Amanda Luedeke is a literary agent with MacGregor Amanda Luedeke is a literary agent with MacGregor Literary. Every Thursday, she posts about growing your author platform. You can follow her on Twitter @amandaluedeke or join her Facebook group to stay current with her wheelings and dealings as an agent. Her author marketing book, The Extroverted Writer, is available from Amazon andBarnes & Noble.

There’s one thing I’ve noticed about expectant moms these days (and no, this isn’t a post about pregnancy or motherhood)…Moms will spend weeks visiting various hospitals in their area, looking for the perfect match for their needs and expectations. They consider everything from doctor availability to space to freebies to distance from home to overall comfort level. They weigh each item against the other until a clear winner emerges.

It makes sense when you think about how important having a baby is.

But what if I told you that they do the same thing when purchasing a stroller or crib or carseat? What if I told you that moms these days tend to turn every babygear decision into an extensive list of pros and cons?

We always talk marketing here on Thursdays with Amanda, and we’ve frequently mentioned the need for a professional webpage, website, or blog. But one of the most common mistakes authors (and people in general) make when venturing into a relationship with a web designer is that they don’t view their career as their baby. They fail to ask questions. They fail to vet those that they hire and truly understand what they’re signing up (and paying!) for.

So, before enlisting some Joe Schmoe designer to do your website, present him with these five questions:

1. 1.     Can you show me examples of your previous work? Just like every author writes with a unique voice, every artist creates with a unique point of view. So before you ever consider hiring anyone to do design work for you, you must connect with their artwork. Ask to see samples (because what you see is oftentimes what you’ll get). If you like what you see, then you may have a match! If you’re not crazy about it, keep looking.
2. 2.     Can you put me in touch with some of your former clients? After you determine that you like their art and designs, ask to speak to some of their clients. This is a way for you to get an unbiased opinion on how the designer operates, what to expect (Will they stay in close contact? Will they disappear for weeks on end? Do they keep you involved in the revisions process? Do they listen to direction?), and any strengths or weaknesses.
3. 3.     How does the payment process work? What do you expect up front? How much do you anticipate this will cost? Most big jobs will require some kind of nonrefundable deposit. Designers also have policies on when they expect payment and what the protocol is should you end up unhappy with their work. Get all of this information before you sign anything. If you don’t like the designer’s payment policies or estimate, look for someone else.
4. 4.     What timeframe are we looking at? First, you must understand that a full website will take a few months to put together. This isn’t a quick process. But on top of that, each designer works at a different pace. Have the designer give you an estimate when he/she will have something ready for you to review. Then, have them give you an estimate as to, should everything go as planned (and should you not send them a million tweak suggestions), when the site will be finalized. If possible, work deadlines into your agreement. As long as they show that they are continuously working on your project, you shouldn’t have a problem…even if they exceed the deadline. But if you feel that they have put your project aside for weeks or months, then you have that contractual deadline to point to.
5. 5.     What vision do you have for my site? Get a feel for how much freedom the designer will take with your site. If you’re comfortable with their abilities, then you may be excited to let them loose. But if you’re the type who likes strict control of the design, then this is your chance to gauge whether you’ll be frustrated by any artistic license.

There are many more questions you could ask, but this is a start. The bottom line is that taking the time up front to get to know who you’re hiring will save you a lot of headache in the long run.

What experiences have YOU had with designers? Or what questions do you have?

I’ve got a special thing going on over at my Facebook page…Submit your novel’s opening line TODAY and I’ll give free feedback! Check it out, and I hope to see you all participate.

Okay, diving into some more social media critiques:

1. Ardis Nelson provided her website and Facebook page

• I feel there are too many options on your site’s navigation. Music, Current Projects, and Resources could probably be done without. They just don’t provide much to the reader, while they clutter the site and distract us from the book!
• What incentive does the reader have for visiting this site? It’s very much focused on you, but readers are selfish! They want to know what’s in it for THEM. What will they get out of reading your blog. What will they learn?
• Again, I’m not quite sure what readers get out of frequenting your Facebook page. Think about rewarding them for their time with tips, advice, interactive questions, giveaways, and more.

RECOMMENDATIONS: I’d try focusing less on yourself and more on your readers. By including them in the conversation, I think you’ll find your online experience will be much more lively.

2. Jo Huddleston provided her website and Facebook page

• This is a funny comment, but the image at the top of your site is realllllly big
• Think about eliminating some of your pages and tabs. For example “Mail” can be made part of the “Contact” page and “My Thoughts” seems to fit more naturally into your “Blog”
• Until I get to your “Books” page, it’s not very clear what you write
• For Facebook, you shouldn’t be using your personal profile. I encourage you to create a professional page where you can best interact with fans.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Your site could use a redesign, and it could be cleaned up. For maximum impact on Facebook, try starting a professional page. It’s a great way to interact with fans.

3. Well Rounded Home provided their Blog

• I really like how this blog is organized! I never felt lost. Everything was clear to me.
• I take it you don’t have a book you’re promoting? That’s fine! Just wanted to make sure.
• I think you could post more pics of your home and family to your blog! I think readers want to see more of you.
• Content on our blog NEEDS to focus on your goal of providing insights and help on parenting, homemaking, etc. Anything that doesn’t fall into these main categories (like a Kenny Chesney music Monday) should be left out.

RECOMMENDATIONS: You have the framework! Now fill this awesome space with content that hits home on reader expectations. And then promote the heck outta it.

What thoughts do YOU have on these sites? And how do you find content that fits your readership?

