Category: Author platform

“Marketing seems so seventh grade-ish.”

This was a quote from Sarah Beals on a recent blog entry of mine. She explains:

“I hate some of the slimy marketing schemes and feel as though I can’t bring myself to do that. Friendship must still resonate in the heart of human beings…and being a friend must hold some weight.”

We want something deeper in life. Relationships matter. Shared values matter. Like-minds matter.

Recently, I have been talking a lot about how you identify and reach your ideal audience. So if you are a writer, how do you reach that ideal reader? Some recent posts on the topic:

• Do You Know Who Your Audience Is? No, Really: Do You?
• There is a Difference Between Knowing Your Audience and Writing to One
• Finding Your Audience is About Becoming More Like Yourself, Less Like a Marketer

Inherent in this is understanding your ideal audience in a more holistic manner, knowing not just what they buy or what they like to read, but their deeper motivation for doing so.

Why are you a fan of a certain genre or author?
Why do you spend countless hours obsessing over this?
What is the deeper motivation behind it?

I found a really compelling example of this earlier this week. Okay, bear with me here for a minute, because it’s a non-book example, but illustrates the point so well.

My wife graduated from college with a degree in toy design, and truth be told, I have always collected toys. We are the type of couple that, even before we had a kid, would just go to Toys R Us to walk around for an hour. Recently, I started learning about Gundam model kits – basically they are plastic models that snap together, and create robot action figures. (I’m simplifying here.) This is a Gundam model:

There are LOTS of folks on YouTube who vlog about their obsession with Gundam models. One of those people is nicknamed ED, who is 18 years old and has more than 1,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel. This week he posted a long video where he told his own story answering this question: “What is Gundam To You?”

He didn’t talk about how “awesome robots are!” He talked about his parent’s divorce, alienation in school, finding his identity, and how making Gundam model kits gave him a sense of control and purpose when his life otherwise felt as though it had fallen apart.

At minute 7:26 he talks about the feeling he got when he finished his first Gundam model:

“I built this. I made it with my hands… I felt proud to have made something. It was a feeling of security after my parent’s had split knowing that I could actually create something. That I could change something from being in little pieces, back up to something whole. It really calmed me for some reason.”

Later in the video, he goes on:

“Gundam was the only thing I was really sure of any more. My YouTube channel, the Gundam community, and the Gundam itself hadn’t let me down. It never faded away, it never made me sad. Everyone in the community had accepted me, and never turned their backs on me.”

ED concludes:

“What Gundam gave to me primarily, was hope, and a sign that I could create and change things. A sign that I could make a difference with something in my life. Taking all these little broken pieces off the ground that were shattered, kind of resembling how my life was at the moment, and then building them into something more epic than my words could ever describe. And that’s what I did with myself. I picked up all of the broken pieces that I was, and I built myself into the person I am today.”

Here is ED’s full story:

Sixteen other people so far have create video responses to ED, sharing their own reasons for liking Gundam models:

When I talk about understanding your audience, THIS is what I am talking about. No, it doesn’t have to be a therapy session, but it should be about more than just surface level stuff. You should understand core motivation because that is what connects your story to readers. It helps you understand how to reach these people, and how to connect with them without necessarily “marketing” to them.

That this is not about marketing tricks, but the basics of finding meaningful connections.

Why does Katniss Everdeen or Harry Potter resonate with someone? It is not about bows and arrows or magic wands. It goes deeper.

How is what you share representative of what your audience hopes for in their identity and their journey through life? THAT is the deeper connection and motivation of a fan of a story, a book, a writer, a genre.

How well do you know your ideal reader as a WHOLE person.

Not just what they read, but WHY they read it.

Move beyond simple demographics, and easily defined topics or genres.

Every week, I get a copy of The New Yorker in the mail. Every week, it is filled with articles about topics I have no prior knowledge of or interest in. Each issue will be filled with a weird range of topics: turtles, a fashion designer, an athlete, a celebrity, a place, a time, etc.

And yet, I am always intrigued. I always read it. I always look forward to it.

It is crafted to connect with something deeper in me. A point of view. A set of values. A certain type of understanding, curiosity or need.

How will your writing connect with an audience in a similar way?

