Writing Tip #114

Use Google Alerts as a research tool. I’m sure by now you’ve heard of Google Alerts, but for those who haven’t it’s a content change detection and notification service offered by Google. What it does is notify anyone who sets a Google Alert when new content is available online — on whatever search query you’ve denoted — from news sites, blogs, video sites and discussion groups and provides you with the links on where to find it.

Writers often plug their own names and books into Google Alerts as part of their promotional efforts, so they can keep track of any news stories or blogs or discussions in which they are mentioned.

However, Google Alerts can also be used in research. Currently, I’m working on a nonfiction book about Daft Punk, so I’ve set a Google Alert to notify me once a day of any new items related to the French music duo (and with the hit “Get Lucky” racing up the charts, there are plenty). In my contemporary fiction, I will sometimes set a Google Alert if, say, I need to stay up to date on a certain subject. In Baby Grand, I have a character who is on death row, and I wanted to — over the course of writing the book — keep up on any news or controversies that cropped up. Setting a Google Alert for “death row” saved me the trouble of having to scour the internet for these things; instead, they popped up in my inbox like magic.

Google Alerts is super-easy to use. Just go to Google Alerts, and enter your search query, how many search results you want and how often, and what email address you want it all to go to, and that’s it. Easy-peasy, as Sookie Stackhouse might say. :)

Have you used Google Alerts in your writing research?

 

 

 

8 Tips for Building an Audience for your Blog

I was honored to be asked to participate in a panel this morning at Briarcliffe College in Bethpage, N.Y., as part of Fair Media Council’s Social Media Boot Camp. The topic was “How to Blog Like a Pro.” My fellow panelists included William Corbett Jr. of Corbett Public Relations and Judy Smith-Bellem of SMM Advertising. Tim Vassilakos of North Shore-LIJ Health System moderated. Here’s a photo of all of us, courtesy of Rich Kruse (that’s me sitting on the left — notice how focused I am!).

I distributed a tip handout to the group, and I thought I’d post the tips here as well. As we discussed at the panel, there are no rules for blogging, but there are definitely things you can do to generate readership and engagement. Here are eight:

1. Don’t blog unless you have something to say. There is so much noise on the internet today, and readers’ time is limited, so don’t post for the sake of posting. Post only when you have useful and actionable info.
2. Write in a professional, yet conversational tone. Blogs are popular because readers feel like they are getting to know you personally, so keep the corporate-speak for your press releases.
3. Engage readers. Whatever the topic of your post, try to get a conversation going with readers. Try ending your posts with a question that readers can answer in the comments, or you can offer giveaways or discounts to commenters.
4. Pay attention to your blog’s appearance. Let’s face it: Many times, we judge a book by its cover. So make sure your blog is easy to read and navigate and that your domain name is memorable and accurately represents your company (if you have a stand-alone blog).
5. On your blog’s homepage, show several blog posts/excerpts, rather than just your last post in its entirety. New visitors like to skim your homepage to see if your blog is for them. If you can show a variety of post examples, one of them is likely to make a connection.
6. Keep the Me, Me, Me to a minimum. No one’s going to visit your blog if all you do is talk about yourself or your product. Even though you are blogging for promotional reasons, your blog has to be about Them, Them, Them — your readers. What takeaways can you offer your readers? What can they learn from you? How can you save them money? Treat blogging like a service that you offer your customers, rather than a press release.
7. Blog regularly. You don’t need to blog every day. One, two, or three times a week should be sufficient. But whatever frequency you choose, your readers will become accustomed to it, so stick to it.
8. Promote, promote, promote. (But don’t over-promote). Every blog post should be announced on whatever social media you participate in. Although your blog subscribers will get a notification, everyone else — your future subscribers — will hear about it through Facebook, Twitter, and all the rest. Keep in mind, though, that your blog promotion should only represent a small percentage of your social media interactions–on Twitter, my rule is one promotional post for every seven informational ones–or you risk the dreaded unlike or unfollow.

There are lots of ways to build an audience for a blog. What are some of yours? I’d love to hear them!

Hear Ye, Hear Ye: How to Promote an Audiobook

Okay, folks, this one is easy: If you’re already out there promoting your paperback or eBook, all you have to do is keep on doing what you’re doing and now throw your audiobook into marketing mix as well. What should you be doing? Most, if not all, of the following:

Create social media pages: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Goodreads, Google Plus — wherever it is you find you get the most mileage from your posts (remember, too much promotion can turn friends and followers off, so post wisely). You can also syndicate your content so that you can post to multiple accounts simultaneously.

Create a blog: There’s been a lot of debate lately on whether writers should bother with blogging, whether blogging is helpful as a promotional tool for writers. I started this blog in March 2010 not as a promotional tool, but as a way to help write myself out of a writer’s block and to network with other writers. (It worked.) Readers of this blog will know that I rarely use it for promotional purposes — Yes, I have my book info in the sidebar and I mention Baby Grand all the time but the blog is more informational than promotional.

Create a dialogue: Spend time reading other people’s blogs and social media posts. Not only do you learn a heck of a lot, but I’ve found that people find their way to my book simply by reading my comments or viewpoints and then clicking my gravatar.

