"It was the best of times, it was the--what the heck. It was Queens, the place I grew up. Check out my memories, circa 1960, in my new series, "A Queens Childhood 101"
http://monicastangledweb.com/2012/06/04/a-queens-childhood-101/"
Fiction Writers Who Blog
I follow a number of writers who keep a blog. Mostly, their blogs are used for promotion and event updates, somewhat like a static author website. They invite readers to readings, tell them about their latest books coming out and more.
This is fine, but not overly interesting - at least from a marketing standpoint. I'm not a marketing expert, but I've run my own ventures long enough to know which appeals work and which ones don't. Excessive self-promotion does not really work, or so I've found. It feels too much like an ad. I end up skipping over the Facebook updates or blog postings which talk yet again about what this or that author is up to. Ultimately, I'm not interested in the author herself as much as I'm interested in the stories an author can tell. I want a "page turner" online. I want a story, not a promotion piece. Interest me and I'll stay. It's a basic tenet of marketing.
I'm surprised that so few writers use the interest to create, rather than to promote, fiction. They'll say, "I just finished Chapter 25. Hooray!" Or, they'll proudly announce, "my book reading at xx bookstore was great!"
So what?
I try to mix marketing with creative content whenever I can. I want people who go to my blog or website to meet my characters and hear their stories. I want to set mood and tone and give the readers an idea of what to expect in the longer fiction that's available for sale. My goal is to have one push the other. I'm on my own for marketing, since I self-published the mystery novel I wrote. Maybe that's good, though. I'm not working with a publisher who might not know how to use the social web appropriately.
I've tried a few things. For example, I started separate blogs for two fictional characters who are central to the mystery stories. I went so far as to create a Facebook fan page, with stories for people to read rather than self-promoting quasi-ads. I also tried creating fiction podcasts, with music. It's all a work in progress, subject to change as my media skills improve.
Any thoughts? Has anyone else tried doing this? If so, how has it been going? I'd be curious to know - and to learn!
This is fine, but not overly interesting - at least from a marketing standpoint. I'm not a marketing expert, but I've run my own ventures long enough to know which appeals work and which ones don't. Excessive self-promotion does not really work, or so I've found. It feels too much like an ad. I end up skipping over the Facebook updates or blog postings which talk yet again about what this or that author is up to. Ultimately, I'm not interested in the author herself as much as I'm interested in the stories an author can tell. I want a "page turner" online. I want a story, not a promotion piece. Interest me and I'll stay. It's a basic tenet of marketing.
I'm surprised that so few writers use the interest to create, rather than to promote, fiction. They'll say, "I just finished Chapter 25. Hooray!" Or, they'll proudly announce, "my book reading at xx bookstore was great!"
So what?
I try to mix marketing with creative content whenever I can. I want people who go to my blog or website to meet my characters and hear their stories. I want to set mood and tone and give the readers an idea of what to expect in the longer fiction that's available for sale. My goal is to have one push the other. I'm on my own for marketing, since I self-published the mystery novel I wrote. Maybe that's good, though. I'm not working with a publisher who might not know how to use the social web appropriately.
I've tried a few things. For example, I started separate blogs for two fictional characters who are central to the mystery stories. I went so far as to create a Facebook fan page, with stories for people to read rather than self-promoting quasi-ads. I also tried creating fiction podcasts, with music. It's all a work in progress, subject to change as my media skills improve.
Any thoughts? Has anyone else tried doing this? If so, how has it been going? I'd be curious to know - and to learn!
Comment
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Comment by Alma Alexander on November 11, 2009 at 2:05pm -
The blogs for characters is an intriguing idea which I've considered but never tried. What has the response been? Has it been worth the effort?
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Comment by Virginia Moffatt on November 11, 2009 at 1:12pm -
Hi Margy,
Great post. I'm a fiction writer who blogs, following advice at a writer's conference I attended last year. I don't like the idea of self-promotion, but they said it's a good idea to get yourself out there. My twin sister - Julia Williams - a commercial fiction writer has had a blog for several years called Maniac Mum She started it musing about family life as a mother of four, running, writing and anything that takes her fancy. Along the way, she has become a published author and has used it to promote her work, which has worked because people know her through the blog and have then been enthusiatic about her to their friends. This week, her latest novel, Last Christmas, has made it onto the bestseller lists, so it's definitely a good thing to do.
So I decided to do one myself. I decided I wanted it to be writing - mine and others. The blog is called A Room of My Own and I have several regular features. Firstly, I post pieces old and new (mainly short stories and poetry) for comment. Then I do Rave Reviews, Art and Craft (Analyses of authors I love), Plug of the Month (Any writers I know who have something coming up), And Introducing...(Any writers I know who deserve a wider audience). I also write occasional comment pieces on some aspects of writing or reading.
So far, I've had limited success. I can see from the analytics that I'm getting readers, and they are staying long enough to read things. But very few have actually posted a comment. That's a bit frustrating, because, particularly where my writing is concerned, I'd really love some feedback. On the other hand, Julia tells me it is worth investing the time to visit other people's blogs that take your fancy and inviting them over to yours. I'm trying to do this, and here's an opportunity.
So please come visit me, and leave a comment. And I'll come and see you too. And if anyone else is out there, let's do the same!
Virginia
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Monica Medina commented on the group 'She Writes in California'"It was the best of times, it was the--what the heck. It was Queens, the place I grew up. Check out my memories, circa 1960, in my new series, "A Queens Childhood 101"
http://monicastangledweb.com/2012/06/04/a-queens-childhood-101/"
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