Don’t know the story? Let me give you a brief summary. The book opens Christmas day in a child’s nursery where a new but plain and simple stuffed cloth rabbit is being snubbed by the other more expensive or mechanical toys—who consider themselves better than the rabbit because they have become real. The old but wise Skin Horse befriends the Velveteen Rabbit and explains that a toy becomes really real when its owner truly loves it. This becomes the Velveteen Rabbit’s unending desire and one day, when a favorite toy is lost, the child is given the stuffed rabbit as a replacement. The two become inseparable and through the boy’s eyes, the Velveteen Rabbit comes to see himself as real—despite all evidence to the contrary. Then, illness strikes and all of the toys are ordered destroyed in order to disinfect the nursery. The boy is given a new stuffed bunny and shuttled away to the seashore to recover, leaving the Velveteen Rabbit behind. Now discarded and awaiting the bonfire, the Velveteen Rabbit realizes he was never really real at all. His profound grief causes him to cry an actual tear, which awakens the magic fairy of the nursery who reassures the Velveteen Rabbit that he was indeed real, but only to the boy. In an act of loving kindness, the fairy transports the velveteen rabbit to the woods and bestows her kiss, which grants his greatest wish – making him real in the eyes of all.

It’s a very sweet story, isn’t it? But how does this possibly have anything at all to do with writing, you ask? Good question.

Next month two very talented, well-respected colleagues and I will begin another session of a novel rewriting and revision workshop we have been teaching together for the last couple of years. This time around I am in a new place as a writer and subsequently as an instructor, and I’ve been looking at ways I can use my new experiences as a contracted novelist to help our students. Many of them are terrified to have their work dissected, and I have a lot of empathy for their anxiety. Been there, done that. I’ve also never been more acutely aware of my role in the critique process and how important it is to tread carefully. It is so absolutely essential for every writer to open themselves up to feedback, and yet we are all terribly vulnerable in that exchange. The trust between writer and mentor is sacred, and fragile. Not unlike the bond between a boy and a stuffed bunny who longs to be real to the world. .

Becoming Real

When I was very young, the simple but meaningful message I took away from The Velveteen Rabbit was that love makes you real. This idea was very comforting to me. It gave me a context for defining my existence – an answer to that universal question – “how did I come to be?” It all made sense to me: my parents and grandparents loved me, therefore I was real.

As an adolescent, I came to understand that the love makes you real adage was more a philosophical approach to the meaning of life than an actual scientific principle. When I re-visited The Velveteen Rabbit again, I perceived the concept of ‘being real’ as “being valued”. At that age, I believed that a person’s value to others was determined by intrinsic character traits, and so I strived to become a person of integrity, loyalty, compassion and kindness. Soon I was the most sought after babysitter in the entire neighborhood.

Then came the teen years and the universal question evolved into “who am I?” and then “why am I here?” By then I had begun to see myself as a person with things to say, and realized that just maybe I had a talent for prose. Was I a writer? Once again, I turned to The Velveteen Rabbit in search of answers. As my perception of the world at large had become, well, larger, so had my understanding of the concepts of “being real” and “being valued”. In this bigger picture view of my life, which now included my future, I determined that “being real” and “being valued” could be synonymous with recognition and admiration. These and other accolades carried weight with me because I had seen that they opened the doors to opportunities. But in order to receive those awards and acknowledgments, I would have to risk rejection. My desire to achieve legitimacy overruled my fears and I began to enter writing contests and submitting essays for publication. There was rejection, LOTS of rejection, but there was also acceptance—albeit in small increments. I held on to hope and tried hard to learn from the critiques. In the end, the attention (both good and bad) my work received from others whom I admired or understood to be influential shaped my vision of myself. I had, to some greater extent, discovered an identity and purpose- as a writer.

But Am I Really Real?

Now, I suspect there are some of you who are aching to remind me that my sense of self-worth should not have been so affected by how others judged me. Let me reassure you – I am oversimplifying my formative years here and focusing solely on my development as a writer. But even in that narrow scope, the opinions of others were in fact a significant determinant in how I saw myself and my potential. How could it work if they weren’t? Pretty much everything I hold to be true about myself is at least in part a result of analyzing and reflecting upon the judgments of others. That’s how we learn and grow and formulate that all important sense of self – by evaluating the checks and balances we encounter as we explore our existence. The trick is in figuring out how to filter the gold nuggets out of the silt and leave the dregs where they belong. For a writer, this is the very foundation of craft building, and the beginning of the journey of self-discovery that leads us to our individual voice. In the end, writers cannot gain and grow an audience without a grounded connection to the collective consciousness, which is one of the reasons why the reaction from our readers is so important.

