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Author Roberta Trahan

~ Murder, Mayhem, and Mystical Mystery

Author Roberta Trahan

Tag Archives: Amazon

Looking for a little Escape? Check Out This Awesome Summer Fantasy & Sci-Fi Reads Deal

15 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by robertatrahan in Book News

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

47North, Amazon, Arthurian Legend, Celtic mythology, Fantasy, Kindle, Roberta Trahan, Science Fiction, SciFi, Summer Reading Deals, Summer Reads, The Dream Stewards, The Keys to the Realms, The Well of Tears

Summer days are here again – even in the Pacific Northwest! I’ll be writing whenever I can, from a patio lounge chair when the weather allows. But what have you got planned? A couple of weeks at some tropical resort? A mountain lake retreat? A back woods camping adventure? Bumming on the beach? Lounging around the house? Visiting family? Whatever your plans, be sure to load up your e-reader and pack it along!

Amazon has an amazing SciFi & Fantasy Summer Reads Deal going on right now – all kinds of interesting books for $1.99 until August 9th, including mine!! If you haven’t already read the Dream Stewards books, now is the time to give them a try! Both THE WELL OF TEARS and THE KEYS TO THE REALMS are on sale.

Already read and loved them? Maybe tell a friend, or leave an honest review on the book’s page at Amazon.com. It really helps us authors out – we really do want to know what you think! Just click the image above to buy or comment.

And, if you’re looking for something else, even something that isn’t Sci-Fi and Fantasy, there are lots of other great deals. Just click the image below to check them all out. I found a few new titles for my own TBR list. Now all I need is the margarita pitcher and a 48 hour day!

Why I Couldn’t Care Less About the Bookseller Wars (Amazon v. Hachette or whoever)

24 Saturday May 2014

Posted by robertatrahan in Deadlines & Other Demons

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47North, Amazon, Amazon Publishing, Author, Fantasy, Hachette, Lilith Saint Crow, MacmIllan, Publishing Wars, Roberta Trahan, The Dream Stewards, The Keys to the Realms, The Well of Tears, The Writing Life

Here’s the thing. Big retailers have been sparring for dominance in the American consumer marketplace since I don’t know, pretty much since the inception of consumerism. They have leveraged their market reach to force suppliers and manufacturers to give them deeper discounts and bloated themselves with profits until they get so big they burst, split in two, or fall afoul of anti-trust laws. Whatever.

I’m an author. My job is to create content that attracts, interests and affects people. I’m still working on how to do that in such a way that enables me to make a real living. And that’s just part of my job. I know there are some big name bestsellers reaching out directly to their readers in a fit of frustration and concern over their own bottom line. From where I sit that looks more than a little unprofessional.

We authors know, or should know, what we’re getting into when we sign on with a book publisher. It’s on us to worry about the business back channels, dear reader, not you. It’s not your job to worry about whether or not my publisher or the booksellers are being fair to me, and it’s not your job to shout the rallying cry against corporate bullying or stage a boycott or trouble yourself in any way about who is doing what to whom in the Gargantuan Publishing Industry Free for All that’s currently grabbing headlines.

Besides, there are no innocent parties here. Sure, authors get their pockets pinched when publishing companies and booksellers go to battle. It’s unfortunate, and as individual business people. we authors need to take these things into consideration when contemplating how to bring our work to the marketplace. But it really has nothing at all to do with you, dear reader. Except in one very important way.

Are you able to find the book you want? Is it available to you in the mainstream marketplace – maybe not at your first stop, but somewhere in the neighborhood? Odds are it is. And that’s good enough for me. It’s probably good enough for you too. If that ever changes, then we’ll be having a whole different kind of conversation.

But for now, I’ll just keep working on becoming the best writer I can be. And you just keep on reading. Deal?

Are You Prepared for the Apocalypse? It’s An Aftershock After Party!

08 Wednesday Jan 2014

Posted by robertatrahan in Book News

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Aftershock, Amazon, Amazon Publishing, Disaster Preparedness, Global Warming, Kindle, Nisqually Earthquake, Post Apocalyptic SciFi, Rutger Hauer, Rutger Hauer Starfish Association, StoryFront

Welcome to the Official Release Day Celebration for my SF novella AFTERSHOCK!

