|
|
|
|
Blogs by L.T. Suzuki
BookCamp 2009
10/19/2009 10:01:54 PM
Details of my experience at BookCamp 2009
On Oct. 16th the typical foul, west coast weather did little to dampen the spirits of 250 people lucky enough to get their hot little hands on tickets for this annual, sold-out event. Authors, publishers, book promoters, editors; in fact, all manner of people involved in most aspects of the book business converged on Simon Fraser University at Harbour Centre in downtown Vancouver, BC. My primary goal when I first arrived was to better understand the potential dynamics of the author/publisher/reader relationship.
Monique Trottier of Boxcar Marketing welcomed the masses to BookCamp 2009 and it was the first time I heard the word ‘un-conference’. She described this gathering as such because, rather than a presenter doing all the lecturing, those heading up the sessions were there to encourage all participants to share in their knowledge, experience and most of all, what does and does not work in the ever-changing landscape of publishing. In short, BookCamp was a user-generated event, yielding the best results if attendees willingly participated in the discussions.
Here was a chance to engage in conversation and share ideas, examine the book and its ongoing role as a source for delivering stories, knowledge in the way of educational information as well as for pure entertainment. It was also a chance to determine how publishers and authors can better their position in this competitive business to succeed in the digital age of e-books and the growing popularity of social media.
With a number of sessions to choose from, I tried to select topics that would help me to better understand my role as an author and what I could do to broaden my platform in a bid to reach potential readers.
The first session I participated in was “Book Marketing from a Reviewer’s Perspective”. Hosted by freelance book reviewer Lori Dunn and marketing maven Angela Crocker, President of Beachcomber Communications, these two knowledgeable ladies explained how changing technology, these tough economic times and a competitive market are forcing authors/publishers to find inventive ways to get their books out there.
They shared examples of what grabs their attention; whether it is a beautifully designed book cover (and yes, these ladies do judge a book by its cover) to clever use of video in the form of a book trailer to display on YouTube; Angela and Lori delved into all these issues.
Whether it was offering free book excerpts, making your blog or website interactive, using podcasts, creating a platform using Twitter to garner followers, the ideas and suggestions gleaned from Angela, Lori and the participants of this sessions certainly made me understand the importance of an author taking the initiative to embrace technology and take advantage of what it has to offer. The other thing these ladies pointed out is that much of what can be done to bring attention to an author’s work can be done with little or no monetary investment, just the time and effort to maintain a blog or podcast, twitter, etc.
In the session titled “Optimal Use of Social Media for Authors & Publishers”, Thad McIlroy and Monique Trottier confirmed Angela and Lori’s opinion about the importance of using social media networking to publicize your book. Thad and Monique went on to explain how maintaining/updating info on FaceBook, blogging and Twitter can be simplified and using Hootsuite to schedule Tweets when you’re really pressed for time, but wish to maintain a regular presence on Twitter. They also emphasized how readers crave that communication from the author so it is important to make the effort to update the postings on a regular basis.
One of the most engaging speakers I had the chance to meet was Deanna McFadden from HarperCollins Canada. An enthusiastic and passionate speaker knowledgeable in all things pertaining to books, including the marketing of this product, Deanna shared in her wisdom. She explained how print advertisements are costly, standardized in how they are presented and have far less impact than an author establishing a platform using social networking medias such as Twitter, FaceBook and or maintaining a personal blog to reach out to potential readers.
Deanna emphasized the importance of blogging and how it creates a relationship between the author and the readers. Done right, this can be more powerful than a print ad. And if you use Twitter, she strongly discouraged against using it to constantly plug your book, instead, use it to generate interest in the community whether it is offering a book blurb, a character’s quote, a controversial situation in your book that will encourage people to talk about your novel, etc.
I can go on in great detail, but I found what really stood out from these sessions were:
• Do use social networking, especially Twitter to help build a community of supporters who will champion your works.
• Do not use Twitter to constantly sell your book. The constant pitch to buy the book eventually becomes viewed as nothing more than spam.