Anaiis Nin gave us my favorite writing quote of all time – “The role of the writer is not to say what we all can say, but to say what we cannot say.” It is only once we fully understand the parameters of commonly held beliefs and ideals that we can effectively stretch those boundaries by expressing new thoughts and creative ideas from our unique point of view. To do that, however, we need a well fed ego and a lifetime supply of self-confidence.

And this is why validation continues to be so critical to me in my writing career. A colleague and friend of mine used to get so frustrated with me because I could not completely step into and own any piece of my writing identity until I had achieved a certain level of recognition. (Guess she hadn’t read The Velveteen Rabbit).

For me, the first acknowledgment that I could be a career fiction writer was earning her editorial nod, telling me my work was of publishable quality. The second was receiving an offer of representation from an agent. The third was winning a publishing contract and seeing my name listed in Publishers Marketplace (insert sound of cheering crowd here). Today, I confess, I finally feel like a really real author.

Of course, this is only my point of view and how I look at my own path to publishing. We each must find our own way, and there are infinite routes. Each of us holds different values for our writing, and each of us looks for different milestones. Nonetheless, sooner or later it is absolutely necessary to risk rejection in order to achieve your dream. Believing in yourself is only the beginning. From that sheltered place, you must reach out and ask to see yourself through someone else’s eyes. How else will you know where you stand?

Congratulations to our students this next session, who have made the terrifying leap of faith and opened themselves up to whatever comes. Such an important step! Take heart, fellow writers. Like the boy and the Velveteen Rabbit, once someone besides your mother, brother, husband or best friend (like a mentor, instructor, agent or editor) sees you are a really real writer, the possibility becomes infinitely greater that one day, everyone else will too.

I was still hopeful until a week later, until I found myself in an online chat where the topic of discussion was author acknowledgments.  The moderator posed the question “have you ever been left out of the acknowledgments of a project to which you contributed, and how did that make you feel?”  My response was something to the effect that it is best to give without expecting anything in return, but that I did feel differently about an author who overlooked professional courtesies like thanking people who contributed to their success. Sounds reasonable, don’t you think? Wow, was I unpopular.

The backlash was swift and snarky, let me tell you. And a week later, frankly, I am still shocked. One chatter even asked me if I was advocating that acknowledgments be required writing.  Really?  I still don’t know if it was the question itself that stunned me, or the fact that someone needed to ask.   

As I had been mulling thoughts around a blog post on publishing culture and professional behavior, the experience was timely, if not a little disturbing. On reflection, I came to the conclusion that there is just no excuse for the man in the grocery store checkout lane. None at all.

But as for the writing community, I was reminded of a conference session on business etiquette my friend and colleague Jennifer McCord and I presented at several writing conferences and publishing trade shows a few years ago.  We had discovered in our dealings with writers who were hoping to be published that many (if not most) had somehow failed to realize that in seeking to become published they were also taking on a new profession.  Precious few had recognized that becoming a career writer was no different than becoming a career anything-else.  Like all professional disciplines, there exists a culture in which a certain code of conduct is beneficial to building your career.  Likewise, failing to adhere to said behaviors can also kill a career dead.   

Here’s the thing.  Social media and the ginormous stores of data collected (and preserved) by search engines  have put us all on display. Everything we say and do is witnessed by and accessible to a vast and largely unknown audience. Worse yet, it is un-erasable. Paying attention to what used to be considered basic cultural norms of respect and courtesy will save you a lot of heartache, and also earn you a big bag of social, and business, capital. Trust me, you’ll need that one day.

My philosophy has always been to follow a few simple practices. Nothing you haven’t heard before, I’m sure, but if you aren’t already following these basic rules, I encourage you to give them a try. I have enjoyed a lot of gifts from the universe that I can directly attribute to playing nice in the sandbox.

1)      Do Unto Others as you would have them do unto you. This was the foundational rule by which my father lived. He didn’t always succeed, but it was probably the single most important thing he ever taught me.  How you treat other people is a direct reflection on your own character. Be gracious in every encounter—no matter how casual or fleeting. You never know who that other person may know, or where they may go in their own career. Be inviting and inclusive. The more friends you have along the way, the easier your journey will become.  So, fellow writers, when you publish that book of yours make sure you include an acknowledgments page and thank everyone who deserves it—and a few who might not, but would be thrilled that you thought of them. Only good can come from it.

