Is paying for 'social media' marketing worth it?

Hi!
wow! I'm not sure I've had that much good advice and cheerful feedback for a while - thanks. I really do appreciate it.

I hadn't considered the whole 'brand' v's 'product' problem before (the difference between myself and the book) and I totally see what you mean. I love that you have the positivety to think that this might 'go forwards' at some point one day and expand(!) . . . . . as it happens I've had an idea for a sequel . . . . . . . . .

1) I have been trying to tweet and post things regularly; every day or if not every other day - but do you really think this should be more like twice a day? . . . . . I'm very cautious of bombarding people and 'turning them off'. Also, do you think I'm better off being consistent here (and sticking with uploading 'extracts' of text) or am I better coming up with novel ways of getting people's attentions (like a short video based on the concept or competitions).

2) I'm trying my best to get 2-way communications going but I'm finding it hard to get people to leave feedback, advice, comments etc. (Again I was wondering if a competition of some kind might help)

3) My partner (and business manager) keeps telling me to be more patient when it comes to building up a following/community. I suppose I'm a little impatient as I just want to see the book published and the idea 'out there' . . . . . but I totally take the point that this won't be successful without the required fan-base & 'following'.

It's almost encouraging to hear that the 'payed model' of publicity isn't worth it - it makes me feel like the leg work I'm putting in at this point might actually be worth it(!)

Thanks you SOOOOO much for the advice and don't apologise(!) I'm truly grateful!! I'm really encouraged to hear that you like the concept for the book itself; if you'd like to give feedback (and thus help me out with the problem there) there's a facebook page at [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009398528188] and I'd really appreciate it.

 

fantastic idea - I'll check it out.
thanks

 

glad it was helpful. For your questions

When you make the move to you being the brand and the book being the product i think it will open up what you can tweet about. I personally dont think you should spend to much time on the book specifically right now. Provide updates like when you get cover art or when a passage is available. that said until it gets closer to launch day and you start to have reviews, feedback, and promotion to talk about there is a limited amount of information that you can share. I would say book specific updates at this point should be 1 every week to two weeks.

What you should be focusing on is yourself as an author and try and get a conversation going with the type of people who may be interested in the themes of the book. An idea that popped into my head is that since you are obviously very interested in dreams and their symbolism it might be cool to do quick fun break downs of peoples dreams. Id start by analyzing "friends" dream (that you can make up), or famous movie dream. Once you've done a few then call for people to tweet their dreams at you and you can give them the quick 140 character breakdown. The Key is to keep it lighthearted and fun...and maybe even turn it back on yourself every now and then and give your followers the chance to analyse your dreams.

Thats just an idea that I spent very little time flushing out, so take it for what it is, a jumping off point.

The main thing im trying to relay is that your social presence should be a reflection of you, not just the book. Margaret Atwood tweets about the environment, breaks down the lyrics of the song "american pie", and talks about the English Royal family. Neil Gaiman tweets about bad flights, tech articles, and police violence (i don't recommend going political). John Green tweets his youtube videos, favorite video games, and commentary on political issues (maybe im worng on politics...im not as smart as the people and they seem to have success with it). All these authors spend some time on their books, but spend more time talking about all the stuff they are passionate about.

You are more than the book that you have written, and you will have much more success if you are a multifaceted presence on your social media. This should be fun, so enjoy it. I think you'd find that most of the authors that have huge social media followings really love to engage with their fans on these sites.

 

Haha, well im glad to hear that.

So i guess some background on me. By day im a Consultant for digital companies in their early stages of funding. That pays my bills but doesn't fill my creative side. For that i get my fix a few different ways. I do standup comedy, nothing huge, but ive had a few 100+ audience shows and showcases. I do youtube parody videos and comedy bits with a couple comedian friends of mine, and i write freelance article for various comedy and tech sites. Each of those pay a bit of money but i have no reliance on that income. I do it because i enjoy it. If i could grow it large enough, id maybe take a shot at doing it full time, but im not sure im ready for the financial hit i would need to take to make that jump.