Thanks!
-Dan

Update, March 13, 2013: Sorry, the free ebook is no longer available.

Do you want to grow the audience for your writing and books? I am excited to be sharing a free ebook which outlines the process by which you do this. This 70+ page PDF ebook takes you through the methodology I use when working with writers, a framework that has worked again and again. The ebook is called: “Grow Your Audience: The Author Platform Starter Kit”

To receive the ebook right now, please sign up here:

(Update, March 13, 2013: Sorry, the free ebook is no longer available.)

The ebook takes you through these steps:

• FOCUS your resources
• DEFINE your purpose
• TARGET your ideal reader
• JOIN your community
• SHARE your message
• GROW your impact

You will also be signed up for my weekly newsletter, which is delivered every Friday. This is where I share my best advice and exclusive content. I will never spam you or sell your email address, You can unsubscribe anytime with a single mouse click.

Here are some sample pages from the ebook:

To receive the full 70+ page ebook for free, please sign up via the form above.
Thanks!
-Dan

“I think a lot of people get confused when it comes to knowing your audience and writing to one.” This was a comment by Vicki Orians to a recent blog post I shared at WriterUnboxed.com:

Do You Know Who Your Audience Is? No, Really: Do You?

The post itself describes the value of knowing who your audience is, and coming to terms with the fact that, no, your story is not universal. I also outline tips on how you can find your audience:

• If You Can’t Build A Small Audience, How Can You Build A Large Audience?
• Regardless of When Your Book Comes Out, Start Building Your Audience Now
• Finding Your Audience Is About Listening, Not Talking
• Research Is Often Missing From Most Writers’ Author Platform Process
• Be Polarizing – Make Choices

Vicki’s point is an excellent one, and cuts past many of the objections that writers make in terms of the need to consider their audience. Another commenter on the post, Pat O’Dea Rosen, shared the link to another post on a similiar topic. Here, Chuck Wendig digs into “How Do I Write What The Audience Wants to Read?” Chuck, as usual, has a very funny, honest and insightful take on the topic.

But this is where Vicki’s comment becomes really useful. That knowing who your audience is shouldn’t change your work away from your core vision, but it can help you ensure that your stories reach an audience that cares.

And this is exactly why I love working with writers – to ensure their work finds an audience.

Thanks!
-Dan

Many writers I speak to are nervous about the idea of becoming more like a marketer, less like a writer. They want their book to find an audience, and they assume that they have to try marketing “tricks” in order to do so.

But they don’t.

Building your platform as an author is actually the opposite: it is about becoming more like yourself; finding the voice for your writing career; establishing trusting relationships with your audience. It is NOT about simplifying who you are, changing your persona away from your core, or learning “tricks” to get people to pay attention to you.

There is also this perception that before the internet, successful writers enjoyed the freedom to just sit in their attics and write, write, write, never having to worry about building their audience or managing their writing career.

Biographer Carl Rollyson addressed this question about poet Amy Lowell (1874–1925):

“Lowell wrote [perhaps thousand letters] during her lifetime to publishers, magazine editors, journalists—anyone who might be instrumental in promoting her books to the public. Now she had a staff to help her, of course. Even so, she did not have access to the kinds of social media and electronic platforms that I’m sure would have thrilled her. She did not believe that the work spoke for itself. An author had to speak up for her work and do so with a savvy understanding of the marketplace.”

And what about Hemingway:

“Hemingway had many of his exciting exploits recorded by press photographers. He got in on everything, even the D-Day invasion. He was always showing up in some high-circulation magazine like Life with a big fish on the hook or hunting rifle in hand. His visage was (and is) immediately recognizable. And he had no problem letting that familiar visage appear in ads, for which he also wrote the copy.”

It goes on:

“American writers have long had to keep an eye on money, marketing, and “self-legendizing.” Benjamin Franklin did it and so did Walt Whitman, Mark Twain, Zora Neale Hurston, Truman Capote, and George Plimpton… Whitman understood the importance of blurbs so well that he reviewed his own books, packing the reviews with blurbable quotes. He also quoted—in an ad (which he paid for himself) for Leaves of Grass (which he paid to have printed)—a kind letter from Ralph Waldo Emerson, without Emerson’s permission and to his chagrin. Mark Twain cultivated his own image even more rigorously than Hemingway did.”

