In the past few days I’ve read some wonderful posts.
Elana Johnson has proven once again why she’s so well liked in the blogging world. In this post, she talks about being a midlist hardcover author and trying to fit in on the other side of the fence. No whining. No complaining. Just brutal humbling honesty.
That’s what we’re looking for in a blog, in a writer, in an author. Emotion. Exactly what we’re looking for when we’re reading a book as Wendy P Miller points out.
And in another post Elana talks about defining success and how it use to be all about blog numbers for her. But not anymore.
Jody Hedlund posted about the identity crisis that most authors endure after their first book is released. Again, no whining, no complaining. Just honesty.
Angela Ackerman guest posted at Janice Hardy’s blog talking about blogging through the hard times, picking yourself up, and moving forward. Through the rejections, the almosts, the frustrating times. And we’ve all been there. We can relate. Connect.
And my new traditionally published blogging hero is Nova Ren Suma. She seems to have reinvented her blog, taking hold of the reigns with an incredible series of inspirational posts from other authors. And she has new series coming in 2012. She’s making a real effort to reach out and make a difference. And reach potential readers. Very smart.
Maybe some of these posts will extend past the writing bubble and reach non-writing readers. Maybe not. I like these authors, these bloggers. I’ll read their books. I’ll buy their books.
So why I am bringing all this up?
Because these authors are active in social media in a terrific kind of way.
Because I see tweets from industry professionals about how traditional publishers need to combat the 99-cent book. Really? I mean really? Low priced ebooks are not the enemy. (Or they shouldn’t be.) I’ve seen it suggested that the big publishers should brand the front of their books so readers know the difference. (Sounds like a dystopian novel to me.)
Most readers don’t care. And if they do – they’ll find out before purchasing.
Readers want excellent writing. A powerful story. An entertaining story. You’ve got that and you won’t have to worry about putting a logo on the front of a book in order to sell through.
Even then sometimes there’s nothing we can do. It’s out of our control.
Be likeable. Be honest. Create fans of you. Not just your books.
Write the best you can.
Promote and market wisely. (Look to the posts and blogs I mentioned.)
Write the next book and make it even better.
So honestly. Do you think branding the front of a book with a publisher’s logo will make the difference? What would help more authors sell through their advance? Because I’d love to see that happen.
This post by Angie Frazer is a must read. How do these midlist authors get noticed?
