Susan Kaye Quinn is a former rocket scientist and engineer, but now writes middle grade and young adult novels because she loves writing even more than shiny tech gadgets.
I'm honored to feature Susan today as well as participate in the cover reveal for Free Souls, the third book in her Mindjack trilogy.
Everyone would like the world to stop in its rotation on their book release day, because, well... the world stops for us when our baby is launched into the world. It should be just as thrilling for everyone else, right?
I'm of course being facetious.
Tip #1: Buzz is organic: you can't "make" buzz, you can only make it easier for buzz to happen. Give people something they like, then make it easier for them to spread the word about it, and buzz will happen. Or not. Some things just resonate with people, while others don't. It's a mysterious thing, so keep in mind that your book is not you. Don't take it personally.
Tip #2: Pre-Release Buzz is the Traditional Way: you now live in a new digital book age. Scarcity thinking used to drive how books were sold - pre-release buzz was used to compress sales into the small window of time that books had to be "successful" or get pulled from the shelf. This is still true for traditionally published authors, but if you're indie publishing, you live in Abundance Land, where the shelves are virtual and forever, books are plentiful, and attention spans are short. Indie books sell by word-of-mouth, and for that, you need to have your book in people's hands. Do that as quickly as possible, and buzz will follow from there. All the buzz that exists for my new release, Free Souls, comes from the previous two books in the series.
Tip #3: VALUE+ACTION: give people something worth their time, then give them some way to act on it. The whole premise behind social media is this equation: people share (take action) with things they value (connection, pictures, information, entertainment, inspiration). Books are sold all the time through social media, but it's important to remember that most of that sharing will be other people sharing, not you. You can seed the field, but it will only grow if other people find it worth nurturing. I focus on making high-value content and making it easy for people to share (action).
Example: When I asked people to sign up (action) for the Open Minds launch, I offered guest posts (value) and a party atmosphere/prizes (value), as well as a button for them to add it to their Goodreads TBR (action). A year later, with blogging on the wane and a busy time of year for the launch of Free Souls, I asked people to do a simple cut/paste Cover Reveal post (easy content at holiday time/value and action), offering a sneak peek at the first chapter in return (value, since there was already interest in the books, plus I was getting the book in their hands even before release). If I had offered a first chapter of the first book, that would have had less value (because there was no built-in interest).
Always keep in mind what is valuable to your customers, not just what is valuable to you.
Tip #4: Make it Easy: whenever I ask people to do something, I make it as easy as possible for them. For guest posts or cover reveals (like this one), I format the posts myself, then send them in HTML, so the person only has to cut/paste. When I run contests, I use Rafflecopter - it's easy on me, but more importantly, it's easy on the people entering. One click and they're done. When I send out newsletters, I make them BOLD and TO THE POINT with lots of CLICK HERE kinds of things that make it easy for people to scan and click, if they wish.
Tip #5: Make it Fun: people want to share things that are fun (or inspiring or informational). Releasing your book is a cause for celebration! You don't have to write a zillion guest posts, or spend a thousand hours making Pinterest Boards, or have twenty-five step scavenger hunts to win a Kindle. You can do those things if you wish, but if they aren't fun for your customers, they won't help build buzz.
ABOVE ALL remember: Buzz is organic. If it happens for your book, awesome! If not, try making it easier/more valuable/more fun the next time. Or simply write another book. If you hit the right chord, people will buzz about it no matter what you do.
Everyone would like the world to stop in its rotation on their book release day, because, well... the world stops for us when our baby is launched into the world. It should be just as thrilling for everyone else, right?
I'm of course being facetious.
Tip #1: Buzz is organic: you can't "make" buzz, you can only make it easier for buzz to happen. Give people something they like, then make it easier for them to spread the word about it, and buzz will happen. Or not. Some things just resonate with people, while others don't. It's a mysterious thing, so keep in mind that your book is not you. Don't take it personally.
Tip #2: Pre-Release Buzz is the Traditional Way: you now live in a new digital book age. Scarcity thinking used to drive how books were sold - pre-release buzz was used to compress sales into the small window of time that books had to be "successful" or get pulled from the shelf. This is still true for traditionally published authors, but if you're indie publishing, you live in Abundance Land, where the shelves are virtual and forever, books are plentiful, and attention spans are short. Indie books sell by word-of-mouth, and for that, you need to have your book in people's hands. Do that as quickly as possible, and buzz will follow from there. All the buzz that exists for my new release, Free Souls, comes from the previous two books in the series.
Tip #3: VALUE+ACTION: give people something worth their time, then give them some way to act on it. The whole premise behind social media is this equation: people share (take action) with things they value (connection, pictures, information, entertainment, inspiration). Books are sold all the time through social media, but it's important to remember that most of that sharing will be other people sharing, not you. You can seed the field, but it will only grow if other people find it worth nurturing. I focus on making high-value content and making it easy for people to share (action).
Example: When I asked people to sign up (action) for the Open Minds launch, I offered guest posts (value) and a party atmosphere/prizes (value), as well as a button for them to add it to their Goodreads TBR (action). A year later, with blogging on the wane and a busy time of year for the launch of Free Souls, I asked people to do a simple cut/paste Cover Reveal post (easy content at holiday time/value and action), offering a sneak peek at the first chapter in return (value, since there was already interest in the books, plus I was getting the book in their hands even before release). If I had offered a first chapter of the first book, that would have had less value (because there was no built-in interest).
