habits. Most of the time I just say, "Screw it, I don't need the book that badly" and they lose the sale unless I really like the author.
But, if I really, really want the book I will get paper instead. There is something deeply and profoundly cheap about me.
This assertion about the e-book market did not take into account many very smart indies and self-published authors who are doing very…very well and who were smart enough NOT to charge $15 for a freaking e-book. Also the article and its assertions were deduced from AAP data and that's enough about that.
Long story short. The sky is NOT falling. People still like e-books. Sally forth.
Great time to be a writer. Yes. A challenging one as well.
Myth-Busting About Marketing
So many writers believe they aren't selling a lot of books because a publisher isn't spending a whole lot of dough on marketing and ads.
Yeah, no.
Ads actually have a terrible ROI and marketing doesn't work all that great…unless paired with an existing social media platform. Social media is all about connection.
Though I'm not a huge fan of ads, it makes sense that if a publisher (traditional or indie) is going to pay good money to create and launch one, that anyone interested should be able to easily connect with the author. Same with coveted AP reviews, interviews, or events. Even if we self-publish and pay for promotion, an existing platform will make the most of that investment.
A LOT of any sales is the follow up then the follow-through.
Even if a traditional publisher pays for marketing and advertising, they know the return on investment is far greater if the author has an existing social platform. The stronger the platform the better the ROI.
If social media is new, scary, overwhelming? Welcome to being NEW.
Social Media is for the READER
One of the things that can make social media super terrifying is writers think I am here to change your personality and nothing could be farther from the truth. Here's a little secret.
Most people do not mind being sold to. Seriously.
I don't mind it. I like knowing about a new product or service. I like seeing a new gadget that will make my life easier. What I DON'T like is when advertisers abuse the privilege. When they don't value my time or they manipulate me.
You probably are the same way.
I don't think any of us minded retailers sending us an e-mail with coupons, but then they got greedy. They started abusing the privilege and crapping up our in-boxes and ALL of them did it and now most of us have an e-mail that we have allowed to go feral for retailers who insist on getting an e-mail address.
Fine, but I haven't checked that in-box since Bush was in office.
When we are creating a social media platform we are helping the reader. We all know what it is like to want to get something to read and we end up just closing the screen because we can't decide. There are just too many options.
I've had the same thing happen at a bookstore. Instead of ending up with a book, I check out with three cutesy bookmarks, two bars of chocolate and…a figurine of a cat reading Shakespeare?
Either I end up buying junk or…what?
I default to brand names. Writers I just know.
Oh, forget it. I'll just grab another George R.R. Martin.
Readers love connecting with authors. They love talking with them and getting to know them. That is social. They DO NOT like popups and spam and a constant barrage of ads and free stuff and being force-added to groups and mailing lists .
I'm just here to play matchmaker and help you find each other because too many writers are all talking to each other and doing everything but connecting in ways that are EVER going to potentially reach readers.
Writers can fall into three camps with social media.
The Mega Marketer
Self-explanatory. This author is on every social site, loves automation and will claim she never spams because she personally and carefully "crafts" all of her automated tweets.
Hint: That's just eloquent spam.
This author knows all the algorithm tricks, and has a newsletter or two and force-adds total strangers to her fan group on Facebook.
I give props for working really hard, but often this writer's tactics will make people want to set her on fire more than buy her books.
The Writers of Witness Protection
This writer often goes by a cutesy moniker @FairyGurl @ThrillerGuy. There are no existing pictures of this writer anywhere on social media. No website and if there IS a website it is NOT the author's name. It is likely something like http://www.magicdragondreams.com or http://www.writerswillwrite.com.
If you need to contact this author, please light the beacons of Gondor.
Then there is where many writers fall into. Even I get here sometimes because I get so busy helping others that my own stuff needs work.
The Mission Drift Writer
Recently I worked with a team of writers who just made the New York Times Best-Selling list and great book. Problem was there are two authors, plus they have a business consulting firm plus the name of the book, plus their training and they were just trying to brand way too many things and so they were losing focus and power. I could see they were going to wear out and lose momentum.
We all have to step in and reevaluate. It's why I am currently redoing MY web site.