“Erin? Who’s Erin? I didn’t even know MacGregor Literary HAD an agent named Erin,” you might be saying. I actually started just about a year ago, but have been keeping a low profile where the blog is concerned while I learn everything there is to know about the business in preparation for staging a coup and re-naming the agency “Buterbaugh Literary.” I’m almost ready to put my plan into motion. In the meantime, thanks to Amanda for letting me fill in today! *Step one: replace Amanda– Check.*

With all the outlets clamoring for authors’ time and attention when building a social media presence, it can be easy for authors to get into the habit of constantly feeding their Internet pets- Tweet four times, update Facebook status, post new blog, chime in on Goodreads discussion group, engage, engage, engage! While it’s true that you have to make regular appearances at any of these places for them to be truly effective in building your platform, I’ve noticed a negative side-effect of the “feed the Internet” mindset among authors: namely, a lack of good judgment when it comes to responding to both positive and negative feedback/commentary at their various Internet watering-holes. Your responses to reviews and comments have the potential to seriously derail your PR train, so take a look at some of the scenarios in which authors tend to sabotage themselves  and see how your response practices measure up!

Responding to reviews:

-Don’t respond to negative reviews.
This is hard. I’m a person who always likes to have the last word, and when a bunch of strangers who don’t know you and don’t seem to understand your book begin to post lackluster reviews to Amazon or to Goodreads, it can be extremely tempting to provide an explanation or defend an aspect of the book the reviewer dislikes. I saw this recently on Facebook; an author posted a link to an online publication’s review of her upcoming book, and the review, while very polite, made reference to a couple of issues presented in the book on which the reviewer disagreed with the author, and pointed out a few areas where the reviewer found room for improvement. Not a rave, but not a horrible review; nothing personal or devastating or mean-spirited about it, but the book’s author commented on the post where the review appeared and defended herself on every front, saying the reviewer had “misunderstood her” on a few issues, quoting parts of the text to prove to the reviewer that certain criticisms were invalid, and maintaining that some of the other areas found wanting by the reviewer were the result of conscious choices as a writer. To someone who’d never read the book, met the reviewer, or met the author, the author came across as insecure and unprofessional. A review is an opinion piece, not an attack against which you have to defend yourself, and hijacking the comments to justify your choices as a writer or to try and make the reviewer retroactively like your book better by explaining it is inconsiderate and ineffective.

-Think twice before responding to a positive review.
It’s only polite to say “thank you” to someone who posted a good review of your book, right? It might seem like good manners to respond to a positive review, but for a reviewer who doesn’t know you, having you show up in the comments section can be a little uncomfortable, even if you’re just thanking them for a good review. It can cause readers to assume a bias on the part of the reviewer– the author thanked him for the good review, does that mean it was written as a favor to the author?– and wrecks the comfortable feeling of anonymity that fosters honest reviews. This is especially true on sites such as Amazon and Goodreads, where most reviews are not written by professionals in the industry, but by regular readers/fans: they may have loved your book, but that doesn’t mean they want to be your internet buddy. Book reviews are written for the benefit of other readers, not for that of the author, and an author who makes a big deal out of good reviews can give off a bit of an Oscar-acceptance-speech vibe- they already gave you the award, you don’t have to thank each individual person who voted for you! The exception to this is when thanking people who did write their reviews as a personal favor- friends with blogs, authors you traded reviews with, etc. These people will usually make reference to their relationship with you in the review, i.e., “SET IN STONE is the debut novel of my good friend and writing partner Gary Morningside.” In these cases, it’s completely appropriate to post a brief thank-you, either as a comment or as a post on your site– “Thanks to Rick Waverly at the New England Book Collective for reviewing SET IN STONE!” Your best response to a positive review is to post a link to it on your Facebook page or blog so as to get as many people as possible to read it.

Responding to comments:

The internet has gone a little nuts with interactivity. There are hardly any social media outlets without a comment feature where users can dialogue with each other and respond instantly to new content. People can comment on your blog posts, Tweets, Facebook statuses, YouTube videos, and, in most of these places, they can comment on other comments. As an author, you have to be especially careful with how you interact with people in these forums. Having a firm policy in place regarding how and when to respond to comments could literally save your career.

-Comments on your blog
Comments made directly to your blog or Facebook posts are usually the most personally relevant and the most openly friendly. Blog comments tend to be made by regular readers who’ve read your blog for awhile, like what you have to say, and feel comfortable engaging with you. The way they see it, you started the “conversation” by posting a blog entry; their comment is an indication that they’re engaged and willing to talk back. Responding to comments on your Facebook page or blog is a great way to build relationships with your readers– to thank them for reading, to comment on things you have in common, and to show that you appreciate the time and attention they’re devoting to your posts. Depending on the amount of comment traffic you get, you may not be able to respond to every comment, and in fact, you probably shouldn’t– a page full of rubber-stamp “Thanks for commenting!” responses from an author devalues that response very quickly. Three or four personal responses per post, evenly distributed between regular readers and first-time commenters, make every visitor to your site feel more significant because they see that you are actively engaged with your readership and responding thoughtfully.

-Negative comments
Negative comments about you or your work can show up anywhere: your blog, a blog that links to yours, a book trailer on YouTube, a Goodreads discussion board, a review– you get the idea. YouTube is a shining example of why users shouldn’t necessarily have the option of responding publicly to everything posted to the Internet– pick a video at random and take a look at the first page or two of comments. No matter how non-controversial the content is, nearly every comment thread contains political rants, racial slurs, personal attacks, debates on religion– your basic smorgasbord of potentially offensive remarks. Because of the personal and informal nature of most comments, you may be more tempted to respond to a negative comment than you would a more formal post, such as a review; after all, you reason, people comment because they want to dialogue, so it’s fine for you to engage. So, you respond to a few negative comments, just  to clear up a misunderstanding on the commenter’s part, or to assert yourself when you’re being bullied in a thread– I mean, if you don’t defend yourself, those negative comments could wreck your image, right!?