For the next week we’ll be talking about earthquakes, global warming, apocalyptic events, and disaster preparedness. We’ll also be talking about the inspiration behind AFTERSHOCK, and another kind of natural disaster – HIV/Aids. Join the conversation, and don’t forget to enter the Aftershock Survival Kit Giveaway!

ABOUT THE STORY

Imagine a seismic event of apocalyptic proportions – a natural disaster so devastating there is no point in planning for how to survive, only how to stay alive if you do survive. And then, imagine discovering that there is nothing at all natural about it…

Stranded in an isolated mountain pass with a random band of travelers, climatologist Daria Black is a reluctant refugee in a harsh environment she no longer recognizes. The cataclysmic earthquake that shattered her family is also turning the lush Pacific Northwest into a desert.

With their surroundings growing more hostile by the minute and no way to call for help, the frantic survivors begin to clash over how to save themselves. Then Daria discovers the seismic event was not what it seems. Something else is reshaping their world.

Forced to confront her grief and guilt, Daria must find the will to fight. But first, she must decide who to follow, when to lead, and how to stay alive.

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY

In 2001, the Nisqually Earthquake hit the Puget Sound region. My kids were in school, my husband was at work, and I was home alone. Writing. Though we escaped the experience with only minor damage, the emotional and psychological impact was major. Like most people, we had prepared for minor weather emergencies and power outages, but we had never considered what our needs might be if we were faced with a significant disaster.

In the days and weeks that followed, we learned a lot about earthquakes, fault lines, tectonic plates, and the impact of shallow tremors. The idea that an apocalyptic level seismic event could happen at any moment was new and hard to accept. My husband and I realized that how we thought about safety and security had to change – as did our entire community. The slogan “three days, three ways” became Seattle’s survival mantra. We prepared three ways to stay alive for three days – until help arrived.

We stocked a plastic garbage can with food, water, tarps, rope, and dozens of other supplies. We bought emergency backpacks for our vehicles and made a family plan for what to do if we were separated when disaster struck. Taking these steps helped ease the worries, but I needed to understand the threat looming over our heads.

Sometimes, however, ignorance really is bliss. I began to research the concept of liquefaction – the likely outcome of the 10.0 monster quake predicted to strike the Puget Sound region. What I discovered stunned and horrified me, and the only way I could process the fear the knowledge incited was to write it out. That anxiety-release exercise was essentially the first draft of AFTERSHOCK.

THE RUTGER HAUER STARFISH ASSOCIATION

Sometime later, I entered that early version of the story in a contest sponsored by SFF cult icon Rutger Hauer on his website. The ultimate intent of the contest was to gather a collection of stories for an anthology to benefit his beloved Starfish Association – a charitable organization he founded to raise global awareness of HIV/Aids, especially in pregnant women and children. While my story was not included in the anthology, I decided that if another opportunity arose to publish it, I would honor the original spirit behind it.

Currently, Mr. Hauer is actively working to encourage world governments and health organizations to classify HIV/Aids as a slow onset disaster. To support those efforts, 5% of the royalties I earn on every sale of AFTERSHOCK will be donated to Rutger Hauer’s Starfish Association.

To learn more about Starfish, and how your purchase will help, click on the tab at the top of the blog or click here .

THE GIVEAWAY

What’s a party without party favors? One lucky person will win an AFTERSHOCK Survival kit including everything you see in the photo below – plus a $10 Amazon gift card.

Aftershock Giveaway 1

So tell me, are you prepared for an environmental apocalypse? If so, how?

Share your thoughts and ideas by commenting here, and then visit my Facebook Fan Page and enter the giveaway!

Marketing Monday – It’s All About Me!

13 Monday May 2013

Posted by robertatrahan in Book News, Marketing Monday

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47North, Amazon, Arthurian Legend, author marketing, Celtic Folklore, celtic traditions, Cornwall, Ebook, Epic Fantasy series, historical fantasy, Kindle Daily Deal, Roberta Trahan, The Well of Tears, Wales

It’s true – book marketing requires shameless self-promotion on the part of the author. What that means, really, is that a person who spends the majority of any given day alone in the confines of her own mind must shout out her name at the top of her lungs while holding up a sign that says “LOOK AT ME!”.

Anyone who knows me in the real world will tell you that I am neither shy nor introverted – I enjoy talking to people and I love working a room. However, I am totally out of my comfort zone when it comes to stepping up onto a platform and drawing attention to myself – except when it comes to my book!!