It happens. Unfortunately social media is like our sock drawer. It will need tending…forever.
So to help with all of this I have put together three classes in January. And yeah, yeah I am selling stuff but I rarely do it and it is Christmastime and at least you can give this list to friends and family and spouses for something you NEED 😛 . Trust me, these classes are going to save you a ton of time and headache later.
Social Media for Writers This class is a 101. What do you need to understand about social media? What do all the sites do? Which ones do you need? What can you ignore? It's also going to come with a really cool worksheet to help you customize your social media for your goals, your personality and your audience. Trust me, if you write YA, then Facebook may not be a great use of time. If you write high fantasy? Why are you on LinkedIn? Are you more visually oriented? What are your strengths? Weaknesses?
We are going to be smart about our social media because you need time to write more BOOKS. Recording of the class is included with the purchase.
January 9th 3:00 P.M. EST-5:00 P.M. EST $55
The Basics of Author Blogging Again, this is a 101 class. What is a blog? How is being an author-blogger different from being a blogger? Can you monetize your blog? How can you monetize your blog? What are the advantages of having a blog? How can you blog smarter? Because frankly a blog will do us no good unless we KEEP blogging. Recording of the class is included with purchase.
January 16th 3:00 P.M. EST-5:00 P.M. EST $55
Branding for Authors Another 101 class. What is an author brand? How can you create an author brand? How can you make it where your name alone has the power to sell books? This class also comes with a worksheet to help you customize your brand and the recording is included with purchase.
January 23rd 3:00 P.M. EST-5:00 P.M. EST $55
What are your thoughts? Are you excited about 2016? Are you ready to make a plan? Do you feel pulled too many different directions? Do you like ads and wish they would just stop ABUSING THEM? Like really! TELL me about A LIPSTICK…not ALL OF THEM! Do we have to light the fires of Gondor to contact you? Are you happy to know that e-books are NOT dying and actually doing WELL? 😀 Do you have a feral e-mail? I think mine is at 45,000 unread e-mails. I wonder how many I get before Yahoo crashes.
Hey, it is an awesome time to be a writer.
Also, any other suggestions y'all might have for a class you want me to teach, please put it in the comments. I am working on those now.
I LOVE hearing from you!
To prove it and show my love, for the month of DECEMBER, everyone who leaves a comment I will put your name in a hat. If you comment and link back to my blog on your blog, you get your name in the hat twice. What do you win? The unvarnished truth from yours truly. I will pick a winner once a month and it will be a critique of the first 20 pages of your novel, or your query letter, or your synopsis (5 pages or less).
For those who need help building a platform and keeping it SIMPLE, pick up a copy of my latest social media/branding book Rise of the Machines—Human Authors in a Digital World on AMAZON, iBooks, or Nook.
author branding, branding for writers, building a social media platform, how to sell more books with social media, Kristen Lamb, Kristen lamb Branding Expert, Social media for authors, social media for writers, using social media effectively as a writer, We Are Not alone
3 Ways to Fire Up Your Writing Career Today
Posted by Author Kristen Lamb in Social Media Platform on October 19, 2015
I am an "Old Dog" of the digital publishing paradigm. When I started out on social media, I did not want to be a social media expert. I enjoyed editing and teaching and longed to write fiction. But every a$$clown with a Twitter handle was a "Social Media Expert" and much of the teaching was nothing short of ridiculous.
Some of the advice was downright predatory (or, in my book, cheating).
In my estimation, most of the tactics were more likely to increase author suicide rates than book sales, so I finally decided to become a Social Media
Expert Jedi 😉 .
I've been through all the fads. The FREE BOOK Rush of 2010, The Great .99 Book Deal of 2011, The Amazing Algorithmic Alchemy, The Magical Metrics and the Automation Invasion of 2012-2014 (there are still skirmishes along the front).
Guess what? I'm still here.
I don't say this really to brag as much as to make a point. Social media, done properly is not a short-term burst of gimmicky energy. There is no magic to it and it while it is simple, that doesn't mean it's easy. We not only have to manage the brand, we also produce the product.
Not a job for the faint of heart.
