Author: Dan Blank

The OMG! All The Books! Giveaway- First Steps

This is part of the Bittersweet Book Launch case study, where Dan Blank and Miranda Beverly-Whittemore share the yearlong process of launching her novel. You can view all posts here.

By Miranda Beverly-Whittemore

I’d forgotten how strange it feels to be two months out from publication. I can only liken the experience to sailing toward the home shore at a steady clip, and then, when your destination is in sight, the wind suddenly failing, causing your vessel to become completely becalmed. You know you’re going to get there—you can see home—but it feels as though you never will. It seems as though you’ll just be sitting still, in the middle of a vast body of water, for the rest of your life.

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve felt becalmed. And feeling becalmed, to me, who promised to do everything I possibly could to get the word out about Bittersweet, has been incredibly uncomfortable. Plenty of good is happening for my book, and I have an amazing team at Crown who is steadily and surely getting the good word out, but I’ve never done well with my own idle hands.

And so, a couple weeks ago, when I was texting with my new (and already very good) friend Julia Fierro (whose absorbing novel, Cutting Teeth, comes out the same day as mine, which cements a close bond), and I suggested we might consider putting together a book giveaway for our two books, and she casually mentioned that she is good friends with “a lot” of people whose books are coming out this spring/summer, but that she had no time to organize a big giveaway, and I realized that I am becalmed and I feel like I’ve got nothing but time at the moment, and that Dan Blank is an expert in all things online and that he would probably enjoy organizing the logistics of a huge book giveaway as much as both Julia and I would loathe it, that maybe I had found myself a way to start to paddle toward shore.

(Also, as Dan recently said, I’ve been consciously trying to have my recent outreach projects feel both fun and generous. This idea seemed perfectly positioned at that crossroads.)

The ideas and details fell into place much more quickly than I could have anticipated:

-Between the two of us, Julia and I came up with a list of 29 friends whose books are pubbing between now and August. We researched their titles and pubdates, and agreed to reach out to them once we had settled more about what the giveaway would entail.

-As predicted, Dan was thrilled. He got all excited about legal language and how we’d handle the workflow, and as my eyes glazed over I thanked the heavens that I had the good sense to work with him this year because oh my goodness never in a million years would I be able to handle that very necessary logistical end of things were I doing this on my own.

-Because these writers are Julia’s or my close friends, we immediately knew we wanted the tone of the giveaway to be playful, or friendly, from the image we’d use, to the name of the giveaway, to how we’d feature each author. When we looked at publisher-run giveaways, we found many of them lacked that “personal” connection, a connection that often increases my interest readerly in a book. We wanted to welcome potential readers of any or all of our books into this friendly group, so they’d feel a part of something. I’ve learned this year that when using social media, one of the best strategies one can employ is to make people feel they are a part of something. Generosity begets generosity.

Once we had these three basic cornerstones in place, we knew we had not just an idea on our hands, but a unique, tangible experience that we could be offering. Definitely a better feeling than being becalmed. More on the process of putting together the book giveaway tomorrow!

Who Reads Your Work Matters More Than How Many

In measuring your success as an author, focusing JUST on numbers is a sure way to always feel like crap about yourself. Why? Because there is always someone with more – someone who represents a “next level,” that you have failed to achieve. Someone who has sold more books, has a more popular blog than yours, way more Twitter followers, or who has standing room only at their readings. This article on money addiction illustrates how there can never be enough, in a somewhat terrifying way:

“In my last year on Wall Street my bonus was $3.6 million — and I was angry because it wasn’t big enough.”

An author I’m working with, Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, recently wrote a series of blog posts about how she uses John Truby’s book The Anatomy of Story to outline her novels. (Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 of the series)

How “well” did those blog posts do in terms of page views? Behold:

Not exactly, “going viral,” is it? So, with just dozens of page views each, these posts were a failure, right? A failure, because they didn’t reach a mass audience, right?

Well, the other day, Miranda received this email from John Truby’s office, and this message from John:

“It’s exactly what I intended when I wrote it. It’s also very gratifying to see someone who is obviously a serious novelist get so much benefit from the book.”

John asked if he can share excerpts from Miranda’s posts in his monthly enewsletter which goes out to 15,000 subscribers. I think it’s kind of amazing that if these posts had to reach one person – that John would be it. For him to see how his book has created possibilities in the life of an author. And of course, Miranda wrote these posts in response to writer friends who asked her about her book outlining process. Helping other writers with this posts is another primary audience that she is serving here.