2)      Share & Share Alike  – Deepak Chopra tweeted a quote recently: “If you want to get something, give something”.  Knowledge, experience and skill are hard earned and sharing your wisdom can sometimes feel like giving away treasure.  Not everyone is comfortable with that, because they are afraid that if they give it away they will have nothing left for themselves. In my experience, the opposite is true. The more I give, the more I get, and the greater my resources become.  The more favors you grant, the more you will be entitled to request when you need one.  When you see an opportunity, offer to help –for no other reason than you can. Reach out and be generous with your support. And above all else, never ask for anything without offering something in return.  Essentially, what I’ve just described is feel-good networking. And it works. One day you just might need to approach a well-known author for an endorsement.  It’s a lot easier if you have built a web of relationships based on mutual generosity and courtesy.    

3)      If You Can’t Say Sumthin’ Nice… then puhleez keep your fingers off the keyboard. If you’re in a real world social setting, zip your lip. That doesn’t mean don’t offer your honest opinion or speak out when something rubs you the wrong way. Being a writer is all about having something to say. But the mark of a truly great writer is in his or her CAREFULLY chosen words, appropriate context, and impeccable timing. Bite your tongue when you get that scathing review and put mittens on your claws when a peer challenges (or disdains) your ideas. Rise above the haters and resist the urge to smack down the internet trolls. Refer to rule number one, and all will be right with your world—more or less J.     

Kristen’s blog is one of my favorites, and worth adding to your ‘follow’ list:

Warrior Writers

Hope to be back at the keyboard tomorrow. Until then, keep writing!

—

A little over a year ago, my warrior/champion/literary agent ventured forth into the mysterious world of publishing with my novel in hand. After weathering what turned out to be one of the most tumultuous years in the industry, we were ultimately unable to sell my book.

Of course, I embarked on this grand adventure imagining, expecting, a very different outcome. All the same, I knew the odds were not in my favor and there would be pitfalls and perils I would have to face. The journey was long, and difficult–which is to say it was far longer and much more difficult that I had ever imagined. There were bleak and unforgiving days where it was all too easy to lose sight of the horizon. Hope was often elusive, and when it did materialize, it was fleeting.

As the weeks became months and the rejections piled up, I was reminded of the many writers I knew whose disappointment overwhelmed them, disheartening them to the point of resentment, and ultimately discouragement. I could not let this to happen to me; the dream was just too big a part of my life to let wither. I was determined to steep myself in the moment, to examine myself and my intent, to feel the inevitable highs and lows, and arrive on the other side of the experience a better writer and person than I had been at the outset.

While I did not succeed in publishing this first novel, I did succeed in preserving my creative passion. Despite the deep disappointments, I survived with my sense of self-worth and my belief in myself intact. I also gained a greater understanding, not only of the publishing industry, but also of my craft, my voice, and my artistic integrity.

How did I manage all of this? By preparing myself for the ordeal as best I could and re-provisioning myself along the way.  When I came to the end of the road, I took a deep breath,  had a good cry–and I congratulated myself for having the guts to give it a go.  And, just as soon as I’ve got another novel polished, I’ll do it all over again.

I leave you with the results of my final analysis, and perhaps an insight or two that might help you on your own journey.  Forgive me for capitalizing on an already over-used cliché;  you must not blame my agent Jennifer Schober for accidentally suggesting it, but the metaphor fits so I ran with it:

Eat. Feed your creative spirit often and in abundance. A steady diet of self-restoration will strengthen your emotional fortitude and stoke the embers of artistic inspiration. Replenish your mind, body and soul with generous helpings of peace & quiet, ladle on the self-indulgence, and get yourself a big bottle of ego boosters. When all else fails, eat lots of chocolate. Fuel your senses by participating in a variety of human experiences, and don’t forget to treat yourself to the frequent companionship of those who make you laugh. A writer with a well-nourished psyche can sustain her passion and a healthy perspective no matter how many rejections she gets.

Pray. Seek guidance regularly from a higher authority–your agent, your writing coach, your mentor, or anyone else who can help you glean wisdom from the darkness. Seek knowledge. Ask for help from those who have succeeded where you have not. Listen to what the powers that be have to say with an accepting mind, even when you don‘t like what you hear. Especially when you don’t like what you hear. Take solace in the company of others who suffer as you suffer (writers groups, critique partners, and the like). And then, when despair threatens to overwhelm you, call on your greatest source of support–in my case, my best girlfriend and a bottle of really good Merlot or a late night heart to heart with my husband. And of course, on truly desperate occasions, some very expensive imported dark chocolate truffles, which in my experience are the ambrosia of enlightenment.