And with all the tweeting and blogging and slogging month after month and year after year, I know that it is SUPER easy for us writers to get overwhelmed. That's why today, I'm here to offer some simple ways to inject fire back into your writing and your career.
*plays Eye of the Tiger loudly* *punches at the air*
#1—Appreciate that Writing and Social Media Branding Can Coexist
When I am on Twitter, I often get tweets like these:
Guess what? I agree! The writing always, always comes first. But why is there an almost automatic assumption we must choose?
Social media, done the way I teach in Rise of the Machines, takes maybe 10-15 minutes a day and feel free to take off weekends. I offer no get-rich-quick advice. My author platforms take time (and discipline) to build, but they are virtually indestructible.
And the writer who tells me she doesn't have ten minutes a day to work on her brand isn't serious about being successful.
Whether we like it or not, social media is necessary for our job. Yes writing is fun, but it is still a profession.
Writers are in the entertainment business. Note that half that word is business. We are in the business of selling books. When I was in sales, we had a saying. Fish where the fish are. And the fish are schooling on social media. Makes sense to drop some lines.
The writer who is willing to tackle doing social media well is making a transition from hobbyist to professional. Celebrate! This means you are going places!
Thus, if the career has been sluggish, it might be time to go polish some other types of skills that are now required in this profession. Many times, the problem isn't with the tool. We simply don't know how to use that tool well.
#2—YES!!! The Product is All that Matters
When it comes to a brand, the surface perception is only part of the equation. I can have a fabulous website, great author pics, charming tweets and be a downright likable gal, but if my books stink?
No amount of social media magic can salvage literary dog poo.
This is one of the reasons I have written over 900 blogs. I blog a lot on craft because the product is essential. It is the most important part of the equation. Yes, write first. Take classes. Hone your art. Because your social media brand must be able to deliver an excellent product. It is okay to believe that your writing is important because…it IS.
So yes, we do need to work on our platform but you do have my "expert" opinion to focus on that end product. Relax about the social media, stuff. Really.
#3—Embrace the Social Media Trickle Down Effect
Part of embracing the new type of work we must do as digital age writers comes with redefining how we see our work. Feel free to get on social media and trudge through it like some chore, but with that kind of an attitude? I recommend just staying off altogether. We can sense a poor attitude through the screen.
Instead, I recommend you reframe what you're doing and how beneficial that time really is. It's an investment in you, in your success beyond simply selling books. There are all kinds of other benefits many writers never even consider.
Virtually every profession benefits from professional networking, why would writing be any different? Where else can you have 24 hour access to publishing professionals all over the world? Follow your heroes and make them mentors. What are they reading? What are they doing? How do they manage their time?
Where else other than Twitter could I start my day chatting with the former editor of Cosmopolitan Magazine (and one of my FAVORITE authors)?
I used Twitter to follow James Rollins. It's how I got to know him well enough to eventually contact him about giving me a blurb for my second book.
While an in-person writing group is great, often they can be a bit heavy with new writers. Places like Twitter or Facebook allow us access to the seasoned pros. We can chat with people we'd have to otherwise wait a year or more to see at a conference. Take advantage!
Every writer out there gripes about not having enough time to write. Okay. Twitter helps us work smarter not harder. Twitter can make research much faster and far more accurate.
For instance, if you want to write a sexy new story with a Navy SEAL and don't want to lose weeks researching, hop onto #NAVY and make some connections. Experts are always eager to help writers get the facts correct. The fastest and easiest way to find them?
Being Brave
And, for the shy folks, I know social media is forcing you to do something afraid. That is good. Use this time to hone being brave. Be brave in the small moments on-line and it might make you braver in your writing.
In the end, remember that there are mega-successful authors who are using social media to reap major advantages. This notion that we must choose writing or networking is short-sighted and an excuse. We all must learn simply to use time well and be disciplined.
If we assume that platform-building is this awful horrible time-intensive thing, then we psych ourselves out of some truly fantastic benefits that can really fire up our careers. We have to remember that it is very possible to write books and be on social media. Just like we can bathe and brush our teeth. No need to choose 😉 .
