The very traits that can make someone a wonderful writer – humility, sensitivity and introspection – can also conspire to make that same person an absolutely terrified (and ineffective) marketer. That’s a problem because, as you likely already know, the ability to market oneself and one’s books is a must for the modern writer. If this is… Read more »
I just read Playing the Short Game, by Doug Smith. It had some very valuable insight about the short story market. Over the next few articles, I’ll be distilling some of his insights about short stories, as well as adding a few of my own. This week I’ll be preparing the soil, so to speak,… Read more »
We’re nearing the last week in May and Book Expo America (BEA) is right around the corner. This time of year gets me giddy like a kid on Christmas Eve. In a few short days, I’ll be at the biggest publishing trade show in the United States. I’m so excited I just might squeal. There’s… Read more »
DNA is a miraculous thing. It’s the microscopic genetic material that contains the blueprint for a life. A well-constructed sentence can do the same thing for your story. It can clearly communicate your story to your audience (and to you too). It can be the building block of all your marketing efforts as well. As… Read more »
“Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.” – Kurt Vonnegut Conflict, rising tensions, epic rivalries; we writers love to finger paint with all of it. But what if you could use the same raw materials of story to map out your marketing efforts? How fun would that be?… Read more »
“My new book is out! Buy for $2.99 on Amazon! [LINK]” “Have you read my new novel yet? Get it now! [LINK]” “ ‘MY BOOK TITLE’ #kindle #bestseller [LINK]” Do these spam author posts feel familiar? It’s become a common author stereotype on social media networks to constantly post asking people to please, for the… Read more »
Marketing is every bit of contact your company has with the outside world. Every bit. – From Guerrilla Marketing by Jay Levinson Why does the term “marketing people” evoke such dread? In some circles it might even be considered an oxymoron. But I say that the trepidation around marketing and marketing volk comes from a… Read more »
Hello and welcome to today’s episode of DIY MFA Radio! Today I’m thrilled to talk about social media for writers with Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick, co-authors of the book, The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users. In this interview, we discuss social media, how it specifically applies to writers and how we can use it to… Read more »
Here’s a little word association exercise: What pops into your head when you here the phrase “Target Market”? If you’re like I used to be, you instantly get some kind of negative image. Mine was a sleazy movie exec fanning himself with money and pouring over a copy of the latest census report. What is… Read more »
“Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.” — The American Marketing Association Sounds scary. What does that even mean? I’ll admit, that once upon a time, I was one of those writers who was scared… Read more »