Who she reaches matters more than how many people.

This extends to the entirety of the blog Miranda and I have been collaborating on, which has never had very big traffic, and yet we hear from writers all the time who are finding it incredibly useful. Would it somehow feel nice if suddenly we had 10,000 visitors per day? Sure. Validation like that always feels nice. But is it THE POINT? Nope.

Another author I know, Bill Murphy Jr., recently wrote a piece for Inc. titled “7 Sales Strategy Secrets from an Expert Panhandler.” I read the article when he posted it, but then saw this update on his Facebook page at the end of the day:

Would you rather have 10,000 people read your post, or 14 of the EXACT right people, those who don’t just fit the “ideal audience description,” but actually take the effort to email you regarding your article? That level of engagement is priceless – these are the people who don’t just click on an article and then flit away; they don’t just “consume” the article, but they engage with the ideas within it, and with the author. In other words: it creates an interaction and an experience.

In working with authors, I have recently found many of them are shocked at how hard I push for them to start email newsletters, to begin building their email lists. For one author, I recently said that I would rather see her start a newsletter even before they built their website or started on social media. She couldn’t believe it. Why? Because everywhere she looks, everyone is promoting this idea of “going viral” on social media; the idea that starting out with a tiny email list just seemed old fashioned.

The reason email is so critical is that it represents that one-to-one connection with just the RIGHT people. Again and again I have heard writers say that they will start newsletter lists only AFTER they become popular. And while I won’t say that is “too late,” it does leave a lot of value on the table. Most successful authors I speak to who have really built a grass roots following talk about how critical their email list is to that growth.

Developing an email list also helps writers solve that one huge question mark: “who is my audience,” a question they often struggle with. My advice is always: start now. Start with 10 people – friends, family, colleagues, anyone you know and who may support your writing. Start a weekly newsletter and ask folks if they want to sign up.

I sent my first newsletter out to 10 people back in 2005. It completely changed my career, in the best of ways. What is great about starting with a small manageable number is that you:

  1. Have a clear sense of who you are writing to.
  2. Aren’t crushed under the pressure of having to stand on a stage in front of 1,000 people when you are still finding your voice. That seems to be the fear that many writers express to me when they describe their fear of starting on social media, such as Twitter. It seems too open, too public, and they have some awareness that the world (and the Library of Congress) is watching, waiting for them to say the wrong thing. But starting with just 10 people that you know, that is a bit easier, isn’t it?

What’s also nice is that you can work on doubling that number of subscribers, which can happy rather easily: from 10 to 20, 20 to 40 subscribers, etc.

Another benefit of developing a newsletter list: start with your base – the people you know who are most engaged with your work. Focus on engaging with those who have raised their hand, who have shown up to say “Gee, I kind of like your writing.”

For instance, how often have you seen this scenario: a book reading where only 5 people have shown up, and the person in charge is frantically going outside to encourage more folks to come in, or busy on their cell phone to check to see if people are coming. What they should be doing is spending their time talking to and learning about the 5 AMAZING people who actually did show up! Make the event extra special for them. Buy them cupcakes.

This is certainly something I am keeping in mind as Scott McDowell and I continue to run our monthly meetups for creative professionals in New Jersey. I honestly never know how many people will show up, and I honestly couldn’t care less. Interesting people ALWAYS show up, and whether it is a group of 4 or 20, we have always had lovely conversations – the type where you check your watch and you can’t believe how late it has gotten.

Further reading: The Fallacy of Going Viral.

Thanks!
-Dan

Proof That Social Media Works (Thanks, John Truby!)

This is part of the Bittersweet Book Launch case study, where Dan Blank and Miranda Beverly-Whittemore share the yearlong process of launching her novel. You can view all posts here.

By Miranda Beverly-Whittemore

I want to admit something. It’s about why I’ve been quieter than usual the last few weeks.

Lately, as I’ve gotten closer to publication, I’ve started to feel, well, less and less enthusiastic about social media. I went into this year knowing that I wanted to do everything I possibly could to get the word about Bittersweet into the world, and so I jumped into social media feet first. For the most part, putting myself “out there” has been a very rewarding experience- a great way to connect with potential readers; with writers, who are fueled by the work I’m doing on this website around the marketing process; with the writers who’ve contributed to FriendStories (and the readers who’ve loved reading the FriendStories). It’s also been a great way to keep myself occupied in the long year between selling Bittersweet and its publication.

