As a fresh take on our “reaching readers” strand that runs every Saturday, today we've got a top tip on what NOT to do so sell more of your self-published books, from ALLi profressional member Jessica Bell, an acclaimed novelist, poet and author of writing craft books.
ALLi Professional Member, the Australian author, poet and editor Jessica Bell
Are you an new indie author? Just released your first book and thinking about setting up a blog/Facebook Page/Twitter account especially for your book? I see newbies wanting to do this all the time.
One word of advice, unless it's specialty non-fiction that targets a very, very specific audience: DON'T.
You need to build your AUTHOR platform, not a platform for your product. You will no doubt continue to produce more and more books. What happens when you have twenty books under your belt? Will you then set up, and keep up-to-date, twenty blogs, twenty FB pages, and twenty Twitter accounts?
I don't see that happening, unless you have twenty clones of yourself hidden in your cupboard.
Set up an AUTHOR WEBSITE, where you can list everything you will eventually create.
Jessica Bell's debut novel, String Bridge
Trust me. I made this mistake myself with String Bridge. What happened to the special website dedicated to this book? Nothing. I wasted time and money on getting it made, all for it to be taken down a year later when I realized that I needed a HOME to fit ALL my furniture in.
A website for a book = a caravan
An author website = a two-story mansion by the seaside (or whichever location takes your fancy)
Think about it.
To visit Jessica Bell's online home – her author website – got to www.jessicabellauthor.com.
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#Authors – don't do it! Don't set up a FB page for your book! @MsBessieBell explains: https://selfpublishingadvice.org/what-not-to-do/ via @IndieAuthorALLi
Spot on. I like your caravan analogy. Sadly the online world is littered with the shabby abandoned caravan parks of single-title websites!
I’m glad to hear someone saying this. I personally get sick and tired of people inviting me to like a Facebook page for a book. I’m now ignoring those requests. I created an author page not too long ago, and I agree, you’re promoting you as an author who sells more than just one book.
I don’t have a FB page for myself or my books … however, I have been featuring The Labyrinth Year (2nd novel) on the blog this year – I think you make a good point, Jessica, and there’s every reason I shall ‘move on’ as I get (hopefully) into book number 3 … Once a book is literally launched (not The Launch, I Me an just, once iti s published and out in the world) it’s fairly natural to lose interest as the creative process moves on – same with paintings or any creative project. So having a FB page for what will become old stuff is indeed pointless.
Wryly, I could now say that I must feel myself to be ‘old stuff’ as well, since having a ‘me’ page feels equally odd as an idea… maybe if sales go sky hIgh I might! Seriously, is an author page better than a blog? Blogging is time consuming and I often wonder if it is worth it.
Clare, re your comment on whether blogging is worth it. I think it is. Mainly because when you do guest posts for people, you can reciprocate the favour and host other people on your blog too. This way you will always get fresh readers visiting that may not have noticed you before. It’s not just about drawing attention to YOURSELF there. It’s about drawing attention to great CONTENT. If you have things on there that are worth reading, interesting pieces that others want to share on social media, you are going to have some wonderful opportunities to get more exposure.
Yeah, I’m in the new phase of just publishing my first book, so naturally I feel a bit of a whirlwind with it. But I’ve read enough advice to know that soon I need to settle down and get back to writing my next novel.