So here it is, my Marketing Monday tip for this week: BUY MY BOOK – and do it today while you can get the Ebook for .99 – because THE WELL OF TEARS is the SciFi/Fantasy Kindle Daily Deal on Amazon!!

Marketing Monday – More on Mutual Marketing & Still Spreading the Author Love: NYT / USA Today Bestselling Author Laura Kaye – COVER REVEAL!

25 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by robertatrahan in Marketing Monday

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Amazon, Author Branding, author marketing, Avon, Hard As it Gets, Jennifer Schober, Kindle, Laura Kaye, Roberta Trahan, Romance, Spencerhill Associates

Beginning with last week’s post on group marketing efforts, I will be dedicating some ink every Marketing Monday to my fellow authors. This is my way of contributing to the spirit of mutual marketing.

This week I salute NYT & USA Today Bestselling author LAURA KAYE – one of my “Spencerhill Sisters” – another of the fabulous and talented writers represented by the amazing Jennifer Schober at Spencerhill Associates.

Today we are celebrating the cover reveal for Laura’s forthcoming contemporary romance novel HARD AS IT GETS !!

Are you ready?

Careful ~ it’s Hot Hot HOT!!

HardAsItGetsfinal
~~~

Tall, dark, and lethal…

Trouble just walked into Nicholas Rixey’s tattoo parlor. Becca Merritt is warm, sexy, wholesome-pure catnip to a very jaded Nick. He’s left his military life behind to become co-owner of Hard Ink Tattoo, but Becca is his ex-commander’s daughter. Loyalty won’t let him turn her away. Lust has plenty to do with it too.

With her brother presumed kidnapped, Becca needs Nick. She just wasn’t expecting to want him so much. As their investigation turns into all-out war with an organized crime ring, only Nick can protect her. And only Becca can heal the scars no one else sees.Desire is the easy part. Love is as hard as it gets. Good thing Nick is always up for a challenge…

~~~

AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW!

LauraKayecropped

About Laura Kaye:

Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of nearly a dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal.

She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

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How To Grow Writer’s Skin

07 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by robertatrahan in Deadlines & Other Demons

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

47North, Amazon, Amazon Publishing, Author Branding, author marketing, Kevin R. Hill, Novel Writing, publishing, Rejections, Roberta Trahan, Writer's Skin, writers, writing advice

Image

“A Writer’s Ink” by Norman Duenas

In a recent twitter exchange, writer Kevin R Hill commented that many great books might never see light of day because the authors were not tough enough to stand against years of rejections. How true, I replied, and the idea of “writer’s skin” came up. We should coin a phrase, Kevin said – writer’s skin, the thick layer that protects tender hearts.

If only one could buy writer’s skin ready-made, I said, like a magical cloak or suit of armor, instead of having to grow it from the inside out. Yes, if only. But as it turns out we all must cultivate our own thick layer of protection.

That day I happened to be suffering from some of the soul-wounding that all writers must endure. Although knowing that this ritual scarring is an unavoidable test of author-hood helps you prepare for the battle, it does nothing at all to stop or even slow the blood-letting. Kevin’s tweet reminded me that this uncomfortable truth was universal – that I was not alone. And neither are you.

To help you get a good start, here are some tips for growing a healthy, hardy sheath of writer’s skin:

Start with a Rich Growth Medium that has been fortified with equal measures of patience, persistence, and perseverance, and is resistant to infiltrations of noxious weeds like self-doubt, jaded perspective and bitterness.

Sow Only the Highest Quality Seeds by selecting the most unique and well-formed ideas for cultivation. This will help to ensure that your writer’s skin is fashioned from the strongest creative fibers.

Water Frequently from the deepest wells of knowledge and most trusted fountains of inspiration. Avoid shallow, stagnant ponds and shark infested pools.

Fertilize As Needed with only the highest quality, well-credentialed experience you can find. Choose carefully – there are a lot of low budget brands out there that promise plenty but deliver little results.

Be sure to harvest your writer’s skin before the beginning of the submission season, and wear it whenever you venture out. This should help to shield you from the harsher elements.

Remember, writer’s skin is susceptible to normal wear and tear and that frequent use will erode its protective qualities. Therefore, it must be replaced periodically. While writer’s skin tends not to flourish in intemperate climates, it is a self-sustaining renewable resource and can be grown almost anywhere and at any time by constructing a green-house like environment that recreates the favorable conditions mentioned above.