Write. As much as you can, even if you don‘t feel inspired. Especially when you don‘t feel inspired. Exercise those creative muscles regularly and with enthusiasm–conditioning helps stave off artistic atrophy. Push through the cramp of writer’s block and stretch yourself in new directions. Explore every idea that comes to you, but write the story you believe in. Accept the reality that publishing is subjective and the only control you have is over your own creative process. Embrace what makes you unique. Trust your artistic voice and re-dedicate yourself to your goals on a daily basis. Commit to mastery–publishing is a professional discipline that requires well-honed skills and expert understanding of the trade. Take all the time you need to be the best you can be, but most of all, write the next book.

As I sat down at my desk this first morning of the New Year, it occurred to me what a singular time this is. More than that, I realized that I have been given the biggest opportunity I have ever asked for. Then it struck me that with this awesome opportunity also comes awesome obligation–obligation to those who have supported me, to those who fought for me, to those who are giving me this chance, and obligation to myself to make the most of my dream. Oh, and lest we forget–the contractual obligation. I have six months to write a 350 page sequel, while simultaneously finalizing and implementing a marketing plan for the first release. Be careful what you ask for, fellow writers–you just might get it!

I tell you though, I am every bit overjoyed as I am horrified. I have been waiting YEARS for this experience and frankly, I can’t wait. This remarkable opportunity was not what I had exvisioned, but it has turned out to be the right and best opportunity for me. Truly, I am amazed at how this has all come together–and I ask myself, how did I get here? How does any writer get here?

Well, not without a lot of hard work, that’s for sure.  Nor without sacrifice and struggle. There are certain common traits all published writers share — devotion to craft, willingness to learn and grow, creative obsession, unyielding faith in the journey, and unshakable determination.  Yet, even all of that is not enough. There must also be a bit of magic in the mix, and champions along the way. I did not achieve this all on my own.

Which brings me to an important side note of my blog post this morning–relationships. The marketing term is networking, but for me that term doesn’t really encompass the complexity of the concept, nor does it acknowledge the personal aspect of professional comraderie. I know that I would not be holding this publishing contract in my hand today if it weren’t for the others who shared my dream. Next week, we will discuss professional courtesy in publishing and how to go about building relationships that will help build your career. Don’t miss it!

Today, however, is all about fresh starts, inspriation, and new beginnings. I have decided to share an article I posted more than a year ago–when I had come to the conclusion that my work would never sell. Instead of succumbing to the soul-deep disappointment I felt, I decided to reach for hope and find a way to move forward. For any of you who are still searching for that first opportunity (and for those of you who are just looking for a little encouragement), please read here:

Eat, Pray, Write

I hope you all resolve to keep writing in 2012. Dreams can and do come true, but not without commitment–HUGE commitment. My friend, author/instructor/publishing industry professional Alice Orr  offers the very best writing advice I’ve ever heard:  persist until you prevail!  Sounds simple, I know, and easier said than done. But Alice is right, people–I’m living proof .

So, Happy New Year, fellow scribes. May 2012 reward you with the success your hard work deserves. In the meantime, however, put your butt in the chair and write!!

Stephanie is the acclaimed author of Song of the Nile–A Novel of Cleopatra’s Daughter, and an all around lovely person. She is hosting my post today on Ritual Wines and Ales of the Dark Ages. Thank you, Stephanie!

I’ve learned a lot about implementing social media marketing from Stephanie over the last few months. She sets a stellar example of how to sustain an ever-widening ring of influence by building partnerships, and doing so with style and grace.  And, she does all of this while writing and publishing several books in multiple genres!

See you all at www.stephaniedray.com !

However, I really can’t say this enough–it’s never too early. Really. Make it your New Year’s resolution to overcome that reticent mind set and take a leap of faith. The sooner you start thinking of yourself as a ‘real’ writer and taking the necessary steps to grow yourself into a writing career, the sooner your work will reflect that professionalism–and the sooner the publishing world will take notice.

Of course your focus should be on your craft and gaining the skills to produce the best work you can. At the same time, you should also be planning your platform, putting together that writer’s resume, and thinking about who you are as an author. Do it now. Trust me–when that big opportunity finally arrives, there won’t be time.

I know this from experience. By the time I shipped my manuscript to Jennifer Schober  (the agent who would ultimately end up representing me), I had done many of the things I have suggested that all of you do–I had a website and a blog. I had even built a basic marketing map based on ideas I had gotten from other authors. I had been building my author identity by making the rounds at writer’s conferences and publishing trade shows speaking on marketing. I had also begun teaching writing craft classes with my colleagues Jennifer McCord and Scott Driscoll.

