Category: writing

Book Marketing 101

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

A month and a half until my debut novel hits the shelves and my mind has shifted into marketing mode.

Buzz is on the brain. 

In a post titled The Birds and the Bees of Marketing, popular blogger Jody Hedlund defined buzz as the chatter, the excitement, the hype that surrounds our book.

So how can I generate this buzz? 

It’s a question I’ve been asking myself a lot lately. 

Thankfully, I don’t have to carry the marketing load on my own. Not even close. I happen to have the best in-house marketer in the world. Plus, an amazing in-house publicist and an amazing sales team. These people are doing things I could never even begin to accomplish on my own. They are the epitome of awesome. 

But still, I want to do my part. I want to do everything I can to help.

So I’ve been doing a lot of brainstorming. And I’m pretty excited about what’s on the horizon.

Will these ideas work?

Will people respond well?

Will they generate buzz?

Honestly, I have no idea. 

But as I dive into the unknown, here’s the biggest, most important lesson I’m learning about marketing:

We can’t be afraid of failure.

Not every idea will work out. Some things will flop. And you know what? That’s okay. 

Sure, public failure is embarrassing. Anytime I get a poor response (whether that be to a blog post or a Youtube video or a Facebook update or a contest or whatever), I feel stupid. I find myself second guessing the effort. Maybe even wishing I could take it back.

But here’s the thing.

We’ll never know unless we try.  

I remember sitting in a workshop at last year’s ACFW conference, listening to Allen Arnold and Jim Rubart and Julie Gwinn. One of them, I can’t remember who, brought up the Single Ladies Devestation Youtube video posted by Carlos Whittaker. It had millions of hits.

And Allen or Jim or Julie said, “Do you know how many videos he posted before that?”

Moral of the story?

It wasn’t his first.

He’d posted plenty others that languished in obscurity. But he kept publishing videos until one of them went viral. He had no idea that one would become so popular.

All he could do was throw it out there and see.

This is what I’m learning.

We have to be willing to throw things out there. To take risks. To try. Some stuff won’t work out. Hey. No big deal. Shake it off and keep throwing until something sticks.

Let’s Talk: What lessons have you learned about buzz and marketing? What ideas have you tried? 

Controversy: Good or Bad for Fiction Authors?

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

Controversy sells. Controversy gets attention.

Just look at the latest public outcry surrounding Rush Limbaugh and Sandra Fluke.

Or look at well-known pastor, Mark Driscoll. He made a comment on Facebook about effeminate worship leaders and received a maelstrom of comments. 

Almost always, blog posts about controversial topics get more hits and more comments.

But is it wise for fiction authors to tackle these topics on their blogs?

I think, before we get to that question, we have address an easier one first:

Why are we blogging? 

Here are some of the more popular reasons novelists blog:

  • to get our name out there
  • to build a platform
  • to interact with readers
  • to establish a brand
I could write a blog post about my opinion of Rush Limbaugh or government paid birth control or masculinity in the church. I’m sure if I did, I’d get a good amount of traffic.
Because there are people out there who are passionate about these topics. 
 
But then what?
 
How many of those people weighing in about Rush Limbaugh would come back on Wednesday? What are the chances they would become a part of the community I’m trying to build on my blog?
 
There are things I am passionate about in this world. I might see a tweet and click on a link and engage in a fun debate. But how often do I go back to that blog when the topic changes to the next controversial thing?
 
Not often. Maybe never.
 
And when all is said and done, could we end up disrupting the community we already have?
 
Some people love debating. It gets the blood circulating. The heart pumping. The synapses firing.
 
But others look at that same debate and all they see is one giant argument.
 
One person enjoys the back and forth banter. Another feels like they’re being attacked. 
 
Here’s the thing. 
 
Controversial, hot-button subjects are polarizing. They are almost always divisive. 
 
As fiction authors, should we go there? 
 
Let’s Talk: Should novelists blog about hot button, controversial topics? Or is it best to steer clear? Why or why not? What are the benefits? What are the drawbacks? 
 
This post was inspired by a thought-provoking post titled, Our Beliefs Strengthen Inside a Rocked Boat, from one of my good writing buddies, Heather Sunseri. Thanks for the inspiration, Heather!
 

Four Things I Learned from a Bad Movie

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

Time and money are a precious commodity. So when Ryan and I spent both on a not-so-good movie this past Friday, I refused to let either go to waste.

Instead of mourning the loss of a four dollar rental fee and two hours of movie time, I put on my writing-hat and decided to learn from the experience.

I asked myself two questions:

Why didn’t this movie work? How can I use the experience to become a better storyteller?

I came up with four important takeaways. 

As writers, it’s important that we….

Keep the audience immersed in story world

So many things in this movie made me stop and go, “Come on, that’s so not believable.”

The main character is clearly Native American. His parents are clearly Caucasian. Yet he never suspected they might not be his biological parents?

On top of that, we have unbelievable behavior. By the end of the movie, we should have a kid who is completely traumatized. Yet instead of asking questions and grieving, he’s all smiles with his new girlfriend.

Lesson to be learned:

As writers, it’s so important that we pay attention to details. We have to do our research. We can’t overlook glaring inconsistencies in the name of fiction.

Our characters have to respond appropriately. If they experience something traumatic, we can’t gloss over that with cuddles and kisses. A glimpse of hope is always better than an unrealistic happily ever after. 

Get to the story already

There was this hideously prolonged sparring scene between the main character and his “father”. It was a total ploy to see the actor show off his ninja skills. And it kept going on and on and on…. 

Lesson to be learned:

Every scene needs a purpose. If we find ourselves holding on to one just because it’s eloquent or clever or beautifully written, that’s almost always a sure sign to kiss it goodbye.

Make theme an integral part of the story

It was almost as if the movie writers were like, “Shoot. We forgot about theme.” So they tacked one on at the end. 

Lesson to be learned:

Our theme can’t be an afterthought. We can’t deliver it via some character monologue at the end. At least not without making our readers roll their eyes. We should take care to weave our theme throughout the entirety of the story. 

Embrace our heart, not what’s hot

As I watched, I couldn’t help wondering if the movie-people wrote the script for the sole purpose of capitalizing on this particular actor’s popularity. It was a two hour excuse to show him taking off his shirt, being all athletic, and kissing a girl. 

Lesson to be learned:

We have to write what matters to us. We have to write what we love. We can’t jump on whatever bandwagon is hot at the time. Even if we do somehow make it through to publication, our readers will see right through it. 

So there you go. Four things I learned from a bad movie. Four things I’m taking to heart. Because I don’t want readers throwing popcorn at my books.

Let’s Talk: Have you watched any bad movies lately? Did you learn anything from the experience? Do you agree with the four takeaways above?