Kim Smith
Today Kim Smith, author of Buried Angel, drops by Market My Novel to talk about book promotions.
Before you were published, did you know anything about marketing?
No. I felt like a lost ball in the high weeds. It was something that I did without knowing what I was doing. I just went out and joined as many sites as I could and began posting. At first, it was a little like throwing pasta on the wall. Some of it stuck and some of it didn’t. Eventually, I culled the places getting me no bang for my buck, so to speak. Now, I think I have a great foundation.
How did you market your previous books? What did you learn from these experiences?
I have promoted all of my books the same way. Just start talking about them and don’t stop. Never stop telling someone about my work and try to help them get the word out about theirs as well. I’ve learned that you cannot take, take, take. You have to give back to the industry, too.
Tell us about your latest book and your marketing plan for it.
Buried Angel is my new release (January 2010) and it is the second book in my Shannon Wallace Mysteries. In this one, Shannon helps her friend, Dwayne, find the killer of one of his friends. I plan on going on book tour in January, and hopefully doing some contests or writing workshops this year for aspiring authors.
What are your top social networks?
Coffeetime Romances, Facebook, Gather, Twitter are where I put a lot of my time in. I have friends and fans and other writing buddies at those places and it is fun, too.
What is the best advice you’ve learned from other authors?
1. Ask questions.
2. Be positive
3. Create something worth reading
How do you organize and manage your marketing time so it doesn’t overtake writing time?
I have recently made a spreadsheet month by month of how I will tackle the marketing/writing situation, because it can be tough to keep the focus on the right stuff. Even still, I know there will be days when I just ditch the whole notion and go off to play Bejeweled.
Is it difficult to find a balance between writing and marketing?
Yes! One of the most difficult phases of this life, in fact. You can spend all your time marketing and get nothing new written, or you can spend all of your time writing, and no one knows who you are anymore. There is definitely a balance needed.
What is your biggest marketing challenge?
I need a thermometer that tells me when my temperature in the industry is going up. I need my readers to tell me that they are READING the books, or stories that I am putting out. A lot of times fans will just follow along and listen to your verbage but they don’t BUY the work. That is bad. Very bad. I can’t tell when I am hitting the mark with my marketing because I don’t know if the work is being purchased.
What’s the best way to connect with fans in your genre?
In the words of a popular movie, if you build it, they will come. I think that having a website, and a blog, and being at the hotspots of social networking gets me to the people who need to know me.
What else would you like to add?
I hope any aspiring authors out there with questions about writing or the writing life will contact me. I love writers!
Where can we find you online?
I am everywhere!
http://www.mkimsmith.com
http://pubd2b.wordpress.com
http://writingspace.blogspot.com
…and of course facebook, twitter, and other social networking sites. Friend me. I will friend back!
thanks for stopping by Tambra!
Great interview, Kim!
It is difficult to know if your marketing strategy is working at times.
Thanks for sharing your marketing advice.
Hugs,
Tambra
Yes, truthfully marketing is a big part of the writing life but it is not all of it. Try to eat the elephant one bite at a time!
Fiona -
You know what I recommend? Figure out how much time you want to spend marketing. I’ve talked with authors who spend six weeks to three months. You have to decide what you can handle with your life schedule. Then, plan to just market during that time. Don’t pressure yourself to write. It is important to be fresh and bright for promotions during your marketing season. Once you are finished, then put your energy back into writing. You might have an occasional request for interview, but it will be nothing like the intensive schedule of a book tour on or off line. If you try to do both, you won’t do well at either one because you will be pulled in too many directions.
Thanks to all for stopping by – and to Kim for being here!
Angela
Thanks for stopping by the site! You provided some terrific information.
Angela
Thanks for sharing your marketing/writing process, Kim. I agree wholeheartedly with a particular comment: you can market like mad and not get any writing done or you can write like mad and stay unknown. How does one balaance????
Thanks for stopping by Cheryl!
I agree with Kim:
1. Ask questions.
2. Be positive
3. Create something worth reading
And giving back, helping other writers along is important.
Imagine, one of my writing friends, hanging out with one of my online marekting gurus. Who would have thought? LOL!
Great interview. If you find that thermometer, let me know before my book launches in November.
Best of luck with your tour.
Cheryl
Kim, you hit the nail on the head when you mention the need for balance.
The key is to market to a target audience interested in your genre. This includes readers, other writers, reviewers, and people in the industry. Grab them with a catchy line; hold them with a meaningful message.
Thank you for letting me be on your site today!