Category: Social Media

A Social Media Plan

Posted on by Katie Ganshert



I don’t mind when you’re working on your writing. But when you’re Twittering or emailing, sometimes that bothers me.

These words came from my husband a couple months ago. A husband who is ridiculously supportive and excited about my writing career. A husband who would do the laundry, shop for groceries, and cook dinner all so I could have some extra time to write.

But when he came upstairs and I was busy getting my Tweet on, that bothered him.

You see, two months ago, writing to him, meant…..well, writing. Pounding out the words on my latest manuscript or marking up the pages in red pen.

Writing did not mean replying to people’s status updates.

And if I’m being honest, spending the precious little time I did have on social media always left me feeling guilty.

Until I met Kristen Lamb. Well….I didn’t actually meet her. I read her stuff. And she said, “If we are just goofing off and sending people farm animals, then yes, we are goofing off. But if we are blogging and spending time on Twitter and FB networking with other writers, published authors and people in the publishing industry, that is called marketing.”

Marketing.
 
But wait a minute. Marketing intimidates me. I don’t know how to market. But chatting on Twitter and connecting with others on Facebook? That’s fun. I like doing that stuff.
So is it really marketing?
 
Kristen would say yes. As long as we’re being intentional about it.
 
So here’s my question for you: How intentional are you when it comes to social media? Do you have a plan? Or are you just winging it?
 
Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for winging the less important things in life. But let’s not wing social media.
 
Because love it or hate it, social media is an integral part of being a successful author. It’s the way we connect with others, establish our brand, and learn more about the industry. Used intelligently, social media can be a huge ally.
 
This is what I explained to my husband. This is what I explained to my guilty conscience.  
 
Once I got that out of the way, I made a plan. Maybe you would like to make one too. In that case….
 
First things first. Repeat after me.
“This is part of being an author…..this is part of being an author….this is part of being an author….” Repeat until you start to believe it.

Second, carve out time.
We carve out time to write, right? Why not do the same for social media? It doesn’t have to be a huge time block, or even a medium-sized time block. But we should make purposeful time for it. We should make it a habit. And maybe, by giving social media its own slot, we will be less inclined to let it bleed into our writing time.

Third, write goals.
Twitter goals, blogging goals, FB goals, and any other type of social media goals. What do you hope to accomplish through each of these? How will you measure success? There’s not a right or a wrong answer to these, but how you answer them should affect how you use social media.

Fourth, strategize. 
What steps can you take each day to accomplish these goals?

Fifth, observe, copy, but be yourself.
Look at authors who use social media effectively. See what they do that works and copy them. Only make sure you’re being you. Copy their methods, not their personality.

Sixth, read Kristen Lamb’s book
Are You There Blog? It’s Me, Writer. Truly, if you want to laugh out loud while learning how to take full advantage of social media and create a killer plan for yourself, then there is no substitute for reading Kristen’s book. I finished it in two days and I can’t even tell you how much I learned.

Let’s Talk: How intentional are you when it comes to social media? Any tips you want to share? Do your loved ones have a hard time understanding why you need to spend time Tweeting? removetweetmeme

Self-Promotion: An Interesting Twist

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

Have you ever met a person who’s always talking about herself? Someone who monopolizes every conversation? I did. In college. Funny thing. Nobody wanted to hang out with her.

We hear a lot of talk about the importance of marketing and self-promotion. Especially if we want to make it in this business.

But in the same breath, we know too much turns people off.

Which leads to the question I’ve been thinking about now that I’ve signed my first book deal:

How do we market ourselves without coming across as self-centered or narcissistic?

In a post titled Social Networking Rules, YA author, Elana Johnson, shares some simple, yet brilliant guidelines she lives by.

One such guideline?

If she tweets about her life, she scrolls through her twitter feed and @-messages three others who’ve said something about theirs. Elana says, “This creates a new conversation between me and them.” And she doesn’t feel like she’s hogging the twitter feed.

This reminded me of some advice I got before going to my first writing conference two years ago.

Be outward focused.

Marketing 101. Simple, yet profound.

Don’t focus on you. Focus on the people around you.

Talk up such-and-such author’s new book while at the bookstore. Pray with a friend or roommate before they pitch their novel. Take time out from a workshop to brainstorm with a fellow writer. Mentor a newbie.