Wrong.  This kind of thinking is responsible for thousands upon thousands of stupid, pointless, winner-less Internet fights, and nine times out of ten, the best move for your career is to WALK AWAY from negative comments.  If you don’t have a thick skin and a whole lot of self-control, the Internet comment monster is going to chew you up and spit you out.

You may remember the Applebee’s receipt debacle from a few months back. Long story short, an Applebee’s employee compromised a customer’s privacy by posting a photo of a receipt on which a customer had given a really lame religious excuse for being a crappy tipper. Internet-commentland got riled up for a bit, as it does, with people criticizing and name-calling on both sides, and the whole thing would have gone away and been forgotten if not for Applebee’s complete and total self-destruction on their Facebook page. R. L. Stollar, news editor at the Eugene Daily News, wrote a fabulous and comprehensive synopsis of the whole train wreck, but it boiled down to some poor Applebee’s PR rep using the company Facebook page to argue with and attempt to pacify thousands of individual commenters- for every one defensive response to a comment, a hundred more ridiculing the company’s actions flooded the thread. Though an extreme example, the Applebee’s events still serve as a warning against what can happen when one well-intentioned, level-headed person attempts to force the Internet at large to play fair– it’s not going to work, so your best bet is usually not to play. (Note: if you are lucky enough to find yourself on a comment thread where everyone is being civil, dissenting opinions are being presented without name-calling, and people are offering cyber-hugs to their enemies, by all means, engage– I’m not saying such an environment is nonexistent, just very, very rare. Like, unicorn-rare.)

Finally, remember that there are always going to be a few people with horrible grammar whose sold aim in life is to sit at home and tick you and the rest of the Internet off. Don’t let negative reviews or comments scare you away from smart social media use, and don’t let one jerk with a third-grade grasp of punctuation get under your skin. Keep going with what’s working well for you, continue to take advantage of every opportunity to improve, and, as always, don’t forget to make time to WRITE, because a great platform is pretty dang worthless without a book to sell.

Amanda Luedeke is a literary agent with MacGregor Literary. Every Thursday, she posts about growing your author platform. You can follow her on Twitter @amandaluedeke or join her Facebook group to stay current with her wheelings and dealings as an agent. Her author marketing book, The Extroverted Writer, is available from Amazon andBarnes & Noble.

I’ve been hard at work this month, marketing my book The Extroverted Writer…and I’ve learned A LOT.

So before I offer a few Social Media Critiques (the offer is now closed, for those of you wondering), I figured I’d give a few marketing pointers, based on what I’ve learned.

I’ve appeared on numerous blogs this week.

• I blogged at Devotional Diva (where I’m giving away a free book)
• I was interviewed on Jennifer Murgia’s blog (You need to scroll down to view)
• I was interviewed on Melissa Tagg’s blog
• I was interviewed on Rebecca Jacoby’s blog
• I was interviewed on the My Book Therapy blog

Am I missing anything? I feel I am. Which leads me to my point…

When you’re in the midst of heavy marketing, it’s so easy for things to spiral out of control–for you to forget what you’ve done where and when and then miss opportunities to connect with others. I can’t stress how important it is to stay organized during this process. Spreadsheets, calendars, and obsessive compulsive disorder are your friends at this stage in the game. Without them, you’re going to sink.

Another truth that was reinforced is that appearances on blogs and the like don’t always translate into big sales. But what they do is plant the seed. You see, readers aren’t going to buy a book on a whim. But they’ll buy it if they see it popping up in numerous places or if they read something about it and then a few months pass and they hear someone talking about it. You see, readers like to be wooed. They like to know that the book is going to be a good fit before they take the plunge. So when you’re in the midst of marketing craziness and you don’t feel as though you’re making any headway, remember that it takes time. You’re planting the seeds now, and hopefully one day you’ll get to reap that harvest.

Okay, now for a couple of SOCIAL MEDIA CRITIQUES:

1. Marie Andreas submitted her blog, Faeries, Dragons, and Spaceships

• With a title such as yours, I expected a blog on fantasy and science fiction…but this is a blog for writers. I’m not sure the two mesh quite like you’re hoping. I also feel as though if you write science fiction and fantasy, you’ll get more traction in the long run by having a blog that caters to those fans (as opposed to having a blog that caters to other writers).
• Your short story looks cool. I wonder if it should be highlighted more?
• I’m not a fan of the writing progress widgets. First, if you don’t keep them updated they make you look like you never write. Second, they make you seem like a writer that hasn’t really finished anything.  Not sure either are what you’re going for

RECOMMENDATIONS: I really really like your writing voice, by the way. Just not sure it fits with this blog theme. If you have a site for writers, make it writerly. If you have a site about spaceships, make it…spaceship-ish.

2. Chris Plumb submitted his blog, Plumbed Down

• I have a hard time reading the black text against the purple background at the top. This may seem minuscule, but it’s actually very important.
• To look more professional, I wonder if you should have something designed for that top space where you have your blog title, etc? Just thinking it could be spruced up for a maximum good first impression.
• Your right nav was difficult for me to notice. I kept thinking “where is his ABOUT ME page?” and it was hiding in plain sight all along

RECOMMENDATIONS: I wish I could impart great wisdom that would help you blog take off, but I think this is just one of those blogs that is more of a personal journey. Therefore, people don’t really read it to glean info or advice or help. They read for entertainment. So if you want to grow your blog, you’ll probably have to start hanging out online with others who write similar blogs so that you can team up and cross-promote.