All of this, and I still wasn’t totally prepared when my agent announced she was ready to send the work out to publishers. I didn’t have a one paragraph author bio, a 50 word book blurb, a 3-5 page synopsis, or a one page summary of the sequel. I didn’t have social media set up. And she needed all of this done, before she began submitting. I should have been ready when she was, and I wasn’t. So at 2 am in a hospital room during a major family medical crises, I made it happen. I had to. This was the chance of a lifetime. And it was hell.

I wouldn’t wish this scenario on anyone. I share it only to point out that you NEVER KNOW when opportunity will arrive, and you MUST BE READY when it does. So, do it now. Even if you know it will all change later, begin the process. Be prepared.

Because, as I said, you just never know when opportunity will arrive. After almost 2 years of consistent rejection, and months after I had moved on to a new work, something magical happened. A shift in the publishing universe occurred and another chance of a lifetime appeared. Eight long weeks of negotiations later, and I have my very first book contract–right here, in my hands, today. Huzzah!

BUT- I also have about 8 months to write a sequel that I have barely started, 2 days to turn in a final copy of the manuscript for the first book, and a detailed author questionnaire asking for everything from my hobbies, professional background and marketing efforts to links to images that illustrate my vision of cover art. Thank the stars that my writer’s resume has most of that information already in it. Even so, there is much to be done, and the clock is ticking. Not that I mind one little bit. Best Christmas present EVER.

So, off I go to meet my dream. And as I have no specific tips to share this week, I will refer to you to the blogs of experts who I know will:

Anne R Allen

Kristen Lamb

Jane Friedman

I’ll be taking a hiatus next week for the holiday, as should all of you. But meet me back here on January 1st for my official book announcement and some more advice on preparing yourself for publication.

Happy Holidays!!

What is an Author Identity?

I have to say that writing and talking about myself is still one of the most uncomfortable things I am ever asked to do–kind of like pulling my own teeth. It is hard to talk about yourself, even harder to decide what to say. But, in essence, this is what platform building or author branding or positioning is — creating a reputation for yourself as an authority in, or credible spokesperson for, your work.

To put it as simply as I can, an author identity is a composite of skills, achievements, expertise, and personal traits that you already posses that are somehow brought to bear on your writing life. Let me offer myself as an example.

Just who am I, Anyway?

In the beginning, I couldn’t bring myself to talk about myself as a writer. In those days, while I was quietly drafting my first novel,  I was earning my living as a marketing consultant and publicist for self-published authors, small press publishers, and some minor public personalities. It was much easier to talk about my clients and what they were doing than it was to talk about myself. But, I needed to build my business, and to do that, I had to find a way to position myself.

On a whim, I attended a workshop at a writers conference on professional networking by Frederick Levy, a film industry expert who had written a book on the business for screenwriters. Frederick talked a lot about the importance of relationship building, and having a clear and memorable way of talking about yourself. As an exercise, he asked everyone in the class to come up with a tag line–a one line modifier that someone might remember long after they had forgotten our name. Wow, that was hard. At the time, I was working as a publicist for a couple of actors. I lived in Seattle, and they were living and working in Los Angeles. I came up with the tag line “a Hollywood publicist in Seattle“. It seemed corny to me at the time, but it was the best I could do. Frederick though it was creative and original, and when I later contacted him on behalf of a client, he rememberd who I was–and took my call. As it turned out, that tag line worked magic for me for many years. But then I realized it was time to take myself seriously as a writer.

The Writer’s Resume

When I set out to define how I wanted to be perceived as an author, I did what I had been advising my clients to do–I began with my resume. A lot of what was on that resume had nothing to do with my writing credentials or my area of interest. I tossed all of that stuff aside and honed in on the back story of my life that had a direct impact on my creative process. It wasn‘t much, but it was a start:

*I have a degree in Journalism

*I minored in medieval history

*I have invested years to the extensive study of ancient civilizations, mythology, and folklore.

*I am a published poet and journalist

*I worked for over two decades in advertising, marketing & publicity — the last ten years as consultant, speaker and instructor in the book trade

This is an over-simplified list of line items from my background, but each of these experiences directly inform who I am as a novelist- as an authority in my genre (I write fantasy and alternative history), as a trained writer, and as a book marketing expert. My creative and professional background gave me a voice and something to say, beyond my book. After all, I wasn’t a published author yet. But that didn’t mean I didn’t have something of value to share.

With this information as a starting point, I eventually developed a way of thinking and talking about myself as a writer. I worked on a writer’s resume and a short bio. At first, I only ‘wore’ this persona at writers conferences and trade events. Eventually I realized it was time to practice what I preached to my clients, and bring that secret identity out of the closet. It’s a pretty comfortable fit now, but it took some time. I began as many of you have or will, blogging about what I know. Case in point, my posts on author marketing. I also write about mythology, history, writing craft, and the business of writing. It’s all relevant to my author identity. One day, hopefully very soon, I’ll have books to promote. But until then, I have plenty to talk about.