What is nice about how the web has changed things is that writers can now connect with their audience in more meaningful ways, not creating fantastical stories, relying solely on established media outlets, or paying for expensive ads.

It is easy to romanticize that those who are now legends became so purely on the strength of their art. But that often ignores the hard road to success.

I was watching a documentary on David Bowie awhile back, which focused on his career moves that lead up to the success with his album Ziggy Stardust:

“What you didn’t realize [when Ziggy Stardust became a hit], is that he had been trying to become successful for 10 years.”

In those 10 years, David changed his name (from Jones to Bowie), and tried his hand at many different guises and styles, including: folk music, children’s music, R&B, rock, acting on stage and screen, and even appeared in an ice cream ad. It is clear that he was hunting for appreciation, validation, and reciprocation from an audience. And that if had found success as a folk singer or children’s singer, then we likely never would have had Ziggy Stardust.

In two weeks, I am going to see Bob Dylan perform again, whose musical influence is hard to even put into context. But he too changed his name, and at times, created a false backstory to create his legend based on things other than just the music. Over the years, he has been cagey about details.

Nowadays, it is the opposite. It is more about being HONEST about who you are, and using that authentic connection with others as a way to develop an audience for your writing.

Thanks!
-Dan

What can an 85 year old sushi chef teach us about the skill of developing our craft and our audience? A LOT.

I recently watched the movie: Jiro Dreams of Sushi, which shows how one man established a tiny, 9 seat establishment in a Tokyo subway station as one of the best sushi restaurants in the world. Here is the trailer:

What you find is an adherence to constant improvement, one that focuses on craft. It becomes obvious that this level of dedication is a lifestyle, and one that is not easy. I think there is a lot here that writers can take away as positive examples of how they should approach their own craft and appreciation of audience development.

Jiro ensures that he and his staff are always eating the VERY expensive food that they prepare, as well as that from other restaurants:

“In order to make delicious food, you must eat delicious food. The quality of ingredients is important, but you need to develop a palate capable of discerning good and bad. Without good taste, you can’t make good food. If your sense of taste is lower than that of the customers, how will you impress them?”

The palate, in this instance, is the most foundational level of skill, of quality. The ability to tell high quality from merely “good” quality. To distinguish the subtleties in a well prepared meal. This aligns to a phrase I have heard: “To become a great writer, you need to be a great reader.”

There is a Japanese term used in the movie to describe the value of repetition, of doing the same thing every day for years, in order to slowly master your skills: SHOKUNIN.

I found a very compelling definition by a woodworker:

“The Japanese word shokunin is defined by both Japanese and Japanese-English dictionaries as ‘craftsman’ or ‘artisan’, but such a literal description does not fully express the deeper meaning. The Japanese apprentice is taught that shokunin means not only having technical skill, but also implies an attitude and social consciousness. These qualities are encompassed in the word shokunin, but are seldom written down . . . . The shokunin demonstrates knowledge of tools and skills with them, the ability to create beauty and the capacity to work with incredible speed . . . . The shokunin has a social obligation to work his/her best for the general welfare of the people. This obligation is both spiritual and material, in that no matter what it is, the shokunin’s responsibility is to fulfill the requirement.”
– Toshio Odate

A restaurant reviewer in the movie explains the apprenticeship process in Jiro’s sushi restaurant:

“When you work for Jiro, he teaches you for free. But you have to endure ten years of training. If you persevere for ten years, you will acquire the skills to be recognized as a first-rate chef.”

When you watch the film, it is obvious that Jiro does not just focus on the craft of the sushi alone, but of everything related to it: how to source great vendors; seating arrangements; etc. He studies his customers as they eat his food so he can learn from them.

A vendor at the fish market reflects on the nature of dedicating yourself to your vocation:

“It’s not about the money. These days, the first thing people want is an easy job. Then, they want lots of free time. And then, they want lots of money. But they aren’t thinking of building your skills.”

To me, this is incredibly inspiring, and helps explain why so much of what I do involves training, courses, and workshops with writers. Because I have seen, again and again, the value in developing not just their skills as writers, but as those able to connect with readers, and grow their audience. That too, is a skill.

Thanks!
-Dan