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Blogs by L.T. Suzuki
Part 2 Publishing in the Digital Age
7/16/2009 11:13:11 AM
Today, talented fantasy author of The Dawning of Power is my guest blogger. Here is part 2 of Brian Rathbone's post entitled Publishing in the Digital Age.
Those books aren't going to sell themselves you know. (Have I got a deal for you)*:
Whether you have a publisher or are your own publisher makes no difference when it comes to marketing. If no one knows about your book, no one will buy it. Period. You need three things to sell books: visibility, visibility and visibility (OK, a reasonable price, good story and great cover art don't hurt, but you get my point). This is where the digital age has really helped the small publisher. When it comes to getting noticed on the Internet, there are too many ways to list, so I will discuss only my very favorite.
Consider using Twitter. Facebook is great, but the whole "friend" thing has a connotation, and "friending" someone you don't know might make you look like a stalker. The vibe on Twitter is different. Following someone is more like saying "Hey, I think you might have something interesting to say." Therefore, it's a lot less creepy to approach strangers on Twitter. A word of warning though, if all you ever say on Twitter is "READ MY BOOK"; it's not going to go well. Create a great profile, share your knowledge, be helpful, and dare I say: be nice! And of course be sure to follow .brianrathbone and .lornasuzuki! After you've done all that, you can mention your book once in a while.
*Whew! I'm glad all that's done. Now, maybe I can relax or even write something! (Yeah right!)*
Not so fast. How's that first book selling? Have you really done everything you can do to make it sell? Well, I've got one more mountain to toss into your path. Care to climb it?
Audiobooks:
I told you it was a mountain, but it's one that independently published authors, or anyone looking to grow their audience, should seriously consider. I had to be pushed into this one, but I'm glad I finally did it. After a month of recording and editing, I had a complete audiobook. A friend pointed me to Podiobooks.com, where authors post free audiobooks that are serialized into episodes. Free? Yeah, that's right. Free! It might seem insane to give away something you worked so hard on, but the idea is to build your audience. Listeners do have the opportunity to make a donation if they like your book, but profitability is probably not the best reason to create a free audiobook or podiobook.
First, consider all the people who don't have time to read your book. My own brother is one, but he has a long commute every day and listens to audiobooks. Others listen while they work, and it warmed my heart to know that people with visual impairments were also enjoying my work (how rewarding is that?). I can't even guess all the ways people listen or their reasons why, but after 25,000+ episodes downloaded in the 6 weeks since I released Call of The Herald on Podiobooks.com, I'd say there's a market. And yes, I do know of a couple of folks that have been kind enough to make donations.
Whether it's old technology or new, all these things are but tools. Evaluate the job at hand and then use the best tool(s) for that job.
The age of free expression is here. Now get out there and make your voice heard!
Brian Rathbone
Author of The Dawning of Power trilogy
http://www.brianrathbone.com
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