Taking Center Stage

So, just who are you? Have you tried to craft a writer resume yet? If you haven’t, I suggest you put it at the top of your to-do list. Start with an old resume, one you’ve used or are currently using in the world of your day job or profession. Does that day job or career relate to your writing? In what ways? What else have you done to further your creative dreams–classes, contests, degrees, certifications, conferences, areas of study? Are you an expert on something, or a collector? Don’t forget to personalize your public persona–do you have hobbies or interests that others would find interesting? Do you have a special charity you support? Once you start pulling together a list of pertinent and interesting factoids about yourself, your author identity will begin to emerge. Before you know it, you’ll be thinking and talking about yourself in a new way.

If you’re still not sure what an author identity is, I highly recommend looking at the websites and blogs of your favorite authors and/or bestsellers in your genre.  Think about writers like John Nance (a former pilot and aviation expert who writes about terrorism, air disasters and espionage), or John Grisham (lawyer who writes legal thrillers) and how who they were in their former lives helped define who they became in their writing careers.

Remember, it’s never too early to start. Begin by sorting out how you want the world to see you, and discovering what you have to say–and then say it. Start tweeting and blogging, and don’t forget to set up that Facebook Fan Page. And for help with blogging, which is the most effective of the three basic marketing tools every writer should be using, take a look at Anne R. Allen’s articles on blogging for beginners – How to Blog and How Not to Blog .

Most of us need to budget our resources carefully — we have neither the money to spend on a multi-platform advertising campaign nor the time to invest in endless hours of social media marketing in the webiverse. Out of necessity, and also to preserve our sanity, we need to target our efforts. The good news is that focusing on a handful of well-selected strategies is much more likely to yield the results you want than the scattershot approach. This is not new thinking–targeted marketing is an age-old advertising principle, and it works.

Build a Marketing Map

No matter where you are in your writing career — whether you are already published, or yet to be published — every author should have some semblance of a marketing plan. I know, the forethought and research this requires can be daunting. But, if your goal is to sell your work, there’s really no choice but to suck it up and give it a go. It’s really not as hard as it sounds. Start by defining your readership,

Every book has a single core reader group–this is where you should start. First off, and although this sounds obvious many authors either can’t or won’t define their work this way — what genre are you writing? In the case of memoir and non-fiction, this can be fairly simple to discern. Topical non-fiction like self-help or cooking is self-defining. Genre fiction such as thriller, mystery, sci-fi, and so on, targets a fairly well-defined group of readers. However, current consumer research indicates that there is a certain amount of cross-over between these reader groups. Thus, you will want to include them in your marketing plan.

Deciding on what category your core reader group falls under is only the first step. Next , you will need to examine who those readers are. This is essentially the definition of the term ‘demographics‘. Are they male or female, young or old, highly educated, affluent? What are their interests? How are they likely to spend their time and money, and where?

Finding the answers to these questions requires two things — research, and a bit of armchair psychology. Start by analyzing your own buying habits, and those of people you know. Spend some time trawling the web, searching for like-minded individuals. You’ll be amazed at what you find. More than you want, most likely, so take note of the best of it. Look for common ground and behavior. But don’t limit yourself to Google searches. There are also some great books and blogs on author marketing out there–read them.

Once you’ve done your research and settled on two or three reader profiles, it’s time to choose your tactics. By this I mean, decide on how and where to reach your readers. There are likely to be a number of worthwhile choices, but no one can do it all. Use your best judgment and be selective about what options you add to your plan. My advice to you is to choose two or three marketing strategies that you can a) afford, b) manage on your own, and c) sustain for the long haul.

No matter what other marketing you decide to undertake, there are three basic tools I believe every author can, and should, employ.

Blogging

There are several reasons I advocate blogging. First, it is a proven way to bolster a public profile and credentials for an author’s expertise. I’m not going to get into a discussion of branding or platform building here, but the most oft overlooked aspect of author marketing is author identity. This is primarily because many people find it uncomfortable to draw attention to themselves. Authors, especially, prefer to focus the attention on the book. Understandable as this is, it is a HUGE mistake to avoid self-promotion. The success or failure of your work depends a great deal upon your merits–as a writing expert, as well as your expertise in your subject matter. An author blog is the single most effective forum for building a bridge between you and your audience. You have a soap box, and your readers have a way to interact with you.