• Instead, use Twitter as an avenue to engage a potential audience and give them reason to be interested in what you have to offer.
• Do blog, but remember content (relevance of the post) and what you say will be out ‘there’ forever, so be mindful of what you say and how you say it!
• Be creative! Even blog in character to really spice things up for the readers.
• If you blog, make the effort to keep it up to date. If you don’t bother, then neither will the readers bother coming back.
• Do invest the $14 to buy the URL for book branding. And don’t blindly Twitter, blog, etc. Have a strategy that will allow you to best take advantage of the social media to promote your book and create your platform.
Deanna McFadden, Angela Crocker and Lori Dunn all agree with this: In the world of social media, whether you blog, use FaceBook or Twitter, it is not the number of followers, but the quality of followers that is far more important. It is better to have 300 true followers that will support your work than 3,000 random followers who are nothing more than numbers and really don’t care about the book you’ve written.
Overall, BookCamp was a day filled with insight and information sharing! Not only was it an opportunity to learn from those knowledgeable in the industry, it was a chance for me to network and meet some of the people I follow on Twitter, and follow me as well. Very cool to put the faces to the tweets!
Where the old adage “You only get what you pay for” serves as a just, cautionary warning in most circumstances, BookCamp was free to participants. However, “free” did not diminish the enthusiasm of the participants, nor the quality of information/knowledge shared by those in the industry.
If BookCamp should come to your neighborhood, I strongly recommend you take advantage of this worthwhile event.
Post a Comment new!
More Blogs by L.T. Suzuki
• Heidi Garrett Interview - Saturday, June 15, 2013
• Loren Kleinman Interview - Saturday, June 08, 2013
• Leanne Shirtliffe Interview - Saturday, June 01, 2013
• Hannah Fielding Interview - Saturday, May 25, 2013
• Erica Lucke Dean Interview - Saturday, May 18, 2013
• Amber Lea Easton Interview - Sunday, May 12, 2013
• Ruth Nestvold Interview - Saturday, May 04, 2013
• Rose Garcia Interview - Saturday, April 20, 2013
• Robert Pruneda Interview - Saturday, April 13, 2013
• Lance Burson Interview - Saturday, April 06, 2013
• Rachel Thompson Interview: - Saturday, March 23, 2013
• Samantha Martin Interview - Saturday, March 16, 2013
• Lisette Brodey Interview - Saturday, March 09, 2013
• Jack Whyte Interview Part Two - Saturday, March 02, 2013
• Jack Whyte Interview Part One - Saturday, February 23, 2013
• Molly Greene Interview - Saturday, February 16, 2013
• Dionne Lister Interview - Saturday, February 09, 2013
• Anita Reynolds MacArthur Interview: - Saturday, February 02, 2013
• Alicia Kat Dillman Interview - Saturday, January 26, 2013
• John Gregory Hancock Interview - Saturday, January 19, 2013
• Adriana Ryan Interview - Saturday, January 12, 2013
• Jennifer McConnel Interview - Friday, January 04, 2013
• S.M. Boyce Interview - Saturday, December 15, 2012
• James Tallett Interview - Saturday, December 08, 2012
• Melissa McPhail Interview - Saturday, December 01, 2012
• Roz Morris Interview - Sunday, November 18, 2012
• Tania Johansson Interview - Saturday, November 10, 2012
• Dale Ivan Smith Interview - Sunday, November 04, 2012
