The new publicity

Interesting article. In my limited experience, to date, the author has a role to play to. No one else can be me. And, at the start, you are selling yourself of a fashion. Some of us find that easier than others but I think there is an argument about finding the platforms which suit you.
 
I'm very glad the article wasn't a big call to use Twitter and Facebook - those are communications channels, and not at all optimised for marketing. I remain personally very disappointed that publishers would rather focus their social media campaign solely on those two sites, when it is a provable fact that exposure on chronicles will ordinarily reach far more people.

I'm also surprised at how few in the industry - publishers, editors, even authors - make any effort to develop a relationship with their online visitors. At the very least they should be linking - prominently - to author interviews, positive book reviews, and similar positive publicity.

Instead, too many live in the vacuum of their own world, posting almost randomly to their blogs, Twitter, or Facebook accounts without any consideration of what their visitors, followers, or readers, might actually want to see. How many authors blog about what they've eaten? How many agencies do nothing but promote their latest book covers? How many publishers actively seek to engage online beyond Twitter?
 
It's interesting you say that, Brian. I promote blog posts here, Twitter and Facebook (AW, too, if it's writing related) and here gives consistently the highest traffic (with Twitter second.) and that traffic goes beyond the Chrons members themselves (waves to all lurkers :)) - something to bear in mind. We're such a community here it's easy to forget our posts are all in public. Now, my posts here far outweigh anywhere else which may also affect that - activity is a big influencer.

I find blogging a good vehicle. Most of mine are about writing, and are often quite tongue in cheek. I also try to be honest about the processes as I think there is an information-vacuum out there sometimes. They're also short and regular, although not obsessively so. If you can write pretty cleanly, quickly, they're useful but if you need three days to write and edit 1000 words I think given time-value it's probably not the vehicle to use.

And now I have vehicles @HareBrain. In my sparkly platforms. :D
 
Brian, how would you say Tickety Boo is doing in the things you mention. I do alot more on Facebook than here but I am happy to change. What sort of things would you suggest?
 
Gary Compton said:
Brian, how would you say Tickety Boo is doing in the things you mention. I do alot more on Facebook than here but I am happy to change. What sort of things would you suggest?
Click to expand...

I suggest you have your authors be like springs. :)
 
Haha! I will quote you on that!

I think that is what you have to do within a small press. There is only so much I can do because the readers want to interact with the authors, not me. :)
 
Oh, good lord, no. No one wants more than one of me. Some people occasionally like to sleep apparently (who knew?)

Seriously, I think the key, Gary, is making it easy for the authors to do. Having the Facebook page for Abendau, for instance, where I can chuck up a post and copy directly is good. Press packs. Easy to attach stuff. And, like what TDZ is doing, someone throwing up leads. No matter how energetic the author and how fast they can put posts out, it is time consuming and you do want us writing (and I am doing very little of that at the moment, most of my time is on blogs and posts and promoting - which is fine in bursts but come June I hope to be working at book two). So it's how you can support the author, make it easy and quick and stuff like in-house templates set-up, attachable information, and central publicity areas an author can pull on are important.
 
What would a press pack consist of? And certainly I can have a media area on TBP where pictures and sample chapters can be downloaded as well as review copies in mobi, epub or PDF.
 
Gary Compton said:
What would a press pack consist of? And certainly I can have a media area on TBP where pictures and sample chapters can be downloaded as well as review copies in mobi, epub or PDF.
Click to expand...

Off the top of my head - the cover art, blurb, an about the author plus picture, an about Tickety boo, links to reviews, author website, blogs.

It would take a wee bit of time to compile each but you could have the author fill in the about-me, and you're compiling it anyway, it would just be doing it in advance and having it in one place. I think you'd get the time back in not having to repeat it, or look for it, and the author being able to link and promote without having to find the info. The first chapter would be good, too...?

Access to review copies would be great - a simple one click that avoids emails passing back and forth.
 
And the press kit it is not something that just goes to the media, Gary. The author (or whoever is acting as the TBP publicist) could send it to the organizers of local book festivals the author would like to attend (in the hope that the press kit would inspire them to send an invitation) or to whoever it is that organizes events at any library near the author where the writer might like to give a talk. If two or more TBP writers (and that would include those who have stories in Malevolence) live within a reasonable driving distance and would be willing to get together and do a group talk at one or more of their local libraries, you could send the press kit to those libraries and tell them your authors would love to do a panel or make an appearance as or at one of their events (if they hold events and have writers come in to give talks). Of course someone would have to do the research and find out what is coming up and who is willing to host an event, and then the best person to contact in each case.

These are things the writer could do with a press kit, or if they're shy about approaching any of these places but willing to make the appearance and do the talk, things that you as the publisher might do. If you do it, you can say that you are the publicist at TBP -- because you are -- and that you are putting together a tour for your author (and then do that, by contacting more of these places, and getting creative with other ideas) and it will all sound very official and important.

The first step, though, is the press kit.
 
Sounds good. I will get onto that next week once Oracle and Abendau are done. :)

Good advice as always. :)
 
I hope no one minds me jumping in here but I have to say this. I am finding it very exciting, witnessing the growth and development of an independent publisher, a new author who I consider a friend, and such lovely editorial people.

I feel privileged to be spectator.

TBP, Springs and all of the rest of you deserve success.

[There's a possibility I might be a little maudlin' after a night spent nursing a son with a ferocious vomiting bug. On his birthday.]
 
Useful thread, especially for those of us who are so outgoing we dwell in a small cavern in an island in the North Sea, surviving on raw seagulls, seaweed, and the nine red-haired virgin girls the local village sacrifice to appease our wrath each year.

I've had my blog (thaddeusthesixth.blogspot.co.uk) for a few years now, and keep meaning to slightly revert to how it was by posting more often. Problem is that I read and play games a bit less now (mostly due to time) and a lot of things I'd find interesting I've already written (like this piece on the Knights of St John and Rhodes: http://thaddeusthesixth.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/knights-of-st-john.html).

I do think Twitter's useful and interesting [it was via Twitter I first discovered the self-published contest that Mark Lawrence and 10 top bloggers were organising], and it's also a very easy way for readers to get into contact.
 
DSP sent me a press kit. It's got postcards, bookmarks, tear sheets etc. As well as icons to use on forums and Facebook, and banners for blogs and all that sort of thing. Been very handy! The publicist lady is taking a load of my postcards to the Bristol LGBT fiction meet to put on DSP's table (as I can't make it), so that's gonna be pretty cool.
 
Oh, that reminds me, Mouse: business cards? Good/bad/rubbish?

Weirdly, one of the historical biographies I got recently had a small [book-specific] card in from another author.

I made quite a few banners for each of my books and used to post them after each blog post. [I took them down in a fit of panic/as a wise precaution from everywhere save Amazon due to the #vatmess nonsense, still haven't put them back up]. I think using them more sparingly (and perhaps in the body of the text rather than at the bottom) might have been wiser.

I try to keep my avatar consistent across media.
 
(Poor Kerry, tis doing the rounds that little joy. Hope your son is better today. And thank you)

Bookmarks! I've heard authors say forget the rest, just print bookmarks. Cover art, website, publisher web site. Hand them out like confetti - @Gary Compton , edgelit? (If I had some for May I could give them out at Comic Con, and you could do fancy themed ones, maybe with eg all your space opera titles on one and cross merchandise?)
 
Bookmarks sounds good.
Book depositary always includes one of their user created ones.
I must design some and offer them as free downloads on my blog, then link to that from Twitter, Facebook and here.
 
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