Create a website: This is a MUST. All authors should have a “home base,” so to speak, one place where readers can go to find out everything they need to know about you and your books. Additionally, a recent blog post by Shelli Johson suggests you should have a media kit available on your website, which will make it easier for others (newspaper editors, bloggers, TV producers, etc.) to get your bio, head shot, book jacket and other info readily. Excellent advice.

Create a mailing list: Give readers and potential readers the opportunity to sign up to hear about your news. I use Constant Contact for my mailing list needs.

Create videos: Create a YouTube channel and develop promotional videos for your book. These can include man-on-the-street videos featuring the author, or Q&As or book trailers. Whatever you think will help people find you and generate interest in your work.

Well, that winds up this week’s celebration of the premiere of the Baby Grand audiobook. If you have any other promotional ideas for your books, audio or otherwise, I’d love to hear them. Have a great weekend!

Thriller Book Cover Fonts: Go Big or Go Home?

Yesterday, after reading my post about eBook covers, author Elizabeth Kirke stopped by my Facebook page to mention she had blogged about the importance of titles and fonts, something I’ve actually been thinking about for a few days.

As a thriller writer, I’m not a big fan of the way thriller book covers are presented to readers, with those gigantic fonts that scream at you the moment you walk through the doors of Barnes & Noble. Like this (actually I kind of like this one, but you get the point):

But I guess what these kinds of covers have going for them is that they connote immediacy and danger and, yes, screaming, so readers readily identify the books behind them as thrillers. And that’s a good thing — readers know what they’re getting and can march right to that book at the bookstore, or online, if that’s what they’re after. But I’ve always pictured the cover of Baby Grand a certain way, not necessarily with tiny type, but with more of an airy feel to it. I’m wondering if it would be a mistake to veer from what is obviously a successful formula for the genre.

What do you think?

Topic Tuesday: How Important is Your eBook’s Cover?

From time to time, in lieu of a Debut Author Q&A, I’ll be featuring what I’m calling (at least for now) Topic Tuesday posts where I ask three authors, many of them already profiled here, to weigh in on a specific issue with regard to publishing.

For our first installment, we’re discussing book covers. I know, when I browse the stacks at Barnes & Noble, a book cover plays very heavily into whether or not I purchase a book (yes, I know… apparently, I judge a book by its cover). But what about ebooks? How important is a book cover to an ebook? Just as? More so? And are there different considerations for an ebook cover, since readers don’t browse ebooks in the way they do physical books? And can you ever really KNOW how influential a book cover has been in the sale of that book? Hmmm… For some answers, I asked authors:

In terms of getting noticed and garnering sales, how important would you say your book cover art was for your ebook?

Here’s what they had to say. And please feel free to offer your insights in the comments below. I’d love to hear them!

“Oh, yeah – cover art is important, especially for ebooks (for any book, really). The adage is true: people do judge books by their covers, and with so many books out there for people to choose from, poor cover design is one easy way for folks to quickly dismiss a book without further consideration. So it’s possible someone could be missing out on a great book because a cover is crap. Of course, now we have to discuss the definition of “crap.” It’s entirely subjective, although cover designers…

No Social Media Zone

I don’t know about you, but I’m a Social Media junkie. I Facebook, I tweet and I LinkIn (haven’t gotten quite as into Google+ yet), and that can keep me entertained for hours.

I’ve heard lots of my colleagues often talk about the perils of social media, but it wasn’t until yesterday that I realized how much of a time suck they really are. Yesterday, I had a busy day ahead of me, and I sat down at my computer at 9 a.m., after plopping my fourth grader on the school bus. I clicked on Facebook, like so many of us do, just for a quick look-see. When I looked up at the clock again, it was 11:30 a.m.

What?!

That’s just crazy. So I’ve decided I needed to create what I’m calling a daily No Social Media Zone — a block of two hours where I will not go anywhere near a tweet or a poke or a post. There’s no way I can go cold turkey, but I see how much social networking — Facebook, in particular — really is starting to hamper my writing time.

Some writers unplug altogether while they’re writing. That’s not for me. I like having access to the internet for one thing or another and somehow manage not to get sucked into any black holes while I do some quick research. Social media is another story, so I am limiting my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. access to 22 hours a day, instead of 24 hours. The hours of 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. will be social media free. This way, I can check in in the morning, write a few posts, tweet a few interesting things, and then do the same in the evenings and late nights and just about every other time of the day.

Twenty-two hours of access instead of 24. That should be more than enough. Don’t you think?

Updated Website

Yes, still waiting…

And while I am, I figured I’d go ahead and update my website. For those familiar with my old website, I know what you’re thinking… “Uh, it looks pretty much the same.” Au contraire! Okay, so my illo is the same — love my New York girl! — but I’ve actually streamlined things, slimming down from about 14 pages to 4, and updating my bio, services and contact pages. You can also link to this blog from every page of the site, as well as to my Facebook fan page, and Twitter and LinkedIn profiles. Plus, on the homepage there’s a link to the Amazon page of Good Girls Don’t Get Fat (my other baby), which is available for pre-sale now.

A big, big thank you to Amy Newton of Newton Designs who not only designed my original website, but created the new one as well. The testimonial I wrote on her website 5 years ago is as true today as it was then: “Amy is not only professional and conscientious, but very patient and easy to work with.” She’s fab, folks. The whole package.

Okay, so another thing crossed off the old to-do list. Now what?

Ring, phone. Ring…