Being that author person, the one who always wants to know what's on the other side of my mirror or window or door (choose whichever metaphor you like), I seek out articles on readership, who's looking at what. Does anybody actually read anymore? This question posed by someone who obviously doesn't. *sigh* Yes, it is sad. I feel badly for those who think that way, for all they are missing...but let's move on. The Article. I stumbled upon one published a couple years ago, (see link below) that focused on Nielsen ratings regarding mystery/crime readers. That is my niche, so if you aren't into reading mystery, don't write mystery, you may want to move along. :-)
Nielsen colleagues dove into the task to gather stats, asking questions... How do you acquire your reading material? What type of mysteries do you prefer? Where do you discover new authors? Interesting results given in a beautifully illustrative graph (again, see link below) show a couple of important facts--at least for me as an author of mystery. One, over 60 percent of readers are ages 45 and up with 28 percent being 65 and older. Makes me think about my story details like how old should my characters be? Does it make a difference if I use modern slang or references to modern culture that the older crowd may not understand? I'm thinking not. After all, I'm of a certain age, and those things don't bother me. Another fact finding detail: 70 percent of those readers polled were female.
Here's the real gut-puncher, though: many frequent readers aren't buying books. They get them free. Probably waiting for those deals on Amazon or participating in book swaps where you trade in your book and get another in return. Oh, and of course, let's not forget libraries. I'll admit, I get the budget urge to find bargains, freebies, and such. Confession: I don't use the library as much as I used to because I can't seem to finish a book in time before I have to return it, or I'm on a long, infinitely long waiting list. Also, it didn't surprise me to find that 69 percent of heavy buyers are expert readers. Reading does that to a person. Frequent reading = expert reader.
The concern stated by the author of the article is that if the mystery audience is the older crowd, what happens when they, well, are gone? As he puts it, the genre will need some new victims. Yes, I can see that. However, what's to say that the younger crowd, when older, won't turn to mystery? I've certainly gone through my stages. For ten years or more, it was horror/suspense with King, Koontz, and Saul at the top of my list. When I was in my early twenties, it was romantic suspense with such classic greats as Mary Stewart and Victoria Holt. Yeah, I was certainly a romantic. Then, for the past twenty years I've pretty much stuck to mysteries of all sorts -- gritty crime, psychological thrillers, legal thrillers and of course, cozies for my "be amused and laugh and get all warm and fuzzy" moods. Authors like Patterson, Cornwell, Johansen, and Brown on the more serious side. Evanovich and Joanne Fluke, to name a couple, on the lighter side.
So, what's an author to do if he/she wants to grow a younger audience? One suggestion is Wattpad. Yes, I said Wattpad. Authors like the one mentioned in this article ( Elizabeth Spann Craig) tried it out and gained lots of readers. Caution: readers, not necessarily buyers. It's an interesting social media forum where you can upload chapters of your work and readers will flock and send you all kinds of nice comments, questions, etc. With luck, the trolls will stay far away. Below, I've placed another link to tips on using Wattpad, for those who'd care to check it out.
As for me, I'll trudge along, cranking out story ideas, writing those mysteries, hoping people will notice, enjoy, and read more. As you might know, often, it's not how great your book is. It's getting noticed. If you're not, then who will ever discover how fantastic a writer you are? (Says any author who doesn't find their work rise in the Amazon rankings!)
Cheers all. Happy reading and writing!
Who is Reading Mysteries?
Learning about Wattpad
It's spring cleaning time! No. Not what you're thinking. I'm truly no Suzy Homemaker, so the thrill of pulling out the sweeper, duster, polish, cleaners, sponges ... Yuk. Not even a hint of excitement there. Instead, I will gather my books, bookmarks, posters, book stands, fliers, sign-up sheets, my notes, and all author swag ... oh, and my roll-away suitcase to put said items into thus making it easy to transport the whole thing to my ... drum roll please ... AUTHOR EVENTS! Yes indeedy! I'm giddy just thinking about it.
Spring is my time, my venue, the beginning of my yearly trek. Time to roll out the carpet and send my book babies out into the world of wonderful readers. I've come out of winter hibernation, yawning, sleepy eyed, and grumpy, but now I'm fully alert!
So, ahem, I'd humbly like to share what experience has given me with regard to those glorious opportunities when authors may present their work, share their experiences in writing, in publishing, and a whole bunch of stuff readers want to know. It's not so hard really. Frightening? Yeah, it can be. Many writers are shy creatures. We hide behind our stories, or in them *grin*. It's much easier dealing with our characters, the ones we like to think we control -- what they do, say, feel. Oh, and they don't talk back! Well, most of the time. But it's not so hard. Discouraging? Well, yeah. It can be that, too. You may end up with only a couple visitors. Still, you talk to them, even if only one shows up! It's not so hard. In fact, it can be the best experience ever. Sharing what you love, talking about it to people who are truly interested, that's like the joy of Christmas, New Years, Easter, Fourth of July and all holidays put together!
Now is the point when I say what works for me may work for you. Or not. Everyone is different. It's my nickle, so here goes:
*Think of what you'd like to talk about, (include a brief bio; readers love to know you as a regular person). Library signings give you this opportunity more so than at retail venues like bookstores and coffee shops or at multi-author events. In preparing for this, I might practice in front of the mirror. Yeah, I know, rather silly, but it helps me. Also, I try to list some possible questions people may ask. Here are a few:
--- What inspired you to start writing?
--- How did you come up with the idea for this book?
--- Do you base your characters on any people in your life?
--- How many books have you written?