3. Lynn Martin Cowell submitted her website and Facebook page

• I like the look of your site. You may want to rearrange the items in your top nav so that the ones that people would be most interested in come first. Ones such as “Blog”, “Books”, “About Lynn” and “Freebies” are always fan favorites. So bump the others to the end of the line!
• Reorganize your Freebies page so that the most-downloaded freebies are at the top
• Your post on April 8 got a strong reaction! What did you do differently? Was it the fact that it was a reader-submitted question? A tough topic? Or the fact that your daughter helped answer? Was it because you did a giveaway along with it? Think through that, because more posts like that one could help grow your readership.
• Your Facebook page needs to be a professional page…not your personal profile. So I suggest starting one right away!

RECOMMENDATIONS: Work to dial in your blog posts so that they draw a more consistent readership and better interaction. And start that Facebook page!!! You really shouldn’t be using your personal profile as your author hub. Give the page a try, and if you need more info on how to do it right (and why the page is better than the profile) check out old Thursdays with Amanda posts or my book.

Has anyone been through marketing craziness before? What did you learn?!

Amanda Luedeke is a literary agent with MacGregor Literary. Every Thursday, she posts about growing your author platform. You can follow her on Twitter @amandaluedeke or join her Facebook group to stay current with her wheelings and dealings as an agent. Her author marketing book, The Extroverted Writer, is available from Amazon andBarnes & Noble.

Last night was our GET PUBLISHED teleseminar with Michael Hyatt. What a great time, talking business and answering questions! It was a blast.

We weren’t able to get to some of the submitted questions, so I’ve gone ahead and answered them below. Would love your thoughts on what was discussed during the teleseminar, or what is talked about below.

And don’t forget! We have a special opportunity for friends (that’s you!) of MacGregor Literary. 

Michael Hyatt, former CEO and Chairman of Thomas Nelson Publishers (one of the largest publishers in the world), has recently released a comprehensive solution for authors called GET PUBLISHED. It’s a 21 session audio program, accessible online, that distills Michael’s 30+ years of publishing knowledge into a step-by-step guide to help authors get published and launch a successful career, even perhaps a bestseller!

Michael is offering a special limited time discount on GET PUBLISHED. Not only can you save significantly on the program, you’ll also get access to several bonuses worth over $150. Bonuses include items such as Michael’s popular “How to Write a Winning Book Proposal” ebook and more.

For details and to take advantage of this special offer, go to http://michaelhyatt.com/getpublishedoffer

(Note: This discount offer is only available through April 17).

Okay, on to those questions!

Brooke asks: What makes an agent take a chance on a first-time author?

When we fall in love with a fiction author’s story idea and writing, or when we see the potential of the book idea, writing, AND platform of a nonfiction author.

Mark asks: What do you think about publishing a “book” as a series of blog postings over time, or self-publishing a free e-book, rather than through traditional publishers?  If the purpose is to gain readers/audience, what is the best way to collect that information?  And then what do you do with it (esp in terms of monetization)?

I think this can be a great idea of done right (great cover, professionally edited, targeted to a focused audience). If you publish through an epublishing site, you should keep track of your sales numbers, and in terms of monetizing it, you’ll be able to set a price for your items, which will make the whole thing a bit more worth your while.

Terri asks: What are the most effective ways to attract your audience to a blog or website? I’ve previously produced blogs and ended up spending too much time on the content compared to the number of views received.  Also, what recommendations do you have on balancing the time demands of building platform vs. completing works in progress?

First, it takes time to grow a readership. I don’t know how long you pursued your blog, but it’s going to take 1-2 years or more to build a solid following. There are many ways to grow a readership (I have a whole section on this in my book), but the easiest is to find other blogs that hit the same readership as your own and spend time there leaving comments and interacting with others. You can also do giveaways, include the right SEO, and attend blogging conferences where you can team up with other bloggers and present a unified front. Really, the ideas go on and on.

If you’re serious about growing your blog, you should spend half your time writing and the other half going out and getting your readers. Depending on how long it takes you to craft a blog post, this could be tricky. But if it takes you an hour to write a post, you may want to spend an afternoon knocking a bunch out and then 30 or 45 minutes every day, going out and interacting with your potential audience.

Melissa asks: We see many big name authors supplementing their income by self-publishing titles themselves along with their traditional books, at what point do you think authors should consider this route? Do you think it will harm their career or enhance it?

I think this is a great idea if they do it right and are willing to pay for a great cover, great edit, etc. Too many authors dial it in. It needs to be professionally done, but then they also need to realize that in order for the book to be a success, they need to promote it like crazy—no one is going to stumble upon the book on a store shelf. And of course they also need to make sure that epublishing won’t violate any contracts they have with publishers.

Anne asks: Please comment on how the rapid changes in publishing, stimulated by e-publishing, have affected quality, increased competition, and whether this necessitates amp-ing it up with a paid edit before submission.

There’s a lot more competition all around, but I don’t think paying an editor to clean up your manuscript is the solution. I think hunkering down and truly learning the craft and taking time with your ms is where it’s at. Too many authors want to write only one or two drafts and then be done. The business requires more than that these days…especially if you’re a debut author.

C asks: I’ve had five commercially-published romance novels and I can’t seem to get another contract. Would you recommend my self-publishing some e-books (romance novellas)?

Absolutely. You don’t want to lose your current readership, and you need to make money. If your agent supports it, I think this is a great option. But don’t do it flippantly. Be serious about it, because if your sales are strong enough this could help you get back in with a traditional house.

Jeremy asks: I’ve been looking for an agent for my first ms via the query method with no success.  I have been thinking about going to a conference, but the cost is quite high.  Is there any other way to acquire an agent for the Christian Market?  Are conferences worth the expense?