• Respect Your Readers - Sunday, October 28, 2012
• Greta van der Rol Interview - Sunday, October 21, 2012
• Justin Bog Interview - Saturday, October 13, 2012
• Thanksgiving Day: Gratitude - Saturday, October 06, 2012
• Steena Holmes Interview - Saturday, September 29, 2012
• Kenneth Hoss Interview - Saturday, September 22, 2012
• Patty Jansen Interview - Saturday, September 15, 2012
• Joshua E. Bigger Interview - Saturday, September 08, 2012
• Joyce Damask Interview - Saturday, September 01, 2012
• Marketing & Twitter - Saturday, August 25, 2012
• Henry Herz Interview - Saturday, August 18, 2012
• Kristin Bair O'Keeffe Interview - Sunday, August 12, 2012
• William Linde Interview - Saturday, August 04, 2012
• Micheal Rivers Interview - Saturday, July 21, 2012
• Robert James Russell Interview - Saturday, July 14, 2012
• Becka Sutton Interview - Saturday, July 07, 2012
• Canadian Authors Feature - Saturday, June 30, 2012
• Gini Koch Interview - Sunday, June 17, 2012
• M. Pax Interview - Saturday, June 09, 2012
• Karina Halle Interview - Saturday, June 02, 2012
• Novice Writing Mistakes - Sunday, May 27, 2012
• Pippa Jay Interview - Sunday, May 20, 2012
• Glenn Starkey Interview - Saturday, May 12, 2012
• Maurice G. Nicholson Interview - Saturday, May 05, 2012
• How I Select Followers on Twitter - Saturday, April 28, 2012
• Shaun Allan Interview - Sunday, April 22, 2012
• Darlene Foster Interview - Saturday, April 14, 2012
• Kim Aleksander Interview - Saturday, April 07, 2012
• Hope Collier Interview - Saturday, March 31, 2012
• John Kolson’s Writeado: A New Online Writing Tool - Saturday, March 24, 2012
• Jeff Shanley Interview - Saturday, March 17, 2012
• Stephen England Interview - Saturday, March 10, 2012
• Everett Powers Interview - Saturday, March 03, 2012
• The Kindle Prime Experiment - Saturday, February 25, 2012
• Edward Lazellari Interview - Saturday, February 18, 2012
• Connie J. Jasperson Interview - Saturday, February 11, 2012
• Sally Dubats - Saturday, February 04, 2012
• Selecting Writers For My Author Feature - Sunday, January 29, 2012
• Tarek Refaat Interview - Sunday, January 22, 2012
• Toby Neal Interview: - Saturday, January 14, 2012
• Thomas A. Knight Interview - Sunday, January 08, 2012
• Linda Poitevin Interview - Sunday, January 01, 2012
• 2011: A Year in Review - Monday, December 26, 2011
• Angeline Kace Interview - Sunday, December 18, 2011
• Eden Baylee Interview - Saturday, December 10, 2011
• Cyndi Tefft Interview - Saturday, December 03, 2011
• The Conference Experience - Sunday, November 27, 2011
• A.R. Silverberry Interview - Sunday, November 20, 2011
• Suzy Turner Interview - Sunday, November 13, 2011
• Patti Roberts Interview - Sunday, November 06, 2011
• Raine Thomas Interview - Sunday, October 23, 2011
• LK Gardner-Griffie Interview - Saturday, October 15, 2011
• Jonathan Gould Interview - Saturday, October 08, 2011
• Brian Rathbone Interview - Saturday, October 01, 2011
• Matthew Merrick Interview - Sunday, September 25, 2011
• Dean Lappi Interview - Saturday, September 17, 2011
• J.T. Ellison Interview - Sunday, September 11, 2011
• Carolyn Arnold Interview - Sunday, September 04, 2011
• John Kolson Interview - Sunday, August 21, 2011
• Megan Curd Interview - Saturday, August 06, 2011
• Elena Aitken - Sunday, July 31, 2011
• When Book Reviews are Misleading… - Sunday, July 24, 2011
• Deborah Riley-Magnus - Saturday, July 16, 2011