Marketing Mondays, Writer’s Block, and Pre-Pub Panic

10 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by robertatrahan in Marketing Monday

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Tags

47North, Alex Carr, Amazon, author marketing, Betsy Wollheim, Fantasy, Fiction, Patrick Rothfuss, publishing, Roberta Trahan, The Well of Tears, Writing

Image

Waning Gibbous Moon

Today was one of those far-too-reflective Marketing Mondays (read “full of artistic angst”) wherein I tend to over-think, over-analyze, doubt, question and distrust — everything. Tends to suck the fun right out of those once in a lifetime, never-come-again-moments like approving the almost probably final FINAL version of the cover art, and seeing my very first reader review.

If it weren’t for Alex Carr, intrepid editor, master multi-tasker and tireless author wrangler, I might have missed the joy in it all.

I spent the first half of the day plodding through my task list but I wasn’t getting much of anything accomplished. I realized about two hours in that I was resenting the whole process – what I really wanted to to do was write, and my marketing efforts were keeping me from feeding my muse. Finally I decided WTF, and gave myself permission to abandon the Marketing Monday ritual in favor of the creative flow. Except that the creative flow wasn’t flowing. It wasn’t even trickling. Not even a drop. By noon I had managed to actually edit the total word count on my WIP DOWN by almost 500 and had added exactly ZERO. Sigh.

An hour later I was fully adrift on  the Sea of Self-Loathing and had begun negotiating with myself – screw the daily word count goal – if you just write 500 words to replace the ones you ditched, you can skip the gym. No wait, even better. You can have the ENTIRE box of salt caramels AND a glass of wine. And if you get to 1000 words, you can have THE WHOLE BOTTLE.

Still nothing. In fact, I actually managed to edit out another sentence. By the time the email (with the little HIGH PRIORITY exclamation point attached) arrived, I was envisioning the end of my not-yet-launched writing career. I was in no state to offer or even formulate a meaningful opinion on anything, least of all something as life-altering as the cover art for my first novel. Still, this is what must be done.

When I first saw the latest revision of the cover design for THE WELL OF TEARS, I expected a completely visceral and reflexive reaction, which is how I tend to respond to pretty much everything. I also tend to trust these initial instinctive responses. I’m a go-with-your-gut kind of girl, and this approach generally leads me down the right path. To my surprise (and utter horror), my internal gut-ometer totally flat lined. I had nothing, and my response was needed by EOD (end of day, for those of you not versed in hip, trendy corp speak).

Fortunately, Alex the Intrepid has always been really good about helping me work through my artistic angst. I have no idea how HE feels about these conversations, but I find them extraordinarily helpful (and often quite humbling). Somehow Alex always manages to talk me off of whatever ledge I’ve leaped out onto without sacrificing too much of my dignity. Frankly, I count myself lucky he still takes my calls. Which brings me to the turning point in my story.

During our chat, somewhere between my fluster over the hair color of the sorceress depicted in the center of the design and my remembering why I so loved the basic design in the first place, Alex reminded me ever so gently that they had made these changes based on my feedback, which in turn reminded me of the many reasons I am so grateful for my publisher. In passing, Alex also mentioned internationally best-selling fantasy author Patrick Rothfuss and the cover design for THE NAME OF THE WIND, which then reminded me of what I had set out to achieve. Cover art issue resolved, pre-publication panic diffused.

But rather than return to the masochistic deconstruction of my WIP, I pulled up Patrick Rothfuss’ website and began reading excerpts. Which were amazing, by the way, and did absolutely nothing to make me feel better about myself. And then I clicked on his blog.

The most recent post was titled, ironically enough, “Why I Love My Editor”. Reading this post did make me feel better about myself, by and large because Patrick recounted a tale of his own author angst in which his editor Betsy Wollheim was his salvation. Which brings me to the moral of my story.

If an author is truly fortunate, he or she will be blessed with a Champion of the Work who is also a Guardian of the Creative Spirit. In other words, an editor who nurtures, encourages, and genuinely cares about their authors. And if an author should be so very fortunate to receive this rare blessing, he or she should give thanks – often.

All of this has absolutely nothing to do with my accidental discovery of the posting of the very first review of THE WELL OF TEARS. It did, however, allow me to find the mind set I needed to be able to revel in it (thanks, Alex).

