Over a decade ago, my book publisher told me that it was absolutely critical to generate a social media following in order to help sell my next title. I dutifully followed the advice (more like command) and built up a robust-at-the-time group on Facebook. It took time, attention, some money, and alot of creative output on my part. And ye…
Over a decade ago, my book publisher told me that it was absolutely critical to generate a social media following in order to help sell my next title. I dutifully followed the advice (more like command) and built up a robust-at-the-time group on Facebook. It took time, attention, some money, and alot of creative output on my part. And yet, I continue to have to feed the beast and hope--as Hamish says--that the algorithm will like me with each continuing day.
There is nothing more empowering than controlling that destiny here on Substack. My following here's isn't quite as big, but I still reach many more people with each post than I do with an average one on Facebook. And it's guaranteed.
So glad to be here and exercising so much more freedom over my fans. Thanks all at Substack!
Neal
p.s. I could write another screed on how it's publishers that should be the ones creating their own sizable direct channels to their readers, but somehow that seems a lost cause.
Agree with that, but given the amount of content--and authors--that the big 5 publishers have at their ready, they could have founded a robust site, at the very least like LitHub and their social channels could be much more than one bookcover after the next. IMO.
As a tiny publisher I believe it is both myself and the authors responsibility to have social networks in which to market books too. It is that initial push and hope of pre-orders that effectively make a book viable a lot of the time. I don’t have any stats, but if a author has an audience of 10k+ that are quite engaged, it does give confidence that the book will sell.
Over a decade ago, my book publisher told me that it was absolutely critical to generate a social media following in order to help sell my next title. I dutifully followed the advice (more like command) and built up a robust-at-the-time group on Facebook. It took time, attention, some money, and alot of creative output on my part. And yet, I continue to have to feed the beast and hope--as Hamish says--that the algorithm will like me with each continuing day.
There is nothing more empowering than controlling that destiny here on Substack. My following here's isn't quite as big, but I still reach many more people with each post than I do with an average one on Facebook. And it's guaranteed.
So glad to be here and exercising so much more freedom over my fans. Thanks all at Substack!
Neal
p.s. I could write another screed on how it's publishers that should be the ones creating their own sizable direct channels to their readers, but somehow that seems a lost cause.
It’s a lost cause because a lot of readers don’t buy because of the publisher. This is less true in niche houses like poetry or Buddhist stuff.
Agree with that, but given the amount of content--and authors--that the big 5 publishers have at their ready, they could have founded a robust site, at the very least like LitHub and their social channels could be much more than one bookcover after the next. IMO.
Yes!!!
As a tiny publisher I believe it is both myself and the authors responsibility to have social networks in which to market books too. It is that initial push and hope of pre-orders that effectively make a book viable a lot of the time. I don’t have any stats, but if a author has an audience of 10k+ that are quite engaged, it does give confidence that the book will sell.