• Jessica Subject Interview - Sunday, July 10, 2011
• J. Alexander Greenwood Interview: - Sunday, July 03, 2011
• When Social Networking is no so social... - Monday, June 27, 2011
• Dannie C. Hill - Monday, June 20, 2011
• Shay Fabbro Interview - Tuesday, June 14, 2011
• Genevieve P. Ching Interview - Monday, June 06, 2011
• Al Boudreau Interview - Monday, May 30, 2011
• Jennifer Hudock Interview - Monday, May 23, 2011
• Paul Mansfield Keefe Interview - Monday, May 16, 2011
• Rusty Fischer Interview - Monday, May 09, 2011
• Jason McIntyre Interview - Monday, May 02, 2011
• Emlyn Chand & Novel Publicity - Monday, April 25, 2011
• Steve Umstead Interview - Monday, April 18, 2011
• John Betcher Interview - Monday, April 11, 2011
• Kimberly Kinrade Interview - Monday, April 04, 2011
• Inspiration & Where You Find It - Monday, March 28, 2011
• Christie Yant - Tuesday, March 22, 2011
• Amy J. Rose David Interview - Monday, March 14, 2011
• George H. Sirois Interview - Monday, March 07, 2011
• Linda Nagata Interview - Monday, February 28, 2011
• Adventures in Editing or... Is it Done Yet? - Monday, February 21, 2011
• Greg Messel Interview - Monday, February 14, 2011
• Jen Wylie Interview - Monday, February 07, 2011
• Katie M. John Interview - Monday, January 31, 2011
• How Do You Measure Success: - Tuesday, January 25, 2011
• Avery Tingle Interview - Monday, January 17, 2011
• Kristie Cook Interview - Tuesday, January 11, 2011
• Ren Cummins - Tuesday, January 04, 2011
• A Wish For the New Year - Tuesday, December 28, 2010
• Trish Wolfe Interview - Monday, December 20, 2010
• Jesi Lea Ryan Interview - Monday, December 13, 2010
• Cat Connor Interview - Monday, December 06, 2010
• How to Make a Story Ring True - Monday, November 29, 2010
• Sharon Bially Interview - Monday, November 22, 2010
• Donna Carrick Interview - Monday, November 15, 2010
• Brenda Sedore Interview - Tuesday, November 09, 2010
• Robert Feagan Interview - Monday, November 01, 2010
• Of Book Signings, Volunteering & Option Agreements… - Tuesday, October 26, 2010
• Daryl Sedore Interview - Monday, October 18, 2010
• Seven Day Blog Tour Begins October 17th - Tuesday, October 12, 2010
• Todd A. Ritter Interview - Monday, October 04, 2010
• Cheryl Kaye Tardif Interview - Monday, September 27, 2010
• Claude Bouchard Interview - Tuesday, September 21, 2010
• Dr. Peter Clement Interview - Tuesday, September 14, 2010
• Elizabeth Isaacs Interview - Monday, September 06, 2010
• Introducing a New YA Fantasy - Monday, August 30, 2010
• Interview with Author Gene Doucette - Monday, August 23, 2010
• It's All About the Books Part 2 - Monday, August 16, 2010
• It's All About the Books - Monday, August 09, 2010
• When to Abandon Your Manuscript - Monday, August 02, 2010
• 1st Anniversary Blog: A Celebration of Authors - Tuesday, July 27, 2010
• Kathy Chung & the SiWC Part Twp - Tuesday, July 20, 2010
• Kathy Chung & the Surrey International Writers Conference Part One - Tuesday, July 13, 2010
• Deanna Jewel Interview - Tuesday, July 06, 2010
• The Happiest Indie Author (me) in the World! - Tuesday, June 29, 2010
• The Author Effect - Tuesday, June 22, 2010
• Jacqueline Pearce Interview - Tuesday, June 15, 2010
• Peggy Richardson Interview - Tuesday, June 08, 2010
• Wendy Nelson Tokunaga Interview - Tuesday, June 01, 2010
• The Importance of a Critique Group - Saturday, May 29, 2010
• Zoe Winters Interview - Tuesday, May 18, 2010
• Zoe Winters Interview - Tuesday, May 11, 2010