If you are so inclined, you can read the review here . I think we’re off to a good start.

Wine, anyone?

For the Love of Lore: Why I Write Fantasy

08 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by robertatrahan in The Power of Prose

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

47North, Amazon, Arthurian Legend, author marketing, Coffee & Writing, fantasy fiction, Grimm's Fairy Tales, historical fiction, Mary Stewart, Merlin, Novel Writing, Roberta Trahan, The Well of Tears, Writing, writing life

It’s one of the questions always asked of authors – why do you write (insert genre here)?  Every writer has a unique backstory – a collection of singular and often profound experiences that have informed and inspired them.  For me, it all started with fables and fairy tales.

The summer of 1977, I traveled with my parents to rural western Montana on the occasion of my great-grandmother’s death.  We stayed for nearly a week to help clean out the ancient farmhouse that had been the Davis family home for nearly 50 years. It was a somber time, and the adults, eager to keep the kids busy while they tended to the needs of the moment, assigned us all tasks.

Naturally, I volunteered to clear out the bookcases in the sitting room. Books had long been a source of solace for me, and I was so very sad. Sifting through these treasured relics from Granny’s long and well-lived life was a way for me to feel connected to her and still process the reality that she was gone. Better still, I was told I could keep as many books as I liked – since the whole lot was to be donated to the local community service center.  My mother, the minimalist, limited “as many as I liked” to “a few” – and so I resolved to choose carefully.

In those many bittersweet hours, I sifted through hundreds of volumes of literature, periodicals, school primers, grammar books, historical biographies, and who knows what all else. Many of these books were well over a hundred years old, which both astonished and intrigued me. I had never seen such old editions of any book, let alone the classic titles I recognized. 

When all was said and done, I had some tough choices to make – in the end, I came home with a first edition of Bernadin’s Paul Et Virginie in the original French, circa 1787 (I had never seen a book printed in a foreign language before); early printings of Thackeray’s Vanity Fair and the children’s classic The Little Lame Prince; and the best of the bunch – a very early English translation of Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

The book was pretty worn (as you can see from the photos) and missing the title page,   but I was over the moon. I was initially captivated by this collection of what were called “household tales” because I recognized the titles of some of the fables as childhood stories I knew – or thought I knew. I quickly discovered that these were grittier and much more provocative versions of what I had always thought were Golden Book originals. Being a moody and maudlin tweenager at the time, this suited me just fine.

 I spent several weeks obsessing over this book – partly because I was enthralled by the darkly romantic window into the past, and partly because I wanted to know “the story behind the story”.  I knew that mythology and folk lore were allegorical and that cautionary tales were based on real fears and events, and this appealed to me on every level.

That summer I read every book on mythology I could find in the local library (which wasn’t many), and then the librarian turned me on to the fantasy fiction genre. She introduced me to Mary Stewart’s iconic Merlin series (The Crystal Cave and The Hollow Hills) – my first encounter with the real Arthurian legend, and the amazing world a masterful novelist could create by blending fact, fiction, and fantasy. I have been in love ever since.

Why do I write fantasy? The easy way out would be to say that I write fantasies because those are the stories that come to me. This happens to be true, but it only scratches the surface –the full answer is much more complicated than that. The genre calls to me intellectually, emotionally, instinctively, and spiritually.

I would have to say that underpinning those early inspirational reading experiences is the neuropsychology that is hard-wired into my DNA. I have a pathological need to understand the foundations of the human experience, as well as what could be called a clinical compulsion for research. I am also completely seduced by the “in-between” spaces in our histories and cultures which defy explanation, and the misty veil at the edges of our existence that hints at something beyond what we can comprehend.

This is where the magic lives, and sometimes, so do I.

Pssst, Book Business — The Readers Are Watching! Why Crushing the Competition Leads to a Pyrrhic Victory

02 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by robertatrahan in Deadlines & Other Demons

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Amazon, Amazon Publishing, author marketing, E-book, Mathew Ingram, publishing, Reading, Roberta Trahan, Seth Godin, Writing, writing life

Not a day goes by without a colleague, friend or family member emailing me a link to another article about the war between Amazon and the publishing industry. It makes sense, really. After all, I am an Amazon author — among the first writers to sign with one of Amazon Publishing’s new traditional imprints, and also one of many authors to find their way to the reading public via one of the innovative publishing venues emerging in the new world.  So where do I come down on all the issues over e-books? Well, pretty much wherever the reader does.