It is essential to make yourself accessible, at least in some limited way. Readers, just as fans of all the entertainment arts, desire a relationship with the person behind the art. Being willing to engage directly with your readers is essential to creating a following.

Second, blogging does indeed sell books. The proof of this will show, in time. The more people who are interested in what you have to say on your blog, the more people there will be talking about you and what you do. It also serves as a way to keep your readership engaged with you between book releases. Ultimately, blogging ABSOLUTELY translates to increased individual book sales. It ‘s just plain common sense.

The one caveat I offer, however, is that blabbering through your blog is the quickest way to be dismissed by your readers, colleagues, and just about everyone else. Keep your blog posts specific to your books, your subject matter, and/or any specific areas of expertise you possess. Try to refrain from blogging about personal matters or your daily life–unless it pertains, in at least some loosely connected way, to your creative process. Your blog articles must be of interest to your audience, but you should avoid exposing too much of your personal life to the world at large. When you have nothing of your own to share, it is always considered good form (and good karma) to promote other authors whose works you respect.

For a fun ‘tutorial’ and some good advice on blogging, read Anne R Allen’s article “How to Blog –A Beginner’s Guide for Authors” .

Social Networking

There are two primary social networking utilities that every author should learn how to use — Facebook fan pages and Twitter. This post is intended to advocate these tools, not as a ‘how-to’ tutorial. I am still learning to use them myself, and despite all the reading and research I have done, it still boils down to a trial and error process.

What I can say is that Facebook and Twitter both create essential community for authors. These additional portals also create a relatively easy way to cross-market by giving you instant access to gigantic data bases–for free.

Let me just reiterate that when I say Facebook, I am referring to a Facebook Fan Page — this is NOT the same as the general Facebook friends page that most everyone has. A Facebook Fan Page is a linked but separate application utilized by businesses, organizations, celebrities, and artists like yourself–people who have something to sell or promote. Take the time to learn the difference and then get one set one up for yourself.

Admittedly, using Twitter can feel a bit like you’ve linked into the collective global consciousness of the human race. It takes some study and practice to find your niche and get comfortable being in the constant stream of conversation. I spent several weeks searching and observing the activity of others (publishers and successful authors in my genre) before I started tweeting myself. I began by ‘following’ the tweet streams of people I thought were using the utility well.

No matter what your personal feelings may be about social networking, it isn’t going away. It’s your choice, of course, but if you don’t join in, you run the risk of being left behind.

Author Websites

Makes me feel old when I hear this, but many internet marketing gurus are saying that the website is an outmoded platform. In point of fact, blogging utilities like WordPress and Blogspot have become so sophisticated that many folks (authors included) have started setting up their entire internet identities from their blog.

This single-source approach can make sense on a lot of levels — technologically and economically. However, no marketing expert I trust would ever tell a client to put all their eggs in one basket, so to speak. Having multiple ‘homes’ on the internet gives your audience more than one way to find you. Hosting a web page at your own domain (your NAME, people, not your book title) is the very first thing you should do. Link your blog, Facebook and Twitter accounts to it and create your own multi-media marketing network.

Agents and publishers will expect you to have both your own website and a blog. Technologically speaking, it is completely desirable and possible to integrate the two. I recommend you hire a web designer to help you do this–by and large, do-it-yourself websites are not a good idea.

So there you have it, your own min-marketing map. By utilizing these three basic tools, you can effectively market yourself and your books to the audience you desire. It is a huge commitment, no doubt, but then, so was writing the damn book in the first place! You can do it, I know you can.

One last caveat–and this is a pet peeve of mine: NO AUTHOR NEEDS SEO services (aka Search Engine Optimization). It is an absolute waste of your money. Readers simply DO NOT do a search for ‘book’, or “spy novel” or “memoir” or “historical fiction”, and then shop the first 10 titles that show up. Don’t let anyone tell you they do-it’s an out and out lie. Readers shop for books in BOOKSTORES — whether they be brick-and-mortar shops or online retailers like Amazon. The one and only possible exception to this would be some non-fiction books, largely business or self-help titles. But that is not my area of expertise, so that’s all I’m going to say about that.

Alrighty then, fellow authors, go forth and market!!

What one might politely refer to as a ‘lively discussion’ had erupted on her blog — readers, authors, and reviewers had engaged in often impassioned debate about their perceptions of their respective roles in the book world. Poor Anne had unwittingly tapped into the emotional undercurrent roiling in the minds of everyone involved in publishing today.

Uncharted Territory

No doubt about it — commerce, in general, and publishing, in particular — are caught in a technological undertow that is sweeping us out into the vast sea of the unknown. We’ve left the relative safety of what used to be, and are being dragged, sometimes kicking and screaming, into a New World in which we are completely unprepared to survive. Not only do we not know the landscape, we don’t know the language or the culture. And that is partly because the New World is, as yet, largely undiscovered country.