Always keep in mind what is valuable to your customers, not just what is valuable to you.
Tip #4: Make it Easy: whenever I ask people to do something, I make it as easy as possible for them. For guest posts or cover reveals (like this one), I format the posts myself, then send them in HTML, so the person only has to cut/paste. When I run contests, I use Rafflecopter - it's easy on me, but more importantly, it's easy on the people entering. One click and they're done. When I send out newsletters, I make them BOLD and TO THE POINT with lots of CLICK HERE kinds of things that make it easy for people to scan and click, if they wish.
Tip #5: Make it Fun: people want to share things that are fun (or inspiring or informational). Releasing your book is a cause for celebration! You don't have to write a zillion guest posts, or spend a thousand hours making Pinterest Boards, or have twenty-five step scavenger hunts to win a Kindle. You can do those things if you wish, but if they aren't fun for your customers, they won't help build buzz.
ABOVE ALL remember: Buzz is organic. If it happens for your book, awesome! If not, try making it easier/more valuable/more fun the next time. Or simply write another book. If you hit the right chord, people will buzz about it no matter what you do.
What are the best ways you've found to build buzz for your book release?
Posts
Great post. I never thought about sending a post in HTML, that's a really good tip! Thank you both. :)
ReplyDeleteI got lots of comments this time around like, "Wow! This was the easiest cover reveal I've ever done!" I'm always in favor of making everyone's lives a little easier, yanno?
DeleteThank you so much for sharing this information! I'll be picking your brains for more details when I launch my third book in the spring. ;o) It is useful information like this that makes me glad I'm an indie author. I love the sharing of ideas! Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteSuzan
Good luck with your launch!
DeleteI'm hiring a lot of bumblebees, personally.
ReplyDeleteLOL! Now THAT would be a unique marketing strategy! Buy Bryan's brilliant, yet tragic, collection of literary short stories - guaranteed to keep swarms of killer bees at bay (limited time offer, no money back guarantee, they are bees, after all). :)
DeleteAs far as I'm concerned, you've got guru status with this marketing and buzz thing. I'm still learning...and am aware I've got a LONG ways to go before I find a fluid way to make the buzz work for me.
ReplyDeleteYou will hit your stride, no worries. You've already got flair! And that's HUGE. :)
DeleteI prefer buzz when the book is out. If I'm excited about a book and I can pre-order it, great (which I can't if the book is self published). Otherwise, I'll forget about the book when it comes out. This isn't a problem if I see the book mentioned again when it's released, but it is a problem if the pre-launch buzz is the only time I see the book mentioned.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Susan.
Exactly! The indie market is different, and we need to pay attention to that.
DeleteWonderful and useful tips. I think this one sentence sums up your (and my!) philosophy, "Always keep in mind what is valuable to your customers, not just what is valuable to you." I once read that Randy Ingermanson said that nobody cares about your book nearly as much as you do, so offer something of value so they care about you and your book.Makes sense to me!
ReplyDeleteI, too, like the idea of sending the HTML to people to make it easier to post. I participated in a 12 Days of Christmas blog tour for a group of authors one time and that's what they did. I had almost all of December's posts done and scheduled with a few clicks. Loved it!
Congratulations on your success!
Thanks so much Donna! Sounds like you've got your eye on the important stuff!
DeleteSUSAN--whoot! You are so awesome and brilliant! I'm still learning the buzz trick, but I think this right here is pure genius: "give people something worth their time, then give them some way to act on it." That's the key, I think. Besides the fact that you rule and the Mindjack trilogy is fantastic~ ((hugs)) <3
ReplyDeleteAnd I think LT's book The Truth About Faking is a great example of buzz that just happens - not that LT didn't promote and have a great network. But I read the book, it's delightful, and I like telling everyone about it. BONUS that she's my friend and I love seeing her succeed. But giving people something they can brag about, "Hey, my friend wrote this awesome book, you're going to love it. GO READ IT NOW." - that's what it's all about.
Delete<3
DeleteThanks so much for having me guest post! I love the comments already! :)
ReplyDeleteExcellent tips, especially the part about giving people something of value. That's key! Great cover for the new book Susan! I can hardly wait to read it.
ReplyDeleteThanks Heather!
DeleteBookmarking! I notice you didn't say "spam everyone until they want to unfollow you on every possible social media venue." Thanks, Susan!
ReplyDeleteI think often our first instinct is to do what's "easy" rather than what's "creative." Creativity is hard work, after all. And once we put aside the "easy" way of spamming people, then we freeze up. Because what else is there? We tend to forget that we are (hopefully) offering things of value to people, whether it's information or entertainment. If we keep the focus there, and unleash our creative sides in the process, it actually can be (yikes!) kind of fun, for everyone. :)
Deletethanks for the useable advice!! you make it sound easy!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome! Definitely not easy, but... simple. If you know what I mean? Sometimes I think it's a matter of adjusting how we see things, a challenge of imagination, rather than a challenge of time or money or skill. And ironically, imagination is the coin of the realm for writers! We should be naturals at this. :)
Delete