The Web - Your Partner in Promotion
Online Promotion Tips for Writers
I interviewed Mary Emma Allen of Home Biz Notes, and one of our panel of JUST ASK experts, about promoting yourself as a writer online.
Mary Emma is a very experienced author and writer, both in print and on the web. She is savvy about business and branding too. She runs workshops on “Marketing Your Books and Manuscripts”, and writes “Promoting Your Prose” for Absolute Markets, a paid subscription online publication.
The Writer Says - Hey… I Just Want to Write
Mary Emma explains - “When I first started blogging, I thought I just had to write. It actually involves a great deal of promotion/marketing of oneself if one wants to earn an income… just as we have to do in the writing field. It used to be that writers wrote the books and publishers did the majority of the promotion. Now most publishers want to know what writers can do with promotion (what their contacts are, what their name recognition is) before they accept your book…that’s even part of your proposal, I found, especially if it’s a non-fiction book.”
Social Media Tools
When you’re online the promotion game has different rules and opportunities. A blog with no traffic means a writer with no readers. Mary Emma recommends you leverage tools such as StumbleUpon and Digg in conjunction with other strategies. If you’re ready to explore further social media options Char has an excellent social media tools roundup divided into categories to fit your particular purpose.
Virtual Book Tours
Mary Emma highlights one of the latest online techniques for author promotion - the virtual book tour, also known as virtual blog tours. She says “I’ve been hosting authors during their blog tours (virtual book signings) on my author blog.” Home Biz Notes also has an interesting interview with Dorothy Thompson, a writer turned
e-marketing specialist who has a virtual book tour business. This lends itself especially to ebooks.
Be Proactive - Identify the Opportunities
While many traditional marketing principles are universal, Mary Emma says marketing online is “a whole new world.” Luckily, both online and offline marketing can work hand in hand. This makes for an even stronger and more effective marketing strategy, and more opportunities for writers.
Bloggers and online writers need to become e-marketers and look for opportunities on the web. Our potential clients are not around the corner anymore. If you’re on the web, you have a global business. You have an international client base. That may involve a mind shift - a different type of thinking and approach to make the most of the opportunities offered by being online. Even if you’re writing for other writers rather than prospective clients, we know how strong a writers’ network can be in passing on recommendations.
Effective Online Promotion Strategies for Writers from My Colleagues
Here are a few ways some of my writing colleagues are leveraging online opportunities to promote themselves, their blogs and their businesses, both formally and informally.
Laura at Writing Thoughts has the best roundup I’ve seen for why you should hire a professional writer . It’s persuasive but professional, and just perfect for a writer’s services section of a site or blog. Develop your own unique angle for your specific niche or focus.
Mig at Online Writing Public Relations has released a very practical free SEO Ebook of Wordpress Blogs- a great sharing (and promotion) of her knowledge and business. What opportunities can you see for writing, developing and marketing your own unique information products such as ebooks? Writers are well placed to tap into the information products market.
Gayla at Mom Gadget provides an excellent Mom Gadget forum and has developed a loyal community around her blog. That’s what networking and sharing is all about.
Lillie at A Writer’s Words An Editor’s Eye gives readers a peek into her life as an editor and generously shares strategies and informative tips. If I was a fiction book author needing an editor, I’d feel very comfortable approaching Lillie.
All of these writers inspire confidence in their skills as writers and their integrity as people, both on a personal and business level. It’s proven that people like to deal with people they know and can depend on, as well as considerations of price vs value.
Join the Conversation
What suggestions do you have for writers wanting to promote themselves or their blog? What opportunities and challenges do you see?
Thank you for the mention, Yvonne! I’m honored to be listed among so many porfessionals.
Hi Mig - Your ebook was very readable with lots of immediately practical tips. I can recommend it.
Wow, thanks for the mention, Yvonne! And thank Mary Emma, too! Mary Emma is one of our devoted blog hosts who we owe so much to. I love her blog and my clients love stopping by it, too. Besides that, Mary Emma is one of those who feels the need to help other authors, such as we do, and she’s a very sweet person to know. What a nice thing to wake up to this morning. The link was sent by a friend who frequents your blog…she just knew I would want to see it! Thanks again!
Hi Dorothy - It’s so nice that your friend passed the link on to you, and I’m pleased it gave you a cheerful start to the day. The virtual book tour concept is quite ingenious and certainly makes the most of the opportunities the web has to offer in terms of global connections.
Thank you, Yvonne. I appreciate the mention and your confidence in me.
You’re welcome Lillie. You always have such insightful and informative posts. I’ve learned a lot from being a regular visitor to your blog.
Yvonne, I agree with Dorothy, “What a wonderful way to wake up and start my day,” to find this article you’ve written mentioning me…and all the other writers. You have done a superb job of researching and pulling together all this information about promotion utilizing the web.
Hi Mary Emma - It was interesting to chat to you about it all. Thanks for the interview and your insights. I’m pleased the article gave you a nice start to your day.
Excellent interview! I definitely need to visit Home Biz Notes more often.
Thanks for including me on the list with the others (who happen to be some of my favorite bloggers, too).
Excellent points. Add to that the fact that books can be pressed directly from blogs through companies like lulu.com and others. Blogging can be the actual writing of your book.
Thanks for the mention - and a very nice post at that.
Laura - A lot of what Mary Emma says at Home Biz Notes is readily transferable to writers. I was very happy to include you on the list, as you offer consistently useful information for writers.
Damien - Great to see you here. From blog to book… you’re reading my mind… watch for an upcoming post.
Char - Thanks for the feedback. Your social media roundup is one that I found very useful.
Yvonne ~ Thanks for the mention. Great post! Very good information. Will benefit lots of people
Thanks for the “Essential Tools for Social Media” link. Now I know exactly how what I’m already using works, haha.
Gayla - Thanks for stopping by. Mom Gadget is one of the best forums, so it was a definite on my list. For anyone not familiar with it, it’s not just for moms. Gayla’s rule is that anyone who has ever had a moth can join… that means everyone
Hi Alicia - LOL. Nice to know when you are on the right track. I think you’ll find some new ones on the list too, as it’s quite comprehensive. Happy exploring.
I am pleased to find this site, thank you to Mary Emma. And, I’ll be tellng the subscribers to my Authors’ Coalition official newsletter, “Sharing with Writers.” Anyone interested in book promotion tips in their mailbox each week may want to subscribe. Just go to my website (www.howtodoitfrugally.com) and click on the newsletter tab at the top of the home page.
Keep up the great work, Mary Emma!
Best,
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Award-winning author of the HowToDoItFrugally Series of books
Hi Carolyn
Great to “meet” you and thanks for referring your readers to Grow Your Writing Business. I look forward to taking a look round your site too.
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