As for why im here, i started writing my first Novel a couple months ago and came here to see some of the common questions, tips, and ways i could improve my story. I specifically needed some help in getting away from script style writing, and into a much more descriptive and detail manuscript. I am planning on posting some excerpts on here for review once i am able. If i ever get to a point where i'm submitting my idea to agents im hoping that having a strong follower base on twitter and youtube will help push me over the top...at the very least it can hurt me.

Anyway, when i saw this question i figured i had some insight into social promotion that may be helpful.

 

It's worth noting you probably find this to be true because you're targeting people on YouTube and Twitter. They've self-selected to like those more than e-mail.

Personally, I'm rubbish at video, but I write great e-mails. So I attract people who like getting stuff through e-mail.

Your point about doing the marketing that you WILL do is solid, and probably the most sensible advice anyone can give here. But if the OP isn't sure what she'll do and is in the process of working this out, I'd suggest finding where people who like her books hang out, and try that first. It's always easier to go to your audience rather than trying to make them come to you.

On the politics thing, it's polarising. It costs you a chunk of your potential audience and in return makes the people who agree with you like you that much more. Being polarising is rarely a bad thing when you're trying to build an audience, but if you're going to do it, try to be entertaining about it. People start reading your updates because they've been pointed your way; they keep reading them because they're fun.

 

Notoriety is always a plus. Milk it! A publisher would certainly take that into account.

I'm looking down the road here. No matter if a publisher picks you up or not, are you willing to go it alone and self publish? You have the chops for it. I'm just thinking how well emails can help sell to your audience down the road. That option does work well. And if your audience relates to you visually, perhaps they might need to relate differently to your book. My answer: (wait for it) email! With email you can write to them, they read you, you explain with words, you relate in a new way. Just a thought. But, I'm so old school, your methods might have that covered in a way I know nothing about.

 

I don't hate your Sereph image, but it's not something that sticks in one's head. If you are going to stick with this symbol you need to consider, does the image sell? I would suggest not in the way you currently have it. There is no color, the wings don't look finished. Have you thought of trying different options?

 

Thanks for the feedback - always useful!
I've actually contacted an illustrator (who I know through a friend) who has a very Quentin Blake style . . . . . .the problem is I can't afford to pay his fee until the money starts flowing (which I can't really do until the book's published): it's the greatest catch 22 that I've found myself if during this whole process.
I totally agree that a GOOD image is a must and I want it to be associated with the book and website etc but, as I say, I can't afford to pay for the images until there's revenue flowing and I can't o that without releasing something (which has images already in it) . . . . . . . any advice would be appreciated

 

I have put a sub-page on the website regarding me; but maybe I can make it more prominent and put more emphasis on myself using twitter & FB page etc. I've tried to do this to a certain extent but I totally see what you're getting at and maybe I could do much more to make sure people buy into me rather than just the book itself (esp. if it's going to help with any further books etc).

I LOVE the idea of dream analysis and telling people what their Seraphs might be saying . . . . (I shall definitely be stealing that one) . . . . . . . . . . would you like to be a volunteer

thanks

 

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One thought could be to look for something old enough to be out of copyright--a photograph, book illustration, something. You'd have to be Very Very Extra Sure that you're not violating either copyright or trademark, but it's a possibility.

Continuing with the photograph idea, what about a photograph that you take of some object that, again, has no copyright or trademark issues? For example, if a doll played a part in a book, I could make a rag doll (of my own design, because I wouldn't want to even consider possible issues with a commercial pattern) and photograph it. If a particular flower could be seen as related to the plot, a photograph of that could be used. This would, of course, still require some artistic talent, but if you're unable to draw and you take decent photos, maybe you could achieve a better "good enough."

There are various sites with public domain images, of course, but I wouldn't want to tie my finances to someone else's evaluation of public domain.

 

The problem is unless you have a product people that interests people you aren't going have any revenue flowing in. If you really believe in your work you need to invest now really. Why not offer the illustrater a small percentage of any royalties. That way it's in their interests that your book's successful and as they're invested they'll probably help advertise too. I dont know why more authors dont do this.

 

No! Never! Don't do it. Its a waste of money. Trust.