A recent email exchange with author Randy Attwood got me thinking about this. I want to share what I wrote to him, but first a bit of background. What’s a genre hopper? This is a term I learned from author and writing teacher Maralys Wills who famously has written in many genres—romance, how-to, memoir, thriller, slice of life, and on and on. As she admits, genre-hopping makes it hard to cultivate a rabid following.
Randy Attwood is an independent novelist with no less than 16 books under his belt! All are novels or short fiction, but the subject matter is often genre-defying and doesn’t follow the publishing industry’s insatiable thirst for series and sequel. As a fellow writer, I can’t blame him. Who wants to write the same damn thing over and over? But, as a book marketer it presents a challenge.
So herein, is that exchange.
RANDY: Would love to hear advice about targeting a market promoting there for fiction. Take a look at my list. How would you advise: randyattwood.blogspot.com
SUE: I think that what most fiction authors need to do is to think about what motivates their own target audience to buy books, but first, know who they are.
From looking at the page in your blog, I sense you’re not sure. Authors often make the mistake of believing “everyone” will like my book. Possibly true. But you must cultivate a a field of loyal followers who will then help you get to “everyone”.
If your stories truly are genre defying, that’s a problem for building a fan base. You can still do it, but it will require more work. Why? Think about how people find books they might like—and how books are sold. Both of these things are obvious if you think about it. Walk in any bookstore and you’ll see that the books are shelved by type. Romances over there, thrillers over here, horror somewhere else. If a book seller were to stock a book that “defies genre” where would he shelve it? How would he recommend it? The answer is, probably he wouldn’t.
When a reader walks in looking for a book, they either know what they want already, or they are looking for a particular author—or, and this is important—they are looking for a similar experience. It’s like going to on a road trip and stopping for lunch—you might want to try something totally new, but chances are, if you’re intent on your destination and you just want something to eat, you will go to McDonald’s and get back on the road. We know what to expect from McDee’s. So readers will go to the section of their favorite author and/or genre—if they don’t find their author there, they may find something similar by someone new and be willing to take a chance if: The cover is enticing, the description is compelling, maybe the first few pages too, and the price is right.
Amazon works in almost exactly the same way as a real bookstore. You can’t be everything to everybody. You need to target an audience. Online, you do this with metadata. The keywords, description, and (shelving) categories you’ve chosen help readers find your book. Readers shop by genre if they don’t already know the author and/or title. In your case it might be a good idea to look at your books objectively and decide what it is they have in common. If you really can’t pinpoint it, ask your readers. Slant your metadata toward that genre, and try to slot your books in those genre categories that will keep your readers finding you. (Look at those Kindle authors who are selling lots of books—they stick to a genre.)
For example: I looked at your books on Amazon, then testing to find, Love You Like Crazy, I typed in “insane asylums” and got 25 books but not yours. Why? Are those terms not in your keywords? I typed in “crazy people” and got 29,605 results. Your book wasn’t in the first four pages and I’m not willing to go any further. (Neither would anyone else.) You want to try to find words and categories that are smaller and narrower as that will push you up higher on those lists. You’d much rather be in those 25 books than one of 29,605!
There are lots and lots of ways to experiment with your Amazon listings to improve your ranks I advise you to read this blog: Digital BookWorld. http://bit.ly/fixE1X DBW is geared more to the industry, but Carolyn McCray’s column is of special interest to self-pubbers. And you’ll see if you read many of her posts that it’s COMPLICATED.
The other biggie is price. You can manipulate price to help you gain traction. I have no doubt you can write—you’re a pro. So it’s not a reflection on quality—but if you’re not a household name you’re aren’t going to sell at those levels. Amazon has trained consumers to expect ridiculously low ebook prices. Look at your competition (it’s not mainstream publishing) and price accordingly. Run a special. Free, for a limited time, will get you noticed.
Join Goodreads, and other genre forums where your targeted audience discusses your genre. Hey—ready buyers! You have to go find them—they aren’t looking for you. Got a FB page? Twitter?
I know I bounced around a lot just touching on a lot of things—but there are so many aspects. It’s not like you can run a campaign and people will somehow find your books.
I also recommend Ms. McCrays’s book on ebook marketing. (I don’t agree with what she says about ebook design and production, but her marketing advice is valid.) And though more self-serving and simplified, John Locke’s, How I sold a Million…. Also read my blog. It’s often about design, but I muse on book marketing too, sometimes. (This post is about Locke’s book: http://bit.ly/pYzmAM )
Cheers,
Sue
PS: It’s true that not all books are “genre” fiction. But selling “mainstream” (often slotted as “literary”) fiction is the hardest of all, and sells the fewest books. Find a better selling slot and work it.
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While my above “PS” is good advice for one just starting out—it’s not useful for Randy. I suspect that he has found a following, because he IS a good writer. But finding a small following is a far cry from big money and “success”. If you can stick to a genre and you’re early in your career—do it.
Another thing that Randy can do is to find the similarities in his works that appeal to a particular audience and market that angle. In his case the psychological aspects and deviant behavior seem to crop up a lot. (Weird people are fascinating!)
Randy reports that his book Blow Up The Roses has just been picked up by Curiosity Quills publisher. The ebook is currently available online, and I’ve just purchased it. The first page has me hooked!
Stay tuned for an announcement about a new book on just this subject from Maralys Wills: Buy a Trumpet and Blow Your Own Horn! Turning Books Into Bucks it will be a must read for self-publishing authors.
I really don’t think I need to add any comment to this:
