Category: Promo Tips

Goodreads Author Q&A

Business of Writing, Promo Tips

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraigblog3

I ran across something a few days ago that I thought I’d share here—although I’m probably the last person on the block to find out about this.  It’s the Goodreads Author Q&A.

I’m trying to do better about visiting Goodreads. The truth is that Goodreads can be a scary environment for writers. Reviews are especially harsh there and there have been incidents involving author bullying in the past. To be fair, there have also been authors who have behaved poorly on the site.

When I’m on a site like Goodreads, I make it a point to keep a low profile.  Otherwise, it’s almost like author intrusion when authors butt into reader conversations.

That being said…when I was recently asked how I’ve been able to garner reviews right out of the gate…it’s been those Goodreads giveaways.  And the site is popular with avid readers.Continue reading

What is “Word of Mouth” in Today’s World?

Business of Writing, Promo Tips

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraighear

I read an interesting post on Sunday.  It was from author Pedro Barrento for Indies Unlimited and titled, “Word of Mouth—An Urban Myth?”  The post engendered lively comments from other writers.  Barrento states: “…word of mouth in literature is a fantasy. It simply doesn’t exist.”  He clarifies that he’s not including influencers, Amazon’s recommendation algorithm, etc. as word of mouth.  He’s defining it as an actual verbal recommendation.  Which, considering it’s called word of mouth, makes sense.  He believes that while consumers may be influenced by others’ recommendations for music, they don’t buy long-form products like books based on recommendations. Or, they’re so slow to act on recommendations (slow to purchase, slow to read, slow to pass on a recommendation to others) that word of mouth isn’t a contributing factor to the meteoric success of some of today’s most popular books.

There isn’t (naturally! This is publishing we’re talking about) hard data on how readers discovered the last book they read.  So instead, I thought I’d explore what word of mouth is today.  I’m thinking that, as times have changed, the way we recommend products to others and influence purchasing has changed.Continue reading

Tips for Pulling Off a Reading

Promo Tips, Uncategorized

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraigelizabeth (2)_thumb[21]

First off, I have an increasingly rare public appearance to announce.  Saturday—tomorrow, actually—I’m going to be on a panel of mystery writers at 2:30 p.m. at the West Regional Library in Cary, North Carolina.  It’s my understanding that we’ll be discussing mystery subgenres, how living in this (Southern US) region has affected our writing, and industry changes and the rise of self-publishing.

In addition, there’s a reading.  :)  Those who have read my blog for a while know that I’m not fond of giving readings. The last one I gave is pictured above…I was at a 2011 event with Avery Aames, pen name for Daryl Wood Gerber  (I was appearing as Riley Adams). And–Daryl is a former actress who has co-starred on such shows as “Murder, She Wrote.”  So…yeah. I didn’t sound so hot compared to Daryl.

At least tomorrow I’m on a panel, so I won’t be the only one reading.  And, even more fortunately, I’ve recently reacquainted myself with a helpful post on successful readings.  It was a guest post writer Jennifer Nielson wrote for Shrinking Violet Promotions several years ago, entitled “The Rules of Readings.”Continue reading

Walking Away from the Stress of the “Big Release”

Business of Writing, Promo Tips

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraigConference1

Kirkus Reviews interviewed me Tuesday for an author profile in the indie section they’ve got now.  I had a nice talk with Sarah Rettger, who is writing the story.

One question flustered me, though, and usually does whenever I’m asked it.  What type of promo has worked well for you? I answered, as I always do, that I don’t actually really promote.  I do build up my name as a platform online (Twitter, blogging), but that’s mostly to increase my profile in Google rankings so that readers can easily find me.  This strategy appears to work since readers seem to have no trouble finding me.Continue reading

Getting Our Work Out There (A Look at Wattpad)

Business of Writing, Promo Tips

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraigimages

Visibility and discoverability are words that I encounter time and time again on the industry blogs I follow.  There are a lot of books in the marketplace right now.  How can you make your book stand out…and find readers?

The best approach for obtaining visibility (in the current climate…things change rapidly) is to compose a lot of well-written books.

I’ve been pretty happy about my visibility on retail sites (90% Amazon, really), but I keep wondering how to reach more readers.  I’ve got avid readers who  I’m determined to keep  happy.  But how do I reach out to other demographics?  Can I reach other demographics?Continue reading

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