Conferences are absolutely worth the expense, and there are so many that there’s probably one relatively close to you. It’s only at a conference that I can truly feel comfortable with the authors who are pitching me, and I’m much more likely to sign someone after meeting them at a conference than if I were to simply read a query from them. It’s that face-to-face aspect that changes everything.

Greg asks: It seems that literary agents are very busy and as a first time author how do we get their attention?

Try to attend a conference or see if we’re active on Twitter and other social media sites. But still…conferences are where it’s at.

Jane asks: I heard a popular author say that you don’t have to be a GREAT writer, just persistent. Do you agree or disagree?

If we’re talking about having a traditional publishing career, then I disagree. Editors have a lot on their plate, and more and more they’re looking for projects that require minimal edits. There will always be exceptions to the rule, but overall, a GREAT manuscript has much more potential than a so-so manuscript written by a persistent author.

*Note: MacGregor Literary is not profiting from this reccomendation nor is this an affiliate link. We only recoomend GET PUBLISHED because we truly believe in it’s impact as a resource for authors and because of the vast knowledge that Michael Hyatt provides.

Amanda Luedeke is a literary agent with MacGregor Literary. Every Thursday, she posts about growing your author platform. You can follow her on Twitter @amandaluedeke or join her Facebook group to stay current with her wheelings and dealings as an agent. Her author marketing book, The Extroverted Writer, is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

In the spirit of full disclosure (because that’s what I feel Thursday’s with Amanda are all about), I figured it would be helpful to demystify Amazon’s Sales Ranking system. Well, okay…it’s AMAZON, so we can’t completely demystify it, but I think there are some clues that if every author knew them, it would make the whole thing less confusing and more do-able from a marketing perspective.

We all know that the sales ranking is an indication of how well a book is selling on Amazon in comparison to all of the other books sold on Amazon. Okay, that part is easy enough.

And we also know that the top 100 rankings show up on a special list. Furthermore, we know that there are lists for each category, and a book can rank in THOSE top 100 lists without ranking in the big one. And we know that a book that appears on a top 100 list (ESPECIALLY the main top 100 list), will get more attention and lead to more sales.

Again, this is pretty basic stuff.

What isn’t as easy to determine, is HOW MANY BOOKS DOES AN AUTHOR NEED TO SELL TO GET INTO THE TOP 100? Heck, how many do they need to sell to get into the thousands? The ten thousands?

Here’s where I get very transparent with you, folks. So brace yourself, because I’m about to throw myself and my book out there to the wolves.

My book, The Extroverted Writer, was e-published on March 15. I did a soft launch, because I knew I’d be super busy, and plus, the conference season doesn’t really start until April. So, knowing I’d do a much stronger push come April, but also knowing that book release week is one of the few windows of time in which you can do a hard sell, here’s what I did…

1. I announced the book on my Facebook page.

2. I announced the book twice (I think) on Twitter.

3. I appeared on the Spacefreighters Lounge blog on March 18.

4. I announced the book’s release on this here blog and enlisted your help on March 21.

5. I asked my authors beforehand to Tweet and review the book as they were able (with zero pressure to do either, of course).

And here’s how those couple weeks have gone…

Out of the gate, my sales ranking hovered in the 20- and 30,000s. It dipped during the weekend, but when the blog post hit, it was right back up there. It stayed there for the rest of that first week, as Tweets went out and all of you gave a helping hand (THANK YOU!).

Now are you ready for the truth?

In that first week, I sold less than 100 books.

So what does this tell us?

For a book priced at $4.99, apparently it doesn’t take all that much to get a decent ranking.

Now, this past week, in which I haven’t done much to promote the book at all, I’ve been selling about 1-2 books a day. And my rank? I hover in the 60- and 80,000s.

Again, not too shabby for such small sales numbers.

So why am I telling you this? Why am I baring my soul and my “meh” sales numbers?

I think it’s a wakeup call. It shows that you don’t need to sell millions of books to position well on Amazon. 

Next month, I have about 5 blog posts lined up, along with a webinar, a writer’s conference, and I’ll probably be doing a Facebook promo campaign. So next month, I’ll be seeing whether I can break into the 10,000 ranking range…and again, it’s not as difficult as you may think.

In my experience helping authors do ebooks (a service we offer our authors), I’ve noticed three very valuable things that I’m taking to the bank:

1. Once a book sells 300-400 copies, Amazon begins helping your efforts by recommending the book much more. I’ve seen this double sales by the following month nearly every time.

2. A book with a ranking of 5,000 or so is likely selling 500-800 books per month. That’s not impossible to achieve no matter who you are.

3. Most authors, when they sell 1,000 or so books in a month, they start to give up. They figure they’ve done their part, and now it’s time to sit back and enjoy the ride. Or life gets in the way and their marketing plans become optional.  And that’s when their sales immediately start to fall, meaning Amazon really is a top of mind type of deal. People buy your book depending on how aware they are of it. If you fall off the radar with your marketing, they’ll stop buying it.

Because my book is an ebook that I published myself, I have all the time in the world. I can choose my promo months and schedule it out for what works for me. But any author working with a traditional publisher doesn’t have that luxury. You need to hit the ground running the moment your book releases, and you shouldn’t stop for a breath until 6 months out, when your publisher is beginning to gather and analyze sales info.

A hard truth, but after seeing these numbers…after seeing how it’s really not that hard to make a good impression on Amazon…The whole thing seems a bit less daunting and impossible, doesn’t it? I know it does for me.

Because I KNOW I can sell 300 books in a month. Three hundred books, being the tip of the iceberg.

Do you KNOW the same thing? Do you believe you can do it?