What are your thoughts? Do you psych yourself out when it comes to branding and social media? Do you think you need to do everything? Do you see how social media can allow you to take simple steps to fire up your future? What are some ways you add some mojo back into your routine?
I LOVE hearing from you!
To prove it and show my love, for the month of OCTOBER, everyone who leaves a comment I will put your name in a hat. If you comment and link back to my blog on your blog, you get your name in the hat twice. What do you win? The unvarnished truth from yours truly. I will pick a winner once a month and it will be a critique of the first 20 pages of your novel.
For those who need help building a platform and keeping it SIMPLE, pick up a copy of my latest social media/branding book Rise of the Machines—Human Authors in a Digital World on AMAZON, iBooks, or Nook.
author branding, creating a writing brand, creating an author platform, digital age publishing, Kristen Lamb, Kristen Lamb Rise, Rise of the Machines, social media branding, WANA, We Are Not alone
Good Girls Don't Become Best-Sellers—Channeling Your Inner "Bad Girl" to Reach Your Dreams
Posted by Author Kristen Lamb in Social Media Platform, Writing on October 6, 2015
I am currently reading Kate White's I Shouldn't Be Telling You This: Success Secrets Every Gutsy Girl Should Know. There are bad books, okay books, good books and great books. But there is another kind of book and it's the rarest.
The game-changer.
White has a witty, sassy style. She is seamlessly intelligent and down-to-earth in her fiction. And guess what? Her nonfiction delivers more of the same.
I've never recommended a book I haven't finished, but this one has me far too excited. Even if Ms. White devolves into dirty limericks for the rest of the book? I still feel I have spent my money well. There are some points she makes which I feel are especially poignant and applicable to writers.
Part of the reason I'm referring to her book in this blog (even though I'm not yet finished) is that I might just chicken out unless I jump in. I have come to the conclusion that…
Good Girls Don't Become Best-Sellers
Before you throw digital knives at me, please hear me out. I've been doing this social media thing since MySpace was big. I have three books under my belt, 900 blogs, and thousands of hours of teaching. So I've been around long enough to at least make a very unscientific study of human behavior and I can tell you that men almost always have the advantage in the new publishing paradigm. They have the edge for the same reasons they gain the advantage in the workplace.
Those lessons our mothers and grandmothers passed on could be the very behaviors that have us standing in our own way. I feel this is particularly true for the writing profession since it is largely comprised of women over 30.
Women over 30 have lived long enough to see this world change more than it ever has in the entire course of human history. Who would have imagined we'd say things like, "I want a picture. Hold on while I get my phone!"
We were born into a world where women became nurses, not doctors and now we are finding our way in a world where a woman can finally be bold enough to run for president (not vice-president).
Many of the writers I work with believe they are struggling with branding because of the technology, but I don't agree. I think women are finally in a position where we must choose. It is live or die. If we listen to our rearing we will lose and lose BIG.
We don't like the new paradigm because we can't hide behind an agent and wait meekly for outside approval. The new publishing paradigm lands us smack dab in the place we are most terrified.
What I am going to address can help the men (the "Nice Guys") and it does apply to younger women. But us older gals? I could kick myself for not seeing this earlier and it figures it would take a former Editor in Chief of Cosmopolitan Magazine to help me see the light. I'm going riff with some of the ideas presented in Ms. White's book and apply them to women in the world of publishing. We are taught to be Good Girls and is this having a devastating impact on our careers.
Then, since I hate whining and love solutions, we will throw out the rule books and explore what it is to be a "Bad Girl."
#1 Good Girls Are Modest
It is unbecoming to brag, so we are modest and humble and we are shooting ourselves in the foot.
In the corporate world, men are more likely to own their accomplishments, whereas women tend to minimize their achievements. To paraphrase White:
If a man has four years of college French, he has no problem stating he is fluent. Women, on the other hand, will downplay their abilities. We say we have a "conversational grasp" of the language.
When it comes to writing, the second a man even starts a novel, he has business cards with "Author" as his title and he is securing a website. Women, on the other hand? Let's pause that thought for a little test.
How many of you are aspiring writers? Raise your hand. No one will see.
Now, use that hand to smack yourself soundly and never call yourself that again.
