{"id":140,"date":"2012-03-05T16:09:29","date_gmt":"2012-03-05T16:09:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rachelhorwitz.com\/blog\/?p=140"},"modified":"2012-03-05T16:09:29","modified_gmt":"2012-03-05T16:09:29","slug":"how-to-market-for-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rachelhorwitz.com\/blog\/2012\/03\/05\/how-to-market-for-success\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Market for Success"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;\">Dickens didn\u2019t need a twitter handle. Hemingway had no facebook. Bronte blogging? I don\u2019t think so. The great scribes of previous generations had it easy. Yeah, I said it. They spent a lifetime focused on writing. No distractions from technology. Hello? They were too busy making sure their candles didn\u2019t burn up their hardcopy papers! <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;\">Today is different. In many ways, it\u2019s a prime environment for writers. And because of that, instead of being the token writer in your village or maybe even within a hundred miles, you can now instantly connect with hundreds and thousands of other people who have also written a book. Intimidated yet? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;\">Perhaps in the past you would have been published by noble prestige or through a family friend, but now you have work at it. Hard. Either you labor over your query hoping it catches an agent\u2019s eye, or you bypass it all together and brave the turbulent waters of independent or self publishing. Either way, the sea is packed with fish. In a landscape of endless writers, how do you stand out and catch the reader\u2019s eye? <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\">DO\u2019s:<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><strong>Be Professional:<\/strong> Create a presence that says to others that you are a professional, damnit! \u00a0Invest in a website that displays your works or achievements. Not only will this boost your credibility, but it\u2019ll also boost your confidence. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><strong>Join Social Media Sites<\/strong>&#8211; A great way to develop this persona is by involving yourself in social media sites. Get on as many as possible that make sense to your specific route of choice. Traditional? Pick and choose based on your goals. Self\/Indie? Be where the readers are. <\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><strong>Have a Blog<\/strong>&#8211; This step is in the same vain as being present on the web, but slightly more specific. If your novel\u2019s topic is niche or broad, this creates a location for you to display your talents and expertise. <\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><strong>Remain Active<\/strong>: It\u2019s all well and good to create these profiles across several domains, but if you sign up and drop out, that won\u2019t do any good. To see a return on your investment, you have to be active and present. Create relationships with your readers <em>and<\/em> other writers. Engage the community and they will respond. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\">DON\u2019Ts: <\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><strong>Oversell:<\/strong> The worst way to gain attention is to beg for it. Don\u2019t use social media or your blog to force your book down people\u2019s throats with constant hard-sell posts. It\u2019s obnoxious. And it\u2019s the quickest way to be unfollowed, unfriended, unliked and so forth. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><strong>Ignore Reviews:<\/strong> Once your product is out there, people will interact and express their feelings. Some may love your work, others may not. Pay careful attention to reviews or comments that are critical. Remember: feedback paves the road to success. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><strong>Belittle Yourself:<\/strong> If you doubt yourself or your work, you aren\u2019t giving readers or peers a reason to believe in you. Saying your story won\u2019t appeal to everyone is a given. Highlight its best qualities and promote those. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;\">There\u2019s no surefire way, as if there was, all writers would be enjoying the six-figure return of their hard work. However, if you adhere to these simple do\u2019s and don\u2019ts, your chances of hooking readers will definitely increase. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dickens didn\u2019t need a twitter handle. Hemingway had no facebook. Bronte blogging? I don\u2019t think so. The great scribes of previous generations had it easy. Yeah, I said it. They spent a lifetime focused on writing. No distractions from technology. Hello? They were too busy making sure their candles didn\u2019t burn up their hardcopy papers! 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