Writers write - right?
Silly me, that's what I used to think. And I know it's still the most important thing. You need to write the best book you can and when you finish it you write another book. But in this day a writer needs to do so much more. If you're a New York times best seller you may not need to do as much as other authors. But whether you're published by a top publisher, a small press publisher or you're an Indie author you need to do a lot of your own Public Relations (PR).
You need to be on social media. Let's start with Facebook. You're supposed to post at least once or twice a day. One blog I read the author said she spent about 3 hours a day on Facebook - reading all the posts and responding and making friends. (Gulp!)
Then there's Twitter. It's fairly quick, but it's said you should post 4 times a day.
You should have a website which you update yourself or have someone update for you.
Some people say you should have a newsletter. So how often do you write and send one out - monthly, every 3 months?
Then you need a Blog. And the importance of a Blog is to post regularly. I'm not sure how often that is - daily? 2 or 3 times a week? It may not be a long Blog but it still takes time and then you need to reply to comments. (By the way, I love the comments and sometimes people often wonderful suggestions that I try or pass on. And I love hearing what people think.)
You also need to check other blogs and maybe comment.
Whew! I'm already exhausted and there's still more I need to do.
I need to join online groups to get information and even assistance to my writing and publishing.
And I need to read books. I'd like to read more and maybe post a short review on some of them. (in my spare time)
Then there's Pinterest and Goodreads. And I know there's some I've missed.
I'm very bad at posting to online loops, although I do tweet and post to Facebook when asked.
I seldom manage Pinterest. And some days I don't have time to check online loops and other blogs.
What about the rest of you?
How do you balance all the additional marketing and PR and write your wonderful books?
If you find the answer, let me know ;) I'm swamped with PR and marketing and often other author's so they'll hopefully scratch my back when I need it as well. Then there's the edits for myself and helping others. Maybe we should clone ourselves ;) Good luck.
ReplyDeleteThanks Andrea. Yeah, that sounds a lot like me. Believe me, if I find a solution I'll let you know.
DeleteWell, I've learned to do without sleep LOL (okay get by on minimal sleep). As I'm currently an aspiring author, I dont' have to do as much as published authors do to promote, but besides working on 3 projects, I do Facebook, Twitter, and a blog on my website. It gets totally crazy, but I've found setting weekly goals (I find satisfaction in marking stuff on lists lol) helps. And, as Andrea mentioned, doing a lot of "paying it forward" for other authors in the hopes that the favor will be returned. I use the timer on my phone a lot to set time frames to work on something. When it goes off, I move on to the next thing. Simple...but it works decently for me most days :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
Hi Nicole, thanks for dropping by. I do lists, but I like the idea of setting a timer and moving on.
ReplyDeleteIt's great that you have a system, Nicole. I think I'm getting there. I manage my own website, which reminds me, it needs to be updated. I try to look at my groups in the morning before I write, but I don't stay on them long or I'll never get any writing done.
ReplyDeleteFacebook & Twitter are new worlds for me. I open my page and here are all these people. For me, it's like walking into a mob and not knowing which way to turn, I get so confused. But I'm learning and hopefully soon I'll be able to navigate both sights like a pro.
Great blog, Beverley!
Hey Rose, It sounds lie you're getting there and you're organized. That's the best way to go. I need to get more organized.
DeleteNot on FB or Twitter as often as I should be. I spend time on yahoo groups, but some days its only 20 minutes. Limiting where you post promo and what you post helps to cut down PR time.
ReplyDeleteYou're so right, Marianne. But then I feel guilty because I'm not supporting other authors who may need likes, comments, etc.
DeleteGreat blog post. I try to take it one step at a time and slowly. Writing is where I focus but sometimes reading, especially when I'm judging contests takes over. I never stay long on the promotional places but do visit them several times a dat - Twitter, Facebook and the promo groups I belong to.
ReplyDeleteThanks Janet. Maybe I should try and visit sites more than once a day but for short periods.
DeleteI'm on yahoo groups, FB, twitter, I blog and have a website. It can be overwhelming, I know.
ReplyDeleteYou also need to have adds, I suggest you look into http://theromancestudio.com/, they're fairly cheap.
You might also look into hiring a promoting company. I suggest http://sensuouspromos.webs.com/ they have great prices. Then you can get back to writing.
Janice~
Adds? That just added to my stress. Promoting company? Now that sounds interesting. I'll check out both the sites you've suggested. Great information. Thanks for posting.
DeleteGreat advice from everyone! I use the timer on my phone too. Don't go without sleep for too long! You will always have something to do. Poco a poco.
ReplyDelete--Kara
Great point Kara.
DeleteI think everyone has wonderful points. We all have so much to do. I'm trying to do it with a full time job. Honestly, I'm feeling down about the amount of work I get done. I have a book that is sitting waiting for me to edit it, but this is also the week of midterms so I come home and do my work/work and let the writing/work slide.
ReplyDeleteHey Melissa, I know that feeling. Life tends to interfere.
DeleteThat's how I was feeling when I wrote this blog. People have posted some great hints. I wish you luck with your editing.
Writing is just a fragment of being an author these days. Thanks for your post, Beverley, it made my head spin but also reminded me of my daily life. My main outlets are Twitter (comfort zone) and yahoo loops. I'd like to get into Pinterest but haven't figured it out yet. I've resolved to write more this year and relegate promo to #2 instead of vice versa. Thanks for all the great tips everyone!
ReplyDeleteHi Gemma, I agree - #1 Write. If we don't write we don't have anything to promo. I find Pinterest takes up too much time (It may be just me). Have a great writing year.
DeleteTrue, Beverley, so true. I'm in the throes of prioritizing my social media/promo endeavors because something has to give time-wise. I've put 'write more' at the top of my list and everything else will find its importance level under that. Being a writer and all that goes with it is not for sissies, that's for sure. ;-)
ReplyDeleteYou're so right, Kaye. Writing isn't for sissies. Good luck on prioritizing. With the hints people have posted, that and a timer is what I'm working on.
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