Writers write. There is no try. There is no aspire. Aspiring is for wimps. It takes guts and blood to be a writer.
No one will take us seriously unless we do it first.
#2 Good Girls Need Permission
I cannot count how many writers (usually female) have written a novel, numerous novels and yet still refer to themselves as "aspiring writers." They are waiting for permission to even use the title even though they have a blog and have written hundreds of thousands of words.
Men don't do this. At least not in the same numbers. I can attest to that. I've met men whose writing was so bad they should have been banned from downloading Word until they took some grammar classes, but that didn't stop them from having a marketing plan or hiring a PR person. They don't hesitate to secure a domain, build a blog, or hire the best person to design their cover and if they can't get an agent? They are more likely to self-publish without needing outside approval to do so.
#3 Good Girls Don't Have Desires
So many of us gals are afraid to want something. Why is it so hard for us to admit we want something? To claim a certain life? Why do we feel such shame and a need to hide who we are and what we desire?
It is okay for a man to want
sex a promotion a raise to want to be a New York Times best-selling author, but for us? There is almost something dirty about wanting to write. Wanting to write and get PAID to write. Wanting to write and to…be famous for it.
Oh no! Kristen has gone TOO FAR! And there is only one punishment for lighting the grail-shaped beacon…
Dirty, naughty Zewt!
Spank us all!
If we are wives and mothers? The problem only compounds from there. I have a hard time expressing I want to go to the bathroom alone, how am I supposed to say I want to be
published a LEGEND?
#4 Good Girls Are Demure
As a social media expert for writers, do you know one of the biggest mistakes writers make in branding? They fail to use their names. They tweet as @fairywriter or @ILuvBooks or @dragongirl. They do all of this wonderful networking for months and years and yet it is almost all wasted effort. Why? Because unless I am going to change my name to Fairy Writer and slap that on a cover, that twitter handle is doing zilch nada nothing to build a brand.
Remember what a brand is?
A brand is when our name alone is a bankable asset. It is when a name alone has the power to drive sales.
When I get on social media and see writers using monikers, by and large it is women. Men do this too, but not in the same numbers. And, even if men use a moniker, the second I point out the fallacy, they are far more likely to change it. Women on the other hand are terrified of using their name and take way more convincing.
Men are also far more likely to start a blog. Women?
They have to have three angelic visions, four miraculous encounters and a committee of family members to tell them it would be okay to BLOG. Why is blogging so scary? IT IS FREAKING WRITING. It plays to a writer's strengths, but I might as well ask writers to perform brain surgery from space with a Chia Pet and an egg beater.
What if people find out I like to write?
Don't you think they should if you hope they will pay money to read your books?
#5 Good Girls Feel Comfortable Losing
Well, I tried and that's all that counts.
We women are notorious for placing ourselves in no-win situations. Out of one side of our mouth we say we can't be on social media because we don't yet have a book for sale, but when we do have a book for sale? Oh, well I feel so awkward talking to people because they might think I am selling my book.
*bangs head on keyboard*
When a man publishes a book, he is there to win. He isn't there to see his name in print. He is there to see his name in lights.
But us gals? We are notorious for settling. We feel awkward admitting we maybe kind of sort of would like to be number one. Men have no problem admitting they are on social media because they would like to sell books.
Okay, enough of the "Good Girl" stuff.
I hope I've made my point. Now *rubs hands* it is time for me to help you cultivate that inner Bad Girl.
If you want this dream, the first step is to know it is okay to want it. Many of you are moms, wives, and caretakers. Maybe you already have a great career and it is "selfish" to want to write. And I am here to say, YES. It is. And sometimes a little selfishness goes a long way. Men outpace us because they are better at being selfish.
We must learn to stuff a sock in the inner Good Girl's mouth and channel that inner Bad Girl because she is dying to get out more. Being a Bad Girl doesn't mean we aren't still kind and gracious, but it does mean things are going to change.
#1 Bad Girls Do It Afraid
Nothing remarkable happens in the comfort zone. You are going to have to suck it up and writer up. Only sociopaths don't feel fear. Fear is natural and normal but it gets in the way of greatness. I feel women are far more afraid of failure than men. We wait to be "perfect." We can't say anything until we have the perfect book. But perfect is the enemy of the good. Do it afraid.