On a good day, all these extra places I can “be” is an easy pleasure. I flit between Twitter and Facebook, post here on the booklaunch blog, email potential FriendStories authors, and keep my creative work afloat. But I’ve been finding that easy flit harder and harder to balance with the creative work I want and need to be doing.

Also, there’s something strange about an avid online life- it is nigh impossible to turn off. There’s always the chance to do more, always the reminder of missed opportunities. And although it’s a quick way to connect- someone across the country can Tweet at you with the news that they loved your book (a reader you’d never have heard from otherwise)- but for all that connection, there’s often the feeling that you’re just kind of yelling into the void. Months have gone by on this blog when not one single person comments.

Also, there’s something profoundly strange about my writer self- the deepest, tenderest part of me that unfurls into a book. That part of me is profoundly private. She kind of needs a dark room with no one in it in order to step out in all her glory. And it’s hard to trick her to come out with all these other connections being made.

Anyway. Anyway.

Proof came this week that although maybe I need to be thinking more carefully about where I’m connecting and when, I really shouldn’t be giving up altogether.

photo 2-11Remember those posts I wrote about how I use John Truby’s screenwriting bible, The Anatomy of Story, to help me outline a novel? Well, every day I wrote one, I tweeted about it, and included his Twitter handle, @JohnTruby. Lo and behold, yesterday I get an email from someone from John Truby’s office. Turns out he loves how I’m using his book (“It’s exactly what I intended when I wrote it. It’s also very gratifying to see someone who is obviously a serious novelist get so much benefit from the book.”). Turns out he’d like to feature some excerpts from my posts, and mention Bittersweet, in his e-blast that goes out to 15,000 writers at the end of the month!

So that’s pretty cool.

(Excuse me while I go tweet about this post).

A Rave from Booklist!!!

This is part of the Bittersweet Book Launch case study, where Dan Blank and Miranda Beverly-Whittemore share the yearlong process of launching her novel. You can view all posts here.

By Miranda Beverly-Whittemore

“Out of place at her elite East Coast college, Mabel Dagmar falls into an unlikely friendship with her blueblooded roommate, Genevra “Ev” Winslow, and is invited to spend the summer at Ev’s family estate in Vermont. Jumping at the chance to escape her working-class family in Oregon, Mabel enters the world of madras shorts and cocktails on the veranda. The enchantment of a lakeside retreat, steeped in tradition, sweeps Mabel (who now goes by May) off her feet, as does Ev’s older brother, Galway. But May has secrets, as do the Winslows, and as May unravels the family’s litany of misdeeds, she puts herself in serious danger. Beverly-Whittemore’s novel is suspenseful and intriguing, filled with characters who both fit the blue-blood mold and break the stereotypes we all associate with the upper class. Her short chapters, with their cliff-hanger endings, will keep readers turning pages late into the night.” – March 15, 2014

I love that this review mentions that Bittersweet breaks “the stereotypes we all associate with the upper class.” I thought it did that, but it’s so refreshing that it wasn’t just inside my head! And of course I love the implication that it’s a page-turner. I always wanted it to be that. Yay!

Bookplates!

This is part of the Bittersweet Book Launch case study, where Dan Blank and Miranda Beverly-Whittemore share the yearlong process of launching her novel. You can view all posts here.

By Miranda Beverly-Whittemore


We’re less than two months out, people! And all these little pieces are falling into place. I know I’ve published before, but sometimes it feels like an eon ago- the world has changed so much since 2007, in broad ways (how the internet has changed what a writer can do to promote her book!) and small (bookplates!).

My marketing superstar, Jessica, suggested that Crown could make me some bookplates. And I was thrilled! But then I realized I kind of didn’t understand how bookplates work. See, back in 2007, bookplates weren’t a “thing.” I guess they’re a thing now. Here’s what she explained:

“You can offer them in your e-newsletter. You can tell folks to pre-order the book, and that you’ll send them a signed bookplate to put in it.” She gave me a few other good examples of how we’d use them- and I realized how cool it is that people many more readers can now have access to a signed book than they could the last time I was published.

Also, I signed them during family movie night, when Fraulein Maria was getting married. That was pretty great too.