Thinking about that first all-day writing workshop I was paid to speak at still makes me cringe. I don’t know how the organizer found out about me, but she invited me to speak, and made me sound really good in the glossy colored brochures she printed.  This workshop was going to draw a crowd.  We might have to add more chairs to the hotel’s conference room.

What a disappointment when the day before the event, she was begging people to come, even letting them in for free.  These people had no idea who I was and the big bucks the organizer was charging was too much for those she had targeted. I know that in the end, the only big thing about the workshop was that she lost big money.

But that experience taught me. Ten years later as I set out to conduct my own all-day writing workshops, I had that first workshop experience in mind.  I focused on what the organizer had done right and especially on what she had done wrong. They say bad experience is a good teacher— or something like that. Some thoughts on creating a good workshop…

Plan in advance – Don’t think of an idea and then have a workshop the next Saturday.  Plan at least three to four months ahead. A Saturday far from any holiday is good. Avoid the Christmas or New Year season. Ask potential attendees to choose between two or three dates that suit them best. Spend hours working on all aspects of the workshop. Will you serve lunch? Snacks? Coffee?

Book a choice location – This should be easily accessible. Where I live, I like the Hampton Inn and Suites in Raleigh, North Carolina, for a variety of reasons from the inviting lounge to the cushioned chairs in the conference room to the mints they place in bowls at each table to the outdoor garden where attendees can write during one of the silent sessions. Don’t select a location without first checking it out and asking yourself if the participants will appreciate it.

Advertise – This doesn’t have to cost a lot. Craigslist, Facebook, your own website, and blogs are obvious places to promote your upcoming event. You can guest post on other’s sites by providing an informative article on whatever your workshop is about. Target groups that can benefit most from your workshop. My workshops are for those experiencing heartache in their lives, so I post at parental bereavement groups and within my own circle of friends who have lost a child as I have.

The right price – You need to make some money. Even if you love facilitating writing workshops, there is nothing wrong with earning money. In fact, if you are going to look at facilitating workshops on a regular basis, you need to take something home and not just break even. Look around to see what others are charging for what you are offering and price accordingly.

Agenda – The titles of your sessions need to speak to the needs of the people attending. Often the thing that convinces someone to attend is the specific titles you’ll be offering in your workshop. As well as making the day full of value for each attendee, be sure to allow time for potty breaks and snacks. (I like to have plenty of dishes of chocolate because I feel chocolate always bring out creativity.)

Be open – Flexibility, I tell myself. Which is more important: To get through every detail of my outline or to allow for conversation during my presentation?  I often tailor the last segment of my workshop to make sure I meet the needs of the attendees. Some are interested in getting their work published, while others only want to write for healing and hope for themselves. My last Journey through Life’s Losses workshop went overtime due to the many questions the attendees had for me about how to get published. That’s when I went home and created another all-day workshop, solely for writers desiring to sell.

Prayer – You may not agree with this, but in my area of expertise I’ve found that spending time praying over those registered for a workshop is vital.  Each day before the event, I pray that their goals for attending the workshop will be met.  Of course, if you are going to serve a catered lunch, you might want to pray that the food arrives on time!

I love the gift of writing and how it can be used to unleash the gravity of anguish and sorrow.  I would be thrilled to hold a writing workshop at least once a month. Every day I remind myself that I think I’ve got a great idea, and I want to share it with others.  I feel I was born to conduct workshops, and perhaps one day those doors will open.  Right now, I am grateful for the four or five events I conduct a year.

Alice J. Wisler is the award-winning author of five inspirational novels, two cookbooks and one devotional.  She’s represented by the MacGregor Literary Agency.  Read more about her Journey through Life’s Losses and Write to Create (brand new for aspiring writers) workshops at her website:  http://www.alicewisler.com. Her next workshops are in Raleigh on June 15 and July 27. 

Amanda Luedeke is a literary agent with MacGregor Literary. Every Thursday, she posts about growing your author platform. You can follow her on Twitter @amandaluedeke or join her Facebook group to stay current with her wheelings and dealings as an agent.

Alright, all of you Thursdays with Amanda fans out there! I’ve got something for you…

Each week I try to tackle the big, bad topic of how to build an author platform. We’ve looked at Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, blogs, websites, and more, and the backlist of posts has become quite daunting and difficult to search.

SO to put an end to the madness and help all of you navigate the tips, rules, and tricks we’ve discussed on our Thursdays get-togethers, I’ve released an ebook.

THE EXTROVERTED WRITER: An Author’s Guide to Marketing and Building a Platform is a compilation of my Thursdays with Amanda posts PLUS a bunch of great new content (new content includes LinkedIn, strategies for building a Twitter following, how to identify your audience, and more). All in a shiny digital package! Categorized, organized, and hopefully quite navigable, this little ebook is perfect for those who have come to love my weekly blog posts.

Here’s an excerpt from the chapter on knowing your audience:

How to Find Your Audience

All right, enough theory. Let’s get practical. How do you take a book that is loved by everyone and your mother and find its basic readership—those who are most inclined to shell out fifteen dollars to buy it (or those who are most inclined to get their parents to shell out fifteen dollars)?

First, you must identify other movies or books or plays that are similar to your work. So, go to the bookstore or get online and put on your researcher jeans.

The first similarity should be genre. Match mysteries with mysteries, cozy mysteries with cozy mysteries, police procedurals with police procedurals, and so on. Pay specific attention to where these books are shelved. For example, Nancy Drew is a mystery series, but it’s shelved over in the children’s section, making it a juvenile mystery fiction series. You wouldn’t compare readers of Nancy Drew with readers of Agatha Christie (even though Agatha Christie readers most likely read Nancy Drew in their youth). 