Yes. You might fail. Odds are you WILL fail and good! Keep failing. It's how we learn.
My motto?
If we aren't failing, we aren't doing anything interesting.
So understand everything I am about to tell you is likely going to scare your pants off.
It's okay, the erotica authors can lead the way 😀 .
Pay attention to that feeling because you will need to remember it. If something scares me (like writing this particular blog), likely I am onto something BIG. It is a sign I am heading in the right direction.
#2 Bad Girls OWN IT
Good, bad, ugly. We own what we do. I admit when I left sales and dreamed of becoming a writer, I wrote the world's worst novel. It was being used in Guantanamo Bay to break terrorists until it was banned under the Hague Convention as torture.
But you know what? I finished a novel. I did something everyone says they want to do but then never actually do. I own the bad, but what's been harder? Learning to own the GOOD.
It took weeks for me to put the emblem on this blog that I was named one of Writer's Digest's 100 Best Blogs. WHY? Because I am a work in progress, too 😀 .
#3 Bad Girls ASK FOR IT
How many writers are waiting for someone to deliver their big break into their lap? We go to conferences and practically throw up in our shoes at the thought of asking an agent if they'd like to hear about our book. WHY? It is their JOB. Agents don't have a job without writers.
Ask for what you want. Guess what? All they can do is say no. But, they might just say, "Yes."
When I wrote my second social media book, I had the terrifying task of finding blurbs. So, I took my own advice and did it afraid. I made a list of all my favorite authors and then…asked. Guess what? New York Times Best-Selling Author James Rollins said, "Yes."
He already knew me and loved my book.
But I never would have known had I not dared to ASK. Bad girls don't hear, "No." We hear, "Not yet" 😉 .
#4 Bad Girls DO IT
A lot.
We write. We blog. We tweet and by golly we slap our name on it while we are there. I get that the house is a mess, but guess what? It can wait. Most men aren't waiting until the house is immaculate and all the laundry is done and the kids are all asleep to take time to write!
How many of us are getting up before dawn or staying up after midnight because our dream might just inconvenience someone else? Let them be inconvenienced for a change!
We ladies bend more than the karma sutra and that is okay, but if our husband actually has to watch the kids for an hour in the evening that is too much?
#5 Bad Girls Are In It to WIN IT
Again, I love, love, love Kate White's book because it reminded me of so much I'd forgotten. Yes, I am a full-time author, blogger, and C.E.O. but I am also a mom and spend way too much time in yoga pants and covered in crumbs. It is easy to forget to be hungry. It is easy to lose our way unless we are vigilant to keep the path. It is easy to let other people's opinions matter too much.
Lionesses do not lose sleep over the opinions of sheep.
Bad girls don't whine. We don't make excuses and we do not politely wait our turn. We understand life is short and we need to make our time here count.
Understand that this is an amazing world that is rich in bounty and there is enough to go around. Don't let anyone diminish you. This is your dream. It isn't your little hobby or your "thing" it is YOU. It is your dream and it is OKAY to WANT TO WIN.
This seems like such a simple thing, but I hope you see how pivotal this realization is. I can give you all the branding and blogging lessons in the world and it won't help. We don't have a technology problem, we have a confidence problem.
Vow today to make a change. Start by admitting you want the dream then, for the love of all that is chocolate, slap your NAME on it. No more hiding. I will find you on Twitter and pull your @FairyGurl wings off 😉 .
What are your thoughts? Do you see any "Good Girl" behaviors that have been undermining you? Do you have a hard time calling yourself a…writer? Do you have a hard time with the notion of social media because the thought of admitting you have a dream scares you spit-less? Have you bothered to get a domain name, a website? Blog? Are you afraid to ask for what you want? Do you put everyone and everything ahead of your writing? Are you waiting for permission? Do you feel like you are a poseur or a fake? Do you struggle with perfectionism?
I LOVE hearing from you!