It’s the Reader That Matters

I write to be read. Naturally, earning a living along the way would be nice. And of course I am concerned about the impact the emotionally charged power plays between publishers, distributors and retailers will have on my book sales. Am I sad that B&N and some independent booksellers won’t carry my books in their stores? Sure, you bet.  All I can really do about any of it is decide how to work with whatever options are left to me.  But here’s the thing. When any retailer limits their customer’s options they really only hurt themselves.  Readers, like all consumers, are driven by availability, price, and ease of purchase. They want what they want when they want it. Readers create demand, not booksellers or publishers or distributors. And let us not forget that in the age of the author-preneur,  I have the ability to influence my own market share more than ever before. Locking me out of one sand box will only send my readers looking for somewhere else to play. The net result, no matter how you look at it, is a lost sale. What sense does that make?

Standing on Principle

That’s not to say that I don’t understand the arguments on both sides of this particular fence. I have always been and always will be an outspoken advocate of the small business, in particular the independent book store. For many, their livelihood is at stake in these very difficult economic times. But doing business in a consumer driven economy is always fickle, and change will always come. Survival doesn’t depend on leveling the field, it depends on innovation, adaptation, and the ability to respond quickly to consumer demands. In the end, it’s the forward-thinking proprietor with the ability to change it up on a dime who is left standing. No amount of boycotting will change that. Some folks have already figured out that when you can’t force an obstacle out of your way, the best thing to do is to find a way around it. And I’m happy to say there are a number of really savvy publishers and booksellers out there doing just that.

The Age of Proprietary Technology

The struggle for E-book dominance between Kindle, Nook and iPad is not a new paradigm. With every technological advancement, one or two giants muscle their way to the top and then duel to the death. Lots of little players get stomped on in the process, but this is the way capitalism works. It’s essentially a kind of consumer Darwinism – but industry tends to forget that it is the consumer that decides who survives.

Seth Godin addresses the shortsightedness of limiting the flow of content in an insightful post on the Domino Project blog . Godin points out that the marketplace — be it virtual or physical — “like your mind, works best when it’s open.”  Likewise, Mathew Ingram, in his post on How the E-book landscape is Becoming a Walled Garden , argues that a platform-dependent bookstore model hurts everyone. I agree. Reminds me of the range wars between the ranchers and the land barons over water rights in the Old West — in the end, a bunch of cowboys got shot and a whole lotta cows died of thirst.  That right there is a lose-lose scenario.

Which brings me to my point.  Diversity is at the heart of a thriving commercial ecosystem — and that is particularly true when it comes to ideas, art, and music.  No matter who wins the battle for control of e-book distribution, everyone stands to lose market share one way or another. The fact is that the publishing industry is experiencing an unavoidable, irreversible metamorphosis. Some publishers and booksellers will survive, and some won’t. But there will always be writers and readers in search of each other.

—

Roberta Trahan is a 30-year marketing veteran, copywriter, editor, and author of the debut fantasy novel WELL OF TEARS (47North /Amazon Publishing) — coming Sept. 2012.

The New Media Melee — 5 Indisputable Truths of Author Marketing

27 Sunday Nov 2011

Posted by robertatrahan in Marketing Monday

≈ 17 Comments

Tags

Amazon, Anne R Allen, author marketing, Neil Gaiman, New Media Marketing, Roberta Trahan, Social Media, Writing, writing advice, Writing tips

A few days ago I stumbled upon a link in my twitter feed (a retweet by Neil Gaiman, whose work I admire) that caught my attention. The header mentioned Amazon book reviews–a target that should be on every author’s marketing radar. I clicked through to a blog post by author Anne R Allen, who had written a light- hearted but honest article about the importance of Amazon reader reviews and star ratings. She included a fun and very helpful guide to the review system, intended for authors to help encourage their readers to show their support.  I loved the article and decided I would tag on a note of appreciation for her insights, something I almost never do. As I scrolled through the unexpectedly long list of comments left by other readers, I soon realized that Anne had ignited a firestorm.

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?

Best-selling author of the quasi-historical epic fantasy and post-apocalyptic science fiction. Dragon Seeker, Myth Maker, Coffeechocoholic & Antique Jewelry Hoarder.

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