Welcome to Day 16...
So for the past week, part of the marketing tasks I've been working on has been all about bloggers...identifying them...drafting a contact email to them...all with the goal that they'll agree to review my books and they'll recommend them to their audience...
So what's the big deal about Bloggers?
Turns out they are a BIG deal. A BIG,BIG deal.
They have Influence...
They have Reach...
And they have the trust and the ear of an author's target audience...readers.
Simply put, book bloggers are Keepers of the Buzz.
Here's what Jonathan Gunson of the blog Bestseller Labs has to say about them...
"Book bloggers are high on the trust list for readers, which means they’re among the most influential connections we can make. These bloggers read a large number of books, and have an audience of readers collectively amounting to millions. Their subscribers trust their opinions and buy the books they recommend.
This makes them an incredibly powerful source for promotional help. In fact, they can make an author famous, almost overnight sometimes."
One of those overnight success stories is Amanda Hocking...
Maybe you've heard her her story...
She's an author and self publisher who has sold over 1.5 million books and has made a small fortune in the process. It wasn't always that way. When she first began writing and self publishing her profile and sales were almost non-existent.But soon things changed. Here's how she describes it...
“Then in June, something truly magical happened. I discovered book bloggers. I had no idea such people existed. They just read books and write about them. And I don't mean "just." These people take times out of their busy lives to talk about books and have contests and connect with followers and writers and other readers.
These guys are honestly my heroes. I'm a little in love with all of them.
I asked several if they would be interested in reviewing my books, and most of them said yes, even if they didn't generally review self-published work.
Then something surreal started happening. My books were selling. Like, really selling.”
I get the joke...building a relationship with Bloggers is key. That's why today I continued to work on the draft for a contact email, I also spent an hour researching target bloggers.
As for my writing? This morning I also worked on a new scene. It wasn't a scene that I had targeted to complete on my to do list this week. But what can I do? When inspiration hits, you simply go with it.
Besides...thanks to my short term memory (which isn't so great) ...by the time I get to updating and editing that scene I'll be thrilled with how much I already have to work with. (I know this because it's happened before!) When things like that happen it's like Christmas morning.
But for now...here's Today's Takeaway Lesson...
Building a Buzz is key to selling more books...Bloggers are Keepers of the Buzz. So it's time to reach out...email...engage and get Bloggers on your marketing team...
Here's to Being All In,
Maggie
Visit my website @ www.maggiecollins.net
Like me on Facebook Maggie Collins
P.S. Don't forget I need some help designing my next book cover...Go to Synchronicity or http://www.maggiecollins.net/ now to vote for the best cover picture!
BTW...Want to hear more about Amanda's journey to success? Check it all out here... http://amandahocking.blogspot.com/2010/08/epic-tale-of-how-it-all-happened.html
And here...
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/jan/12/amanda-hocking-self-publishing
And you can read Jonathan's full article about Book Bloggers here http://bestsellerlabs.com/how-to-get-massive-free-publicity-for-your-book/
365 Days & Counting...
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