To prove it and show my love, for the month of OCTOBER, everyone who leaves a comment I will put your name in a hat. If you comment and link back to my blog on your blog, you get your name in the hat twice. What do you win? The unvarnished truth from yours truly. I will pick a winner once a month and it will be a critique of the first 20 pages of your novel.
For those who need help building a platform and keeping it SIMPLE, pick up a copy of my latest social media/branding book Rise of the Machines—Human Authors in a Digital World on AMAZON, iBooks, or Nook.
Cosmopolitan Magazine, getting what you want in writing, I Shouldn't Be Telling You This: Success Secrets Every Gutsy Girl Should Know, Kate White, Kristen Lamb, publishing and women, Rise of the Machines Human Authors in a Digital World, success and women, writing and women
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5Church's cutting edge interior design & sophisticated ambiance is the perfect setting for your next corporate, social, or charitable event. Whether an intimate dinner party or an extravagant gala for 250 or more, our staff can create a truly memorable experience for you and your guests. Please contact our sales staff for details and availability.
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Jamie Lynch is one of the most coveted chefs residing in Charlotte, NC...
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Over a 15–year career, Patrick Whalen has earned his stripes in the hospitality business...
Ayman Kamel is a Principal with MAP Management Hospitality Group...
Executive Chef
Jamie Lynch is one of the most coveted chefs residing in Charlotte, NC.
He was academically accredited in New England as a culinary artisan and he developed professional experience at 4-star restaurants including Le Cirque, Café Boulud and Aureole.
Drawn to the entrepreneurial and creative spirit of MAP Management's partners, Jamie is departing from his most recent position at Barrington's Restaurant located in the South Park region of Charlotte.
Jamie aspires to express his love and passion for flavorful dining, comfortable ambiance, and pleasant hospitality. He remarks that as the Executive Chef at 5Church he will, "develop new-American style, seasonal menus that reflect the purity of local products and advocates proper techniques of food preparation in a respectful manner." New-American style refers to an eclectic blend of multi-cultural flavors.
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Alejandro's entertainment experience and his opinions on atmosphere, cuisine, and customer service are essential to MAP Management's business model and strategic plans.
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Guided by his entrepreneurial spirit, Patrick was in search of a strategic, collaborative partnership to open a new type of restaurant that complements his passion for good food and his detailed business acumen. Friends and former colleagues Alejandro Torio and Mills Howell expressed similar thoughts and their combined strengths led to the creation of 5Church Restaurant.
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Ayman Kamel is a Principal with MAP Management Hospitality Group.
Prior to joining MAP, Ayman was the Executive of the international entertainment group Big Bowl LLC, a firm focused on growth strategies, business improvement and systems optimization within the hospitality and retail industries. Ayman previously served as an Area Director Of Operations for the Cheesecake Factory. He was instrumental in positioning the North East Region to head all regions within The Cheesecake Factory, leading all strategic development for expansion and profits. Ayman is active as an advisory and/or Board role to several hospitality companies.


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The Event includes a Selection of Sketch Groups, making up a Night of Comedy and Prizes.
"Today's internet viewer wants to cram in as much entertainment as possible while surfing from site to site. Often the typical three to six minute comedy sketches found on Youtube and similar sites get passed over, no one wants to invest that time to wait for a laugh." says Mike Cochnar, Co-Creator of the show. "Through the joined efforts of five veteran comedy content creators we've come up with the answer to keeping viewers engaged - short, rapid-fire sketches packed into five minutes" explained Co-Creator, SteevJBrown.
'The 5 Minute Sketch Show' was first developed by SteevJBrown, Mike Cochnar and Jason Kaye, to fundamentally change the way people watch videos on YouTube. Loosely modeled after SNL's successful magazine style format and embracing the short attention span of the Vine generation, they keep videos short and to the joke, one right after the other. Currently, 'The 5 Minute Sketch Show' is the only web show of its kind on the Internet.
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The live event will be held at IO West and will include digital sketches from fellow comedy groups from the Los Angeles area including: Wolf Knife Productions, The Kloons, Joy Camp, Cascade Up, Jason Horton, Sparklepuss, Jen Kater Comedy, and Comedy Sauce. The hour-long program will include drink specials and prize giveaways.
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