The second similarity should have to do with main characters. Match female, upper teen leads with other female, upper teen leads. Match male, mid-fifties leads with other male, mid-fifties leads. This will help you narrow your comparison search. Like the Nancy Drew series, the Hardy Boys is a similar mystery series for children, but it has male protagonists. Therefore, if your children’s mystery had a female lead, you could exclude the Hardy Boys from your list of similar titles. The two series are near identical in many ways, but their audiences are different. You need to only concern yourself with finding the best possible matches you can.

Once you’ve come up with a list of projects that are similar to your own, try out one of these methods to identify and profile your readership. (Yes, we’re getting uber technical at this point.) …

THE EXTROVERTED WRITER is available from:

AMAZON

BARNES AND NOBLE

SMASHWORDS (for all other ereader devices)

Now, here’s where I ask for a favor…will you help me spread the word about my book? Here are some things you can do for me:

1. Write reviews on Amazon.com and BN.com

2. Tweet and share this blog post! (You can do that by clicking the social media icons below).

3. Feature me on any writing blogs you may be in touch with (email me)

4. Tweet and share about the book. Here are some Tweets you can use…just add to the Tweet one of the links I provide above (Amazon, Smashwords, etc), and you’re good to go!

Great new book on #authormarketing! Highly recommended for new writers and old pro’s #bookmarketing #ExtrovertedWriter

I’m ready to get my author marketing under control! Can’t wait to read the #ExtrovertedWriter

Hey authors! Highly recommend this book on #authormarketing. It looks at Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and more

And for MORE Extroverted Writer chatter, check out this interview.

Thank you all for making Thursdays with Amanda a GREAT place to blog!

I’ve been trying to catch up on questions people sent in about writing and publishing. For example, one writer wants to know, “Do I need both a website AND a blog? Or will just a website do?”

That’s like asking, “Do I need to wear black to the meeting, or is color okay?” Depends on the meeting. For an author, it depends on your book and your audience. If you’re an author covering a current topic, you probably need to have a blog where you’re sharing cutting-edge information. If you’re a novelist who just wants readers to get to know you, maybe a basic website is enough. Think of the purpose of each — a site is to introduce you and share basic information; a blog is to interact with others. So there’s a lesson here: The growth of the web offers you the chance to market your self and your book without having to rely on the old notions of “platform” — you don’t have to have a syndicated radio show, host a television talk show, or have a huge speaking schedule. Relying on social media can help you build a platform by creating a big network of online friends.

I’d love to hear from some authors on this topic… Do you have a blog as well as a website? Which has proven most helpful to you in promoting your books?

Another author wrote this: “Is it important for an author to be involved in Facebook and Twitter? I HATE Twitter!

Yeah, I know what you mean. I’ve rolled my eyes too many time at tweets from people telling me “We had fish for dinner!” and “Petey got a new haircut.” What you’re trying to do with social media is to expand your network of friends, so you want your interactions to be informative, interesting, and, probably, thought-provoking. But let’s face it, we talk with friends about dinners and haircuts. So just acknowledge the dumb stuff comes with the territory. A better way to think about Twitter is that you’re trying to discover people who share your interests, so that you can get to know them, interact with them, and, eventually, talk with them about your book. That’s why I always say to authors they need to offer strong content on their blogs. I don’t care if you want to tell me about your new shoes, but eventually share something of value on the topic. Remember, the purpose of effective marketing is not just to “let people know I have a book out,” but to move people to action and get them to buy your book. 

 I had several writers ask, “Are book trailers helpful for nonfiction, or just for fiction titles?”

I would think they’d be helpful for fiction or nonfiction, if they were done well. [Finally! A short answer!] My problem: Many are awful.

And that leads to this question, which also came in various versions from several people: “I keep hearing about book trailers as marketing tools. I’ve watched a few, but most have been so corny they did NOT encourage me to read the book. In your opinion, how successful are book trailers for marketing books?”

To be honest, the majority of book trailers I’ve seen are boring and amateurish. They are usually based on “image” advertising rather than “decision” advertising — that is, they are trying to help establish a brand, rather than urging readers to buy a copy of the book. That’s an expensive way to market, and it relies on repeated exposures, which most authors aren’t going to get. In my view, too many book trailers are put together by people who watch too much TV, so they look like mini-TV commercials, and I’d rather chew an entire roll of tin foil than watch more dopey TV commercials. So I haven’t been a fan. BUT I think the concept is sound, if the creators would put together something that touched my emotions and moved me to a decision. A good trailer either needs to give me a reason to purchase a book right now (“You need to lose ten pounds — this book will help you do that in the next sixty days”), or it needs to be funny or heartbreaking or reminiscent or memorable in some way, so that it gets onto YouTube and goes viral. If everybody is watching it and enjoying the story, then you’d have a book trailer that actually helped your title. Again, having a clear plan for what you want to accomplish with your trailer is key. And in my experience, most book trailers don’t work because they will never be seen by readers. 

Finally, I had an experienced author send me this: “A new study says that books from traditional publishers declined by 3% last year, while self-published digital titles jumped something like 132%. Are books going the way of music, with the creators demanding speedier turnaround times, more control, and more per-unit profits?”

Yeah, I think we all know that’s exactly the direction we’re heading (though I believe the digital numbers have been up artificially high because most authors have suddenly discovered how to use ebook technology). Why are we going that way? Because there’s so much more money to be made self-publishing. Look at the numbers — a $22 hardcover will make the author a bit more than two bucks per book through a regular, royalty-paying publisher. But that same $22 hardcover that is self-published and sold as print-on-demand book directly from the author will earn him somewhere between ten and fifteen dollars per book, and the ebook that sells for ten bucks will earn the author seven dollars. That’s a big difference… but only to an author who has a sales channel.  If you can’t actually market and sell your book, you make nothing with either system. (Remember, a few years ago Stephen King tried direct-selling a novel by emailing it chapter-by-chapter to subscribers. It didn’t do much, but King was probably just ahead of his time.) The idea of creating your own book and selling it directly to consumers is enticing to authors looking to make more money. The problem is that many authors don’t know how to  market, or don’t have a big enough following to actually sell enough copies of the book for it to make big money. So the distribution offered by traditional publishers, as well as the marketing and sales know-how they bring to the process, will continue to make a difference for writers. Are we seeing some authors self-publish and make real money? Sure we are, and I’m all for it. But check the numbers — for every author who self-publishes and makes a good chunk of change, there’s a huge pool of other authors who self-pubbed and made nothing. 

I’m not at all suggesting authors should therefore stay away from self-publishing. In fact, I think authors need to consider having a combination of self-publshed and traditionally-published titles in order to make a living. I’m just not buying into the whole “you can self-publish your books and make a million dollar” line of bull that’s being pushed by some people on the web. They sound like Amway salesmen of the 80′s — “Just sign up, then sign up your friends, then they’ll sign up more friends, and soon the money will be rolling in…” The age of multi-level marketing came and went, and it became clear there was no miracle to making money — good salespeople who had good products frequently made money, while the vast majority who participated did not. We’re in the same spot with ebooks right now.

But I posted this question because the author linked book publishing to the music industry, and that offers a cautionary tale. Everyone became their own music producer, prices fell, the technology changed, a bunch of valuable property was given away for nothing, and soon the only people making a living at music were the mega-stars who could count on going on tour and selling a lot of expensive tickets. Book publishers have watched that and tried to learn lessons from the failures of the music industry… Lessons such as “quality still matters” and “use freebies to draw in readers but don’t give away all your content” and “stay up on technology” and “learn to engage readers personally: and maintain a plan for marketing and selling products so that you make money.”  That’s where the future is taking us.

A writer got in touch and asked, “Since it seems like anyone can get a book published today through self-publishers, how do I make sure my book gets the needed exposure?”

As I’ve noted several times on this blog, the key principle for anybody doing marketing of their own book is simple: Figure out where your potential readers are going, then go stand in front of them. If you’re doing a book on lowering cholesterol, research to find out what websites people with high cholesterol are visiting, what blogs they’re reading, what magazines and e-zines they’re checking out, what the most popular sites for information sharing are. That’s the first step. The second is to get yourself involved with those venues. That will get you started on marketing. (And be sure to read Amanda’s Thursday blog posts, which are filled with good, practical ideas to help you move forward in your marketing abilities.) 

Now you have the tools you need to create a plan. You’ve got a list of the places people who are interested in your topic are going online, and you’ve got a list of ways you can try and get involved in those sites (by writing articles, doing reviews, creating an interview, offering a chapter of your book, etc). The next step is to start the hard work of getting your words out there.

On a related note, someone wrote these words: “You have frequently told authors to find out where the potential readers are, then go get in front of them. How can an author find the target audience for his book?”

Research, my friend. It will take time, but start checking out key words and topics. Find other books and sites that cover similar material and check them out. Start doing reviews on Amazon and GoodReads. Get involved with Pinterest and Flickr. Create online bookmarks. Join Facebook and Twitter. Begin researching your topic and you’ll soon discover interesting sites, as well as finding yourself steered toward other places people go. This takes time — there’s no hurry-up formula for getting this information. But the key is to have multiple venues for finding new friends, and see the whole process as “participation,” not just “promotion.” 

Another writer sent in this interesting note: “Is teaching at a writers’ conference a good way to help market my book? I was just asked by a big conference to show up, teach two workshops, critique manuscripts, meet with a bunch of authors in one-on-ones, and help out as needed. It sounded like fun — BUT the invitation noted that I had to pay my own way, pay the conference fee to attend, and pay for my room and board. They’re offering me a stipend that will cover a portion of that expense, but I’d still owe them more than $400, plus my travel. Is that fair?”

I actually wrote to the person privately, to make sure she wasn’t pulling my leg. Sure enough, a writers’ conference sent her a note, inviting her to be on faculty but explaining that she’d actually have to pay hundreds of dollars to participate. Um… you have GOT to be kidding me. I think a writing conference is a great place to network and let everybody know about your new book. But if it costs you $500 and they’re going to wear you out as a faculty member, you might find a more useful venue for your five bills. Yeesh. 

Finally, someone asked me, “Should I seek endorsements before I send my manuscript to a publisher?”

If you can get some great endorsements for your manuscript, by all means do so. The fact that a bestselling author or a recognizable celebrity is saying nice things about your book can’t hurt. But remember that an endorsement has to be by someone recognizable — a celebrity, speaker, author, recognized expert, etc. It can’t be from some friend of yours nobody had heard of, or from your pastor, or your mom. Those types of endorsements scream “AMATEUR,” and make editors roll their eyes. 

[And an editorial note: After posting this, a longtime writing friend wrote me to say, "Please re-think your answer. I'm a bestselling author, and I get inundated with requests to spend time reading and responding to a project that may never get published. And it's possible the editor who is reading the proposal has never heard of me -- an embarrassing situation for the prospective author." My response: Fair enough. I'd say if you are not already relatively good friends with the bestselling author, then asking them to read and endorse your book may be unfair, even unwise. Perhaps you could say something such as, "If contracted, I could reasonably get endorsements from..." But if it's a mentor of yours, or someone you've been involved with for a long time, I'd still say it's worthwhile asking. They can always say no.]

We’re in the midst of catching up on a backlog of questions I thought I could respond to with short answers — so if you’ve got a question you’ve always wanted to ask an agent, sent it along and I”ll try to get to it.