Writing a book is fun and wickedly creative. But once you enter the publishing door, you don’t realize how book promotion will start taking your full attention, loads of creativity, tons of energy, and sometimes a little (or a lot of) money. You learn how to cultivate a following. You are not known in your field. It understand the power of a marketing plan before your book became a book. You realize that the lion’s share of the promotion rests on your shoulders.
These are some of the lessons I learned as a published author of Accidental Soldier: A Memoir of Service and Sacrifice in the Israel Defense Forces. But the ones I mention below are the ones that I’m capitalizing for creative success in 2017. How about you?
Why creative success?
Once you become a published author, there seems to be an inordinate amount of attention and focus on making money. Not that this isn’t a practical or even feasible goal, but in order to really make this goal count financially, it’s important to determine what’s most important in 2017 and how to achieve your creative goals through decluttering and tight scheduling.
In this first post of 2017, I take some of the experiences, lessons and takeaways of 2016 to help me sort through some of my priorities. Perhaps some of this information will be helpful for getting clear on the goals that matter for your capitalizing on your own creative success:
1.A supportive team IS an author’s creative success.
Publishing Accidental Soldier: A Memoir of Service and Sacrifice in the Israel Defense Forces with She Writes Press (SWP) has been such a humbling, incredibly special and supportive experience. I often felt mentored and handheld. I had a shoulder to cry on. I had women writers who quickly became my online friends. Who reviewed my book. Who gave their time. Who supported my crowdfunding campaign. Who spread the word of my book on social media. Who appeared on my podcast Giving Voice to Your Courage and shared energetically and generously. And the list goes on.
Creative success for 2017
How important is building a community for you? If you’re in the business of building visibility and engagement with your book, you need to first build a community.
I love what Brooke Warner, my publisher and editor said about building a platform in this recent article about platform building mistakes. Sharing is generosity and I will also go and say, it sets you apart from all the other authors who promoting their books. As I mention in #3, personality is what sells books and it IS possible to create an online personality that is memorable:
Think not only generosity but…
- providing content of value
- asking for support (recently I asked my following about their input for book #2)
- providing an experience (this is where speaking gigs come in)
Your Facebook Fan page is a great place to start. What kinds of posts can you share that will inform, entertain, or inspire your followers?
2.Cultivate a local homegrown audience by locating and creating speaking opportunities.
Most recently, authors who signed up for a recent webinar I gave on getting online fans for your book launch
So…How does an author get noticed? Through opportunities for exposure. Speaking opportunities is what will put your platform to work. Plus, it’s a darn good way to become known and sell books.
At a recent speaking event, I sold 7 books to a crowd of 14. That’s 7 books I would not have sold if I hadn’t appeared personally on behalf of my books.
You should also be building your email list at these events to pass on the news of future books and events. I downloaded the Aweber app to my ipad and signed up all 14 people on the spot. Voila! Easy-peasy! Now, they will be among the first to get the news when book #2 comes out along with other news and tidbits.
Creative success for 2017:
Locate at least one opportunity in your hometown. It doesn’t have to be a huge speaking gig. Coming up with these opportunities are easier than you think. Follow-up by collecting their email addresses.
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3.Seek out local coverage.
All the coverage I got this past year in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Pittsburgh Tribune and Pittsburgh City magazine paid off big time for future events. But these outlets wasn’t just coverage — they help build my local platform. People now know me as the “Israel” lady or the “author” or the “memoirist” which is crucial for showcasing your expertise even in your local town.
I cannot begin to tell you how many times people have passed by at author events and holiday bazaars have often said, “Oh, I read about you and your book.” Suddenly, I felt like somebody important in my hometown.
Creative success for 2017:
If you’re publishing a book in 2017, be your own PR person and locate at least 5 local outlets that will offer coverage. Remember, the kind of answers you provide for the article also showcases your personality – about 10% of your platform!
4.Your personality sells books. Offer something of value.
Because my coming-of-age memoir focuses on courage and resilience, I doubled-down on my efforts to drive that theme of courage and determination and customize them depending on the venue.
Personality doesn’t mean doing in-person speaking gigs, but also showcasing your personality in the form of content. The more memorable, the better. That means doing podcasts, blog posts (non-promotional)
Creative success for 2017: If your goal is to sell more books and make more of a living as an author, look into platform building opportunities where you can kill two birds with one stone: 1) sell more books (speaking gigs are good for this) and use your personality to your advantage.
5. Wear “an author coat” of many colors.
While I may have only sold 250 books this past year from my own personal inventory, (there’s also the residual income from Amazon sales) the exposure level for myself and my books was a lot higher. I signed up people on the spot for my email list. Through my book, I acquired a consulting and writing client. I’ve been approached to do speaking gigs. Some walked away with a brochure with my mentoring and coaching services. And of course, word of mouth is huge.
Creative success for 2017:
Think of other services and products you can offer that are in lines with who you are as a writer and what you write about. Are you a book coach? A consultant? A life coach? A content writer? A business and financial planner? There are so many ways to diversify your offering that go beyond the title of “author.”
6.Take charge of your destiny. Accept your losses.
I’ve had to learn the hard way that I’m in charge of making or breaking it as an author. If I don’t make enough contacts with groups or organizations, no-one else will. Each time I put myself out there, I am building my platform and a name for myself.
Creative success for 2017:
Don’t think of any loss as entirely a loss. Reflect and then prioritize your time by creating aligned goals that support your work as an author.
Need help figuring out how to build more visibility and engagement as an author?
Registration is now underway for Build Your Author Platform with Courage – a 4 Week Online Course — beginning Thursday, January 5 2017.
Click here to read more and register
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