Writers in the Storm

by Penny Sansevieri

We hear this a lot, of course – the “things” every author needs to do to be successful. But a lot of times, it varies by genre. Which is understandable, because different readers resonate with different things. But across the board, there are deal breakers and that’s what we’re digging into today.

1. Know Your Reader

Forgive me for starting with the obvious but you’d be amazed at how many times I speak with authors who have no idea who will read their book. Yet this knowledge shapes everything from your book structure, your story if you’re writing fiction and your marketing efforts. Craft a detailed reader profile—age, interests, reading habits, and more—to guide your work and outreach. Writing without an audience in mind makes marketing your book exponentially harder later on.

2. Know your Genre

While this is quite similar to the point above, it’s so important and I see it so often that it deserves it’s own bullet. So many authors I speak to in the course of my business don’t know what their genre is, or they make up a genre (my personal fav). The issue with not knowing your genre is that your book will sit and languish, probably somewhere it shouldn’t be and all of your hopes and dreams of being an successful author are dashed.

The other piece of this is that your cover must appeal to a specific reader and that reader is looking for a book in a specific genre. If your book cover does not meet or exceed those expectations, you likely aren’t selling books.

Pick a genre and own it. Sure, your young adult book may someday appeal to adults (a la Harry Potter) but for right now, your book should sit smartly in a young adult fantasy genre.

Remember this: a scattered approach to a genre means a scattered approach to your marketing and that, in the end, will get you nowhere.

3. Leverage Social Media Strategically

Social media is a powerful tool for connecting with your readers and expanding your reach but a lot of times it can feel like a bit of a black hole. If you’re struggling to get attention on your social media platform (or platforms) – then maybe you need to reconsider either where you’re posting, or what you’re posting.

The thing with social media is that it feels like an albatross if it’s done incorrectly, or if you’re on the wrong platform or posting content that isn’t engaging to your audience. If you’re reading this and nodding your head, then maybe it’s time to take a step back and reconfigure what you’re doing. My suggestion is this: start following other/similar authors in your genre and let that inspire you. Get a sense for what they’re posting, how frequent and what content seems to really resonate with the readers. Don’t copy, but let this fuel some new ideas so you don’t feel like you’re wasting your time.

4. Create a Pre-Launch Marketing Plan

A successful book launch doesn’t begin on release day—it starts months before. Craft a detailed pre-launch marketing plan that includes social media teasers, blog posts, newsletter sign-ups, and collaborations with influencers or bloggers in your genre. Create buzz early, so that by the time your book is out, your audience is eager to buy it.

5. Utilize Email Marketing

I get it, email marketing seems very 1980’s, doesn’t it?  But trust me when I say that your email list is one of the most powerful tools for book promotion. Build and nurture your email list by offering free content, like a reader magnet (e.g., a free novella, exclusive chapter, or bonus content). Email allows you to build a direct line of communication with your most engaged readers, keeping them updated about book releases, sales, and special events.

6. Build an Author Platform

When I teach my author platform class in person, I often see a lot of glazed over faces in the audience, and I get it – the term “author platform” seems both daunting and slightly nebulous. The majority of the time and author will say “I’ve never been published before, how can I possibly have a platform?” And they’re right – you won’t have a platform for your first book, but everything you do builds on everything else and by the time book two comes out, voila, you are now launching your book with an author platform. Yes, if you do the right things, it’s really that easy.

And your author platform doesn’t have to be complicated. At its very basic, it’s your online presence. So your website, maybe you have a blog, too – your social media channel (or channels), it’s your newsletter and maybe it’s your speaking events.

7. Network

The writing world thrives on relationships. Network with fellow authors, bloggers, podcasters, and industry professionals. Collaborations, guest posts, podcast interviews, and book events can open new doors, exposing you to wider audiences and fresh opportunities. And do you know when is the best time to network? When you have nothing to sell. So if you’re reading this and your next book isn’t out – or you are not yet published, now is a great time to do some online networking.

How to start? Start by following some experts in your industry, comment on their posts, like their content. Yes, it’s really that easy.

8. Invest in Professional Covers

I don’t think we need to spend a ton of time on this one, but seriously – put your best foot forward. There’s a book published every 8 seconds in this country. I know, crazy right? And the amount of books launched with terrible covers could likely sink the Titanic – again. Don’t be a statistic. I know it’s tempting to throw some ideas into an AI and let it develop something for you. And look, I’m not knocking AI covers – but unless you have an eye for design, or you are a book designer, it’s a big ask to create a cover that is both professional and resonates with your reader.

Never cut your own hair, and never design your own covers,

9. Understand the Timing of Book Marketing

I get this question a lot: How soon will I start selling books? Legit, I have no idea. I’ve been doing book marketing and publicity for 24 years and I don’t know.

Marketing is a process and it’s an ongoing effort. Create a plan that feels robust, but not daunting. Even if you’re just doing one thing a day.

10. Engage with Indie Bookstores

We just did a podcast on indie bookstores and I love them! Never overlook the power of local indie bookstores. They can be key players in building your audience and selling your books. Build relationships with store owners, offer to host events, and get involved in your community. Indie stores love supporting local authors, but it’s up to you to foster that connection. If you want to dig into this more, tune into our podcast, which you can find here!

Finally, it’s worth remembering that…

Change is a way of life, especially in publishing.

Being willing to change and adapt is one of the top reasons bestselling authors are so successful.

Stay informed about trends and the evolving marketplace. And learn to love learning. Attend workshops (virtual or in-person) whenever you can, it’s a great way not only to learn about something new, but also to network with other authors! Continuous learning and adaptability will help you stay ahead of the curve and increase your long-term success.

Do you have an 11th tip to add? Which tip of these ten resonated the most with you? Please share with us down in the contents!

About Penny

Penny C. Sansevieri, Founder and CEO of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a bestselling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. She is an Adjunct Professor teaching Self-Publishing for NYU. She was named one of the top influencers of 2019 by New York Metropolitan Magazine.

Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most innovative Amazon visibility campaigns as well offering national media pitching, online book marketing, author events, and other strