Five Ways To Discover the "Social" in Social Media

I'm lonesome.  This morning I woke up to thirty messages in my e-mail inbox and not one of them was from a real person.  At least not directly. 

It's my fault.  In some kind of a crazed feeding frenzy, I signed up for each of those messages at one time or another.  But instead of appeasing my appetite, they've just made me hungrier. Why? Maybe it's because they don't have what I'm really hungry for. 

I'm hungry for the social, but I'm only finding the media. 

I'm beginning to realize that social media only provides the kind of interaction I might find by myself at a bar in a strange town.  The bar is full of interesting people, for sure, but the noise level is so high, and the smell of stale alcohol so strong, that I can't really focus on any one person and get to know them in a meaningful way.

When I do start a conversation, I often discover the person at the other end of the interaction is only there to hook up with someone for the evening.  Their immediate, baser personal hungers are driving the relationship. 

Whoa.  Wait a minute.  I'm there for the same reason.  No wonder I'm not finding my hunger satisfied in this place.

So where do I go from here?  How do I extract myself from this stinky bar and find real relationships with real people?  

Here's a plan, a quick "to do" list.  I'm not promising anyone, including myself, that it's going to work any better than my New Year's resolutions do.  But at least it's a start.

I will:

1.  Unsubscribe from impersonal sites.  Leave only connections directly related to people I have met face-to-face or at least communicated personally with via some kind of electronic avenue.

2.  Communicate personally with those I leave on my subscription list.  Comment on their posts, or tweet to them, or e-mail, always with something significant and specific to say about their messages.

3.  Tweet meaningfully. I will send a personal tweet message to everyone who "follows" me on Twitter, asking them to explain why they followed and and give me some personal information. I've actually already begun doing this and it's revealing.  The responses I get are fascinating, and if I don't get a personal response, with a tidbit of personal information in it, I don't follow back.  

4.  Forget about Marketing.  Yes, I mean that.  I need to give up the idea of promoting my book on social media.  If people discover Zinovy's Journey through my social media connections, it will have to be a natural and unpremeditated occurrence.

5.  Pray that God will direct my steps.  I will trust the Holy Spirit to be my social secretary.  I will make sure my spirit is in tune with the Spirit of Jesus, and then I will interact, personally and honestly, only with connections I feel drawn to.

Already I'm struggling with this process.  I just went to my inbox and successfully unsubscribed from three connections, but then I got to my daily Twitter message, telling me who I might like to follow, and ended up signing on to yet another irresistible blog. 

Sigh.  Three steps forward and one backward.  But I did comment on that blog post, and it felt a lot more satisfying than simply signing up. And I'm not giving up on this idea. I'm going to plug away at the process, living and learning, looking for meaningful relationships in the maze of social media.

That Illusive Target Called "Audience"

Zinovy's Journey has been published for a year now and I still haven't figured out who it was published for.  I guess it's because the story hooked me before the idea of audience did.  I had no idea who I was writing for, way back then.  I just knew I had to write.

I still don't know who it's for.  I'm getting great reader reviews from men and women, young and old, Christian and non-Christian. 

I know it's probably a cop-out to say Zinovy's Journey is a mainstream novel, but I'm beginning to think it might be (And, yes, I am aware of all the hedge words in that sentence). 

Zinovy's Journey has a universal hook (the world is destroyed at the beginning of the book); a universal storyline (the hero's journey); a universal internal conflict (the search for meaningful relationships in life); a universally appealing external conflict (an innocent child in danger).  All this should lead to a universal appeal, right? 

So why aren't people flocking to my website to buy it?

I know the answer.  It's marketing.  That's where I'm at right now.  I'm using a shot-gun approach.  Probably not the best idea.  Instead I should be taking aim at a number of specific targets.  But the number of possibilities is playing Russian roulette with my mind.

This article by Randy Ingermannson is helpful, however.  Randy gives us a new way to look at "targets."  He borrows an idea from John Locke, who says our target audience can be more accurately determined by what emotions our story evokes.  Interesting thought.  Encouraging. 

Now if I could just figure out an effective way to hit the readers' emotions in that big, crazy world of bulls eyes out there.

7 Essential Steps Toward Marketing For the Christian Author

These seven steps toward book marketing for the Christian author may seem obvious, but sometimes we need to be intentional in our thinking about what's most important. Please comment. Let me know your thoughts on this topic. Agree or disagree. Add to or subtract from this list.

1.  Pray for guidance.

Prayer for guidance has to be the first, and single most important marketing "tool" for the Christian author. 

Finding a market for our books is like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack. Unless you believe in luck, there's no way to find that needle in today's marketplace without specific guidance. Every step of the journey in the writing of my book, so far, has been taken prayerfully, and I have convincing evidence that my steps have been directed. Why would I now expect to take the marketing steps on my own, without that guidance?

Remember those times you asked the Lord to help you find something you'd lost?  Do it again. Ask Him to help you find your audience. The Bible says, "Your ears will hear a word behind you, 'This is the way, walk in it,' whenever you turn to the right or to the left." (Isaiah 30:21). Commit your way to the Lord and then tune your ear to 'the word behind you.'

2.  Proceed gently.

Proceed gently, probing patiently for that jewel of a connection that will bring your book to the attention of readers. 

Just as the writing of the book was a process--a series of small, seemingly insignificant steps down a long and dusty highway--so will be the marketing.  Think of the marketing goal you are pursuing as if it were a rare orchid, or a precious archeological find. You wouldn't go after either of these treasures with a bulldozer.  

So, too, in your marketing endeavors, don't rush headlong in every direction.  Listen for the quiet Voice and obey, even when it looks like you're going nowhere.  Even when you don't see a clear destination.  Even when you're tempted to forget that you're following an all-knowing Guide.

3.  Value every step.

Not every connection you make, through social media or personal contact, will necessarily lead to a viral presence on the internet, but every connection will be meaningful. 

Every person you connect with is an eternal being, of great value to God.  Each person is, in fact, more valuable than the piece of writing you are promoting, even when the writing has an eternal purpose. 

Never let your goal of promoting your work overshadow your goal of interacting with and loving people to the glory of God.  And remember that people can sometimes be angels unawares.

4.  Listen to advice from wise persons.

Others who have been on the journey before you are great resources.  Collect tips from successful writers and publishers and follow up on the ones that seem most relevant to your situation. 

Michael Hyatt and The Passive Voice are two blog sources of marketing/publishing information that I read constantly for help on this journey.  Michael Hyatt is helpful because he speaks from great experience as a publisher, but he never lets his experience overshadow the wisdom of the Great Communicator.

The Passive Voice is useful because The Passive Guy collects the best information from a variety of other sources and puts them in a form that is easily accessible.  I don't have to surf for the best information, particularly on self-publishing. 

Look for your own favorite sources and pay attention to them.

5.  Use your own common sense.

God anoints common sense that is attuned to the sound of His voice.  Advice from wise persons may not always be wisely applied to your own situation.  Sometimes your own instincts are better. 

Pay attention to your own inner instincts.  If you are following all of the above steps, your common sense will be a reliable source of wisdom, and a gold mine of inspiration for the journey.

6.  Trust your Guide.

Anointed common sense may or may not follow logical or worldly-wise road signs.  It might lead you on detours that take the long way around.  That's okay.  In marketing, as in writing, the journey is part of the destination.  And you have no way of knowing what time-consuming obstacles those detours might be saving you from. 

Trust your Guide to use your instincts to accomplish the right purposes.

7.  Journal your journey.

Keep track of the progress you make, the steps you take and the places those steps lead you.  Do this for two reasons: 

First, so you can look back one day and see how beautifully you have been led. 

Second, so your journey can be an encouragement to others who are coming along behind you. 

You are in the process of becoming one of those "wise persons" you are now listening to.  Record the wisdom, for your sake and for the sake of others.  For the sake of God's Kingdom.

So the gist of this advice?  Pray.  Be patient.  Listen to the right voices. Enjoy the journey.  You will never pass this way again, and this way is glorious.

Looking for more specific, practical advice?  Next post will give 7 Practical Ways to Market Your Self-Published Book.  

I'm not promising when that post will go up, but I do promise I will plod doggedly down the road toward that next little writing goal!

May God bless you as you do the same.

A Bad Choice

"That goat's milk was a bad choice!"

You don't have to watch my granddaughter's first comedy video to understand this blog post, but it will help.

Well, okay.  Watching the video won't help, but it's kind of fun, anyway.

This post is about bad choices.  Specifically, bad marketing choices.

Two years ago, almost to the day, I wrote to John Kehne, author of the official website for December 21, 2012, asking if I could place an ad for Zinovy's Journey with him.  It seemed like a great idea at the time.  His site was about the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it and so was my book.  People interested in that topic were already flocking to his website, even though the fateful end-of-time date was over two years away.  He confirmed, in our e-mail correspondence, that his site was receiving, at that time, over 6,000,000 page hits a month!

That's a huge target audience. 

Even considering that only a few of those six million readers would notice an ad, and not all of them would hit the view button, and even fewer would actually choose to buy the book, that's still a sizable market of potential buyers.  I was excited about the possibilities.

I gave John Kehne my elevator pitch, and he seemed to think Zinovy would fit in with other products he was selling, so I stashed the idea away in my file of marketing ideas and plunged on with the publication process.

Now, two years later, the book is published and ready to sell.  A few days ago, when I decided the time was right, I clicked into the 12/21/12 website and applied for a $150 banner ad. I'd already created a banner to the specs he required.  I was ready to go.

But the timing was not so right after all. 

The end of the world is now three months away. 

The topic is hot, and getting hotter all the time. 

And all the ad spaces in the website have been sold.

Now you might think, at this point, that my bad choice was to wait so long to place the ad.  That was my first thought.  But deeper in my consciousness an uncomfortable idea had been squirming around for quite some time.  

Almost from the beginning, I'd wondered about the wisdom of advertising a book set at the time of the coming of God's rule on earth on a website that said the world would end on December 21, 2012, just because the Mayan calendar ended on that date.

In my author's notes in the book I say that anyone who predicts a specific time for the end of the world is either deceived or deceiving. Strange bedfellows, my book and the December 21, 2012 website.

Sometimes what looks like a good idea, from a human perspective, is not a good idea from God's.  I believe my book has a future.  I believe it will find readers.  But I'm actually relieved this marketing door has slammed shut.  There will be other ways to get the word out.

I suspect every writer is confronted with the temptation to prostitute her work, or herself, at some point in the process of writing, publishing and marketing a book.  Perhaps at many points.  What that looks like will be different for every person.  What I might feel is prostitution might simply be good sense to someone else.  But the issue needs to be considered, for every honest writer.  

How much personal integrity am I willing to sacrifice to make my book a success? 

We need to consider that what appears to be a very sensible idea could end up being a bad choice.

Thinking Like a Publisher: Hot Button Topics

Self-publishing authors need to think like traditional publishers. 

AN EYE FOR GLORY

A couple of years ago I met a writer at the ACFW conference who had just finished a novel set in the time of the American Civil War.  We talked about the book, and it sounded interesting enough that I asked if I could read the manuscript.  He graciously consented and gave me a copy. 

The story idea was intriguing, about two soldiers, strangers on opposite sides of the war, meeting just before one of them dies at the hands of the other.  In his last moments, the dying man asks his killer to deliver a Bible to his loved ones back home. 

The story sounded like a winner, but I could tell from even the little I knew about fiction writing at that time that the manuscript would need some major revisions. I sent it back to my friend with suggestions about how he should change it and wished him well, but, in my great wisdom, I didn't think he'd succeed in his search for a publisher.

Within a few weeks he sent me word that the Zondervan editor he'd met at the conference had loved the manuscript and had offered him a contract.  Two years later, in 2011, An Eye for Glory came out and sold well.

The manuscript did need major revision.  I'm sure both Karl and his editor worked hard to make it publishable.  So why was the traditional publisher so keen to go with the book?

Because the Zondervan editor was alert to hot topics.

AN EYE FOR HOT TOPICS

In January, 1861, the south seceded from the Union and the American Civil War began. January 2011 was the 150th anniversary of that historical event.  Small towns all over the southern U.S. would be putting on pageants to celebrate the battles; museums would be setting up special book displays on the topic; and tourists would be streaming into the area all year.

Sue Brower, the savvy Zondervan editor who loved my friend's book, was looking ahead.  She knew, back in 2009, that by 2011, when the book would be published, they'd have a specific target audience big enough to make publication profitable.

Traditional publishers think into the future.  They have to, because publishing takes time.  At least two years if it's done right.  This is true for both traditional and self-publishing.  Though the actual publishing process can happen in days if you do it yourself, the editing, manuscript preparation, and marketing plans--all essential elements of a marketable product--take time. 

Zondervan's timing was perfect.  So was the editor's visionary eye.

A LITTLE MORE THAN A SHOT IN THE DARK

Such perfection doesn't always happen.  It's hard to predict trends and future events accurately.  But looking ahead is useful if you're wanting to produce a book that will appeal to enough readers to make your efforts worthwhile.  And gearing both your story and your marketing strategy toward that predicted trend or event can pay good dividends.  

Sometimes the marriage of story and hot topic happens without planning.  When I started writing Zinovy's Journey over 35 years ago, I had no idea what environment the book would be birthed into.  I wasn't even thinking ahead to publication.  I just knew I had to write this story about life on earth after the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it. 

The book was published in October of 2011, sliding neatly into the hot button atmosphere of end-of-the-world, doom-and-gloom predictions.  Two years ago, there were over 6,000,000 page hits a month on the official December 21, 2012 website.  I'm sure there are more today.  I'm preparing a strategic marketing blitz on that target audience between now and December 21st. 

PLANNING TOWARD HOT TOPICS

If you're planning to publish a book it makes sense to spend some time researching genre and reader market trends.  If you've got a manuscript ready to publish, even a few editorial tweaks could steer the story into more marketable directions.  

Google makes it easy to do this research, as usual.  In just a few minutes I found the following two websites.  There must be many more.  If you find some let me know.  I'll re-post any good sites you comment on.

Eleven Hot Topics Sci-Fi Isn't Afraid to Engage. 

Pew Research of Social Trends.

HOT ON THE TRAIL

We writers have to tell the story that's in us.  But if we want the story to resonate with readers, we need to spend a bit of time hot on their trail.  Hot button topics will help us find pathways that will benefit both ourselves and our readers.