Sounds counter intuitive, doesn’t it? But it works. Especially if you do it from a sincere heart.


Here’s the thing. Nobody wants to hang out with people who talk about themselves all the time. We’re drawn to those who genuinely listen and turn the focus outward.

I took this advice when I went to my first conference in 2009, and again in 2010, and had two amazing experiences. The weekend stopped being about me, and became about us. It helped me understand that we can all work together to promote each other.

After reading Elana’s blog post, something clicked. I can embrace that same bit of advice as I travel down this new, exciting, and slightly intimidating path with Waterbrook Multnomah.

I can be outward focused.

I can remember that it’s not about me. It’s about the writing friends I get to encourage and promote along the way. The readers I get to entertain and connect with along the way. The professionals I get to learn from along the way.

The minute I forget that, is the minute someone needs to kindly kick me in the head.

Let’s Talk: Are you talking too much about yourself? How do you keep your focus outward? Any self-promotion tips for a gal who’s not quite sure how to handle it?

On a fun note: I’m meeting my critique partner and friend, Erica Vetsch, this weekend for our own personal writing retreat. We’re locking ourselves away so we can write, write, write! Ah. Sweet bliss.

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Networking

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

If you want to go places in this business, gone are the days where you can do it without networking. Okay, okay…there’s the one or two rare exceptions. But let’s lump ourselves with the majority and accept the fact that networking is necessary. Especially for the writer seeking publication.

So what exactly is networking?
 
I’m not going to give you a dictionary definition. I’m going to give you a Katie-definition. Here’s what networking is to me: interacting and connecting with other people within the publishing industry, whether they be fellow writers, agents, editors, or publishers.
I know networking can be an icky word, because it sounds self-seeking. But I say phooey. It’s only self-seeking if you make it that way.

One of the biggest benefits I’ve experienced from networking is the genuine relationships I’ve formed in the process.
 

Why is networking important?
 
Because traditional publishing houses do not take unsolicited submissions, and because fewer and fewer agents are taking on clients through the query-system.
So how are writers still snagging agents and yet-to-be-published authors still landing books deals? First, they wrote a good book. Second, they networked.
 
Here are a few ways to network:
  • Attend writing conferences when you’re ready to pitch. I went to my first conference in ’09, and I went with three finished novels that were ready. I met authors. I connected on a deeper level with writers I already knew from blogging. I ate lunch with editors and agents and I got to pitch one of my novels face-to-face to an editor and agent of my choice. I was no longer an unsolicited, faceless submission.
  • If you have the money, attend conferences when you aren’t ready to pitch. So many people go to conferences and don’t sign up for editor/agent appointments because they have nothing to pitch. I say, get your money’s worth! Take the appointments and preface it with, “I don’t have anything to pitch, but would love to pick your brain…” Get your name and face in front of industry professionals. Make a good impression. See which agents you click with and which agents you don’t. That way, when you ARE ready to query, you won’t be another unfamiliar name in the slush pile.
  • Follow blogs and COMMENT. Sorry. I don’t mean to yell. But lurking does you no good. Find agent blogs. Editor blogs. Published author blogs. Unpublished author blogs. Not only will you learn a load of useful information, but it’s a FREE way to build relationships and get your name and face out there.
  • Get on Twitter, follow, and have “conversations” with other writers. I personally think Twitter’s more useful when it comes to networking than Facebook. But that’s probably because I use Facebook for more personal stuff.
  • Don’t be afraid to shoot somebody an email. As long as you’re sensitive to and aware of people’s busy schedules, nobody’s going to resent an email. In fact, I enjoy getting emails from people who have questions. I feel like I’m paying it forward from all the times people reached out to help me.
I had a brain wave the other day. A totally, unprofound, no-duh brainwave. Are you read for it?

Networking isn’t about our books. It’s about the person underneath them, and with every tweet, every comment, and every conversation we have, we’re building a reputation. Agents and editors aren’t just buying books. They’re buying the brand behind the books – and that’s YOU! So be real. Be sincere. Be professional. Be you.

Let’s Talk: How important do you think networking is for the writer seeking publication? What ways do you network? What’s worked best for you? Do you cringe when you hear people talking about networking? Why or why not? And happy Valentine’s Day!

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