Scary stuff. No, really. It is. In the old days of marketing, at least there was a map. There was an identifiable playing field. And, there were rules of engagement. None of that seems to be true anymore. And worse yet, the harder one tries to figure out how to play, the more things seem to change.

Treading Water 

Anne’s blog post also tapped into my own turbulent thought stream. As a 20+ year advertising and publicity veteran – turned- author, I have been pondering my own marketing course for quite a while now. In the early days of e-commerce and cyber sales, I found it pretty easy to translate traditional marketing strategies to the new retail environment. It wasn’t long before I realized that my old-school outlook was only going to keep me afloat for so long. Sooner or later I was going to have to start dog-paddling and hope for the best. The truth was that the many modes of new media marketing were coming at me in huge waves. The learning curve was steep, and I just couldn’t keep up.

However, I also knew from my education and experience that a certain percentage of what was floating around would eventually wash up on the shore as flotsam and jetsam. Like all new ideas and trends, the test of time would eventually sift off the foam and leave the real substance.  And so, after reading Anne’s blog post, I got to thinking — are there any strategies that we can trust, when it comes to author marketing? The answer is yes — while consumer purchasing will always be influenced by the prevailing tactics and technology of the current environment, consumer psychology hasn’t really changed much in the last millennium. While how readers buy and read books is changing, why they read has not.  The Rosetta Stone of author marketing is simply this — know your reader and what they want.

I’m sure you’ve all heard this before — know your audience. Not as simple as it sounds, I know, but it really is the cornerstone to your success. No book is for everyone. So who is yours for? Once you have a good answer that question, you will be better able to travel the seas of new media marketing. Navigating will still be tricky, I warn you, but here are some fundamental rules of consumer behavior that will never change:

5 Indisputable Truths of Author Marketing:

1) Readers Are Creatures of Their Own Desires  — no matter how much technology tries to retrain and redirect our attention, we will always make buying decisions based on our individual wants and needs.  We will seek out the widest selection, the best deal, and the most convenient transaction — but in the end, all that really changes is HOW we buy, not why we buy. The solution? Be where the buyer is. In today’s world, this includes Amazon. Like it or not it is the reader (and the available retailers) who decides where books will sell, not the publisher or the author.

2)  Readers Are Not All Alike  — One of the best things to come out of the plethora of new media sales channels is the ability to target your marketing efforts. Once you have clearly defined the demographics of your core audience (and this you simply MUST do), search for the places they live, work and play in cyberspace. This means research. Do the homework yourself or hire someone to do it for you, but your marketing efforts will not pay off unless you make the effort to know and understand your readers.

3) Just Because You Build It Doesn’t Mean That They Will Come –  In my marketing days, the vast majority of my small business clients balked at the mere mention of a marketing budget. The proprietor invariably believed that hanging an ‘open for business’ sign in the window, and maybe mailing a flyer to his friends and neighbors, was all the marketing he needed. And, invariably, that business would go under within a year. Just because your book is published doesn’t mean it will sell. Readers are not likely to find you, unless you are looking for them. Once you have found where they live and breath in cyberspace, you must then engage. Join the conversation, Invite them over to your place (your website or blog, naturally, not your home). Offer them cake and cookies. Give them a reason to pay attention to you, and then do it over and over again.

4) Quality Will Always Count — A lot has and is being said about the virtues and faults of the various venues for bringing book content to the reader. We all have our biases about traditional and self-publishing, but we would all do well to remember that in the free marketplace, the reader has the ultimate power. The reader decides what matters. The bottom line is that everyone wants the best value for their time, and their money. Spend your energy writing the best book you can, not fretting over what else is out there. There is room for every book, every idea, every voice. In the end, the cream always rises to the top, no matter which bucket the milk is in. Good writing, fresh ideas, and quality production will always stand the best chance for success.

5) All Marketing Is Good Marketing — Sounds trite, but it is nonetheless true. There is no such thing as bad publicity — any attention that is brought to bear on you or your book is a golden opportunity. Whether or not it helps or hurts is completely dependent upon you and how you respond to it. Case in point, I bring you back to Anne R  Allen’s blog post on Amazon Reader Reviews. Her article was insightful, informative, and accurately researched. Most importantly, it was well-intentioned. That it stirred up a maelstrom of frustration and discontent was unexpected, and perhaps uncomfortable for her, but it was not unfortunate. The end result is that people are talking–about the issues that matter to them, and about Anne.  What could be better than that?