• Tonya R. Moore Interview - Monday, May 03, 2010
• Write On Bowen! - Monday, April 26, 2010
• Dayna Hester Interview - Monday, April 19, 2010
• Luke Romyn Interview - Monday, April 12, 2010
• Rhonda Carpenter Interview - Monday, March 29, 2010
• Lacey Weatherford Interview - Monday, March 22, 2010
• K.M. Weiland Interview - Tuesday, March 16, 2010
• Mark Coker, CEO of Smashwords Interview! - Tuesday, March 09, 2010
• Jo Lynne Valerie Interview - Tuesday, March 02, 2010
• Dan McNeil Interview - Tuesday, February 23, 2010
• Catherine McKenzie Interview - Tuesday, February 16, 2010
• 8 Years of Writing! 8 eBook Winners! - Sunday, February 07, 2010
• Birthday Blog (or an Ode to Aging Gracelessly) - Monday, January 18, 2010
• Interview with Paranormal Author Kate Austin - Monday, January 11, 2010
• Riley Carney Interview - Tuesday, January 05, 2010
• Ask an Editor - Monday, December 28, 2009
• Lee Edward Fodi Interview - Monday, December 21, 2009
• Interview with YA Author James McCann - Tuesday, December 15, 2009
• Researching Historical Fiction with Diana Gabaldon - Tuesday, December 08, 2009
• kc dyer Interview & Enter to Win an Autographed Novel! - Tuesday, December 01, 2009
• Bev Katz Rosenbaum Interview - Tuesday, November 24, 2009
• Writing Tips I Learned from Terry Brooks - Tuesday, November 17, 2009
• An Interview with Tamara Sheehan - Monday, November 09, 2009
• YA Author Loreena M. Lee Interview - Tuesday, November 03, 2009
• Why Do I Blog About Other Authors? - Thursday, October 29, 2009
• Critique by Author Jack Whyte - Tuesday, October 27, 2009
• BookCamp 2009 - Monday, October 19, 2009
• Participating at VCON 34 - Wednesday, October 14, 2009
• Therese Walsh Interview - Tuesday, October 06, 2009
• Interview with Debra Purdy Kong - Tuesday, September 29, 2009
• Twitter – The Power of the Tweet - Tuesday, September 22, 2009
• Part Two: Publishing in a Foreign Market - Tuesday, September 15, 2009
• An Interview with author Christopher Belton - Tuesday, September 08, 2009
• Part Two of the Caroline Leavitt Interview: - Thursday, September 03, 2009
• An Interview with Author & Book Reviewer Caroline Leavitt - Tuesday, September 01, 2009
• An Interview with Kathleen Bolton - Tuesday, August 25, 2009
• Interview with author/artist Scott Kessman: - Tuesday, August 18, 2009
• Interview with author/artist Scott Kessman: - Tuesday, August 18, 2009
• Part 2 of the Kim Falconer Interview - Thursday, August 13, 2009
• An Interview with Kim Falconer - Tuesday, August 11, 2009
• Part 2 An Interview with Alan Baxter - Thursday, August 06, 2009
• An Interview with Alan Baxter - Tuesday, August 04, 2009
• If You Write It, They Will Come (buy it)… Not! - Sunday, July 26, 2009
• Lori A. May: Author Extraordinaire - Tuesday, July 21, 2009
• Merits of a Writers Conference - Sunday, July 19, 2009
• Part 2 Publishing in the Digital Age - Thursday, July 16, 2009
• Publishing in the Digital Age - Monday, July 13, 2009
• Writing Tips for the Novice Novelist - Tuesday, July 07, 2009
• Flog the Blog - Tuesday, June 30, 2009
• Do's & Don't of a TV interview - Saturday, June 27, 2009
• Mortality & Writing - Friday, June 26, 2009
• The Art of Editing 101 - Tuesday, June 23, 2009
• How To Write When Suffering from Bad Memory Retention - Saturday, June 20, 2009
• Finding Inspiration from Others - Thursday, June 18, 2009
• To Blog or Twitter... - Tuesday, June 16, 2009
|
|
Bookmarks