--- How do you feel about self-publishing vs. traditional?
--- Do you have a favorite author?
--- What are you writing now?
*And ALWAYS set aside time for guests to ask those questions.
*IF no one asks, here's where you say, "One question I often get asked is _______." And then answer it. (Classic teaching strategy I used in the classroom. It works great to kill the silence.)
*OR turn the tables on them and ask your guests questions. Who's your favorite author? Do any of you write or plan to pursue publishing a book or story? Just a couple examples.
*Consider reading a passage from your book, if there's time. (Again, this caters to library signings.) But please keep it short -- five minutes works for me. You don't want to see the guests' eyes glaze over, right?
*Bring dollar bills. If you plan to sell your books and if people pay cash, you may need change.
*Remember to thank everyone for coming!
*Oh, and arrive early. You want to set up your space with all the pretty books, bookmarks, posters, book stands, fliers, sign-up sheets, author swag ... Yeah, you got this! Now, rock on, wonderful authors, and dig into your spring cleaning!
A little behind, I know. However it's for a very good reason ... maybe :-) I had my first book event for A Deadly Deed Grows Monday evening. I thought it would be nice to wait until afterward to post my weekly comments. So of course, it's two days after! Procrastination strikes again. All in all, it was a fun and entertaining time. For those authors who wonder what exactly should they do and talk about during a book signing/author visit ... I'm still searching for ideas, and I've done this a few dozen times already!
This one went pretty much the same. It's basic stuff, not so creative. (I'll leave that up to the more experienced.) Regardless, this is my take on it. Give a little bio -- don't ramble on too long about it because it will bore them. Trust me. Then talk a bit about your current book -- again, don't drone on and on. Give your guests a chance to ask questions. And obviously you want to save some time to sell books if your host will let you. (Libraries can get quite picky about such things. I've always been lucky enough to have permission to sell.) But that's not all I did or do during my visits. It must be the teacher in me never wanting to die despite retirement. This time I gave them a fun quiz. Yep. How cruel is that?! Actually, it was fun. Seven facts about my story's setting -- those beautiful spots along the Florida Panhandle: Cape San Blas, Port Saint Joe, Apalachicola. Some true and others false. (Hey, if nothing else it's a way to switch up the activity so people aren't anxious to bolt out the door! Yeah, it's another teacher thing to change activities frequently)
Like I said, everyone enjoyed it. Or at least that's the way I'll remember the evening. Bonus? I sold a few books and gained a few reader fans.
In the meantime I'm slugging along with my WIP. And when I'm not doing that, I'm watching the NBA playoffs with our home team, the Cavaliers. Go Lebron! Go Delly! Go Cavs! #ALLinCLE !!!
Have a great week and happy reading and writing!
Over the past several weeks I have been delving into lots of venues in order to promote my latest book, Dying to Dream. It's time to take stock of what works, what doesn't. My publisher's senior editor has a particular view of marketing, which I tend to agree with on most points. She emphasized starting with a local environment, building a base of readers and fans who will spread the word. So, what have the local aspects of my efforts entailed?
For one, book signings at libraries and independent book stores. I've done a few in the past three months and more scheduled in the near future. Average sales have been modest, around 4 or 5 books per event. Second, I've attempted spreading the word by asking local newspapers to do reviews. My hometown even interviewed me just this past week. These are still ongoing so it's too soon to predict how this will affect sales and readership. I'm also in the process of contacting the bigger chain stores -- Barnes & Noble, Books a Million -- to work on getting them to stock my book, maybe even letting me do a book signing, although I agree this works better for indie authors when done in groups. Nothing has happened yet. And one other venture I've undertaken is to submit my book to the Buckeye Book Fair with the hopes that it will be accepted for the annual event coming up in November. This one would be a real coup since only 100 Ohio authors are invited each year. Book sellers, librarians, teachers and individual buyers from all over Ohio come to the fair to purchase books on display. I'm keeping fingers and toes crossed. My wait will be over by September 30th when the final invitation is given.
Obviously sales promotion wouldn't be complete without tackling online venues. That is something I've done a plenty. Long before Dying to Dream came out, I established an author website, this blog, an author Facebook page in addition to my personal one, and a Twitter account. Staying active on these is not only socially satisfying but also good promotion sense. Recently, I created a Facebook page for my books and another for topics specifically found in Dying to Dream, such as facts about Louisiana and stories about haunted places. I also have a Goodreads account where I've built a following by participating in the Goodreads Giveaway.
Also online are these promos called virtual book tours. From my experience, these help to build an author's platform and profile, but they aren't for helping immediate sales. Maybe other authors have had a different experience, just not me. Besides book tours, if your book is available in Kindle format, Amazon provides opportunities to promote your ebook, Book Discovery for one. I recently participated in this. For a small price you can have your book displayed on their site. I'd say the sales must have happened because my ranking soared for several days. The problem is it didn't stay that way. Again, initially, promotion online isn't about the sales. At least that's what I've been told. Rather, it's about building an audience, creating a platform, preparing for successful and easier promotion when the next book comes out with the promise that eventually the sales will come.
The downside? As a fellow author once wrote, take a look at the top ten list of bestsellers, keep watching over a long period and I think you'll notice how some of the same authors will appear again and again. Bottom line -- it's hard to be noticed, to rise above the crowd, to become successful, but keep on writing, I say. Keep improving. And obviously, keep promoting. And by the way, if you don't enjoy writing? You are losing one of the greatest rewards of this journey as an author.
Link to Amazon Kindle's Book Discovery: http://www.kindleboards.com/book-discovery-promo/
