Hello! I have Amanda Tero here to talk about building relationships with your readers. This is one of the best parts of "marketing" out there. It is my favorite thing when my readers become my friends, and - almost even better - when they become friends with each other.
So a note as me, as an author, to you readers - don't be afraid to approach me. I love talking to you.
I met Amanda through a blog party last year, and got to know her in the Black Friday sale, as I had stepped up to help run that. I've, unfortunately, not read any of her books yet, but I have
Journey to Love on my computer, and I
really want to read "Befriending the Beast." (This is coming from someone who is typically indifferent to B&B retellings - but I love the twist in her version and want to see how it plays out.)
Find her on the interwebs:
Marketing
and I have a serious love-hate relationship. It is likely that any other writer in this e-con could give you way better marketing tips than I could dream of (I’ll probably be taking notes and applying things to myself). So I’m not going to write about marketing (whew! Huge sigh of relief). I honestly can’t even tell you which promos I’ve done that have helped, and which ones have not. But I can
tell you a list of friends I’ve made while writing.
One thing that my parents have ingrained in me throughout the years is that life is not about money, but about relationships. This has been priceless when it comes to being an author. In just two years, I have met so many authors who are a "step ahead" of me that have been willing to answer my 1,001
questions and give me pointers. One author has basically become my "writing mentor" (I didn’t have to sign up anywhere to find one; she volunteered some information about the Civil War and next thing I knew, she was giving me sound advice for my non-Civil War novella). But then, I’ve met other authors: those who are stand-offish and short (Now, before I judge these people, I know that some of this is because of personality [most authors are shy introverts] or caution [the web isn’t the safest place; not everyone is who they say they are, so I do advise young writers to be cautious with who they friend and talk with—and I highly encourage you to get your parents involved]) or they are in-your-face, “Don’t you want to read/buy/help my book?”
When it comes down to it, what kind of author am I? Friendly? “Don’t-talk-to-me?” Business-only? I don’t know about you, but I want to be a friendly author.
Being a friendly author just might encourage someone to buy my books, but that’s not the main reason I want to be friendly. I have discovered that if I’m willing to take the time and answer questions of upcoming authors (believe it or not, now I’m a “step-ahead” of some writers!), it then opens doors to a friendship and conversations other writing. I cannot assume that every person who contacts me has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I not only want to help authors in their
writing craft, but more importantly, with their relationship with Christ. To me, that is worth far more than selling a few thousand words.
So, now that you (hopefully) want to be a friendly writer, maybe you’re wondering where to connect. I grin, because I kind of “fell” into the whole author-connect thing (actually, I really believe that God just pushed me in). I have found a few main places that help meet my goal of being a friendly writer:
· Goodreads (First, I “friended” a mutual friend of someone I knew, started reading their reviews, realized we shared similar reading convictions, next thing you know, we’re emailing regularly)
· FaceBook (there are several great author groups on FB, and several times, I have gone from asking a question to private messaging an author and then becoming friends)
· Blogs (by writers, readers, etc.; like Goodreads and FaceBook, it’s possible to go from commenting to personal messaging)
And then, there is the whole interacting side. This part has been fun:
· Doing book reviews (not by big publishing houses, but by individual authors, interviewing them, and replying with, "I found we're similar here.")
· Asking interactive questions (on my blog and on Instagram—with both places, I have gotten to know many lovely young ladies)
· Being available (this to me is the hardest, as I do live a busy life; but when someone emails me, do I ignore it or do I reply? And when I reply, do I use condescending tones like I'm talking to a 6-year old, or do I write to them on my level, warmly, and with that Southern hospitality I've been raised with?)
Now that you’ve read about all that interaction, here are some questions to ponder…and answer—no pressure, really ;) …
How have you treated your writing journey as a way to build relationships? What things have worked for you? What hasn’t worked?
~*~*~*~
Amanda Tero is a
homeschool graduate who desires to provide God-honoring, family-friendly reading material. She has enjoyed writing since before ten years old, but it has only been since 2013 that she began seriously pursuing writing again – starting with some short stories that she wrote for her sisters as a gift. Her mom encouraged her to try selling the stories she published, and since then, she has begun actively writing short stories, novellas, and novels. If something she has written draws an individual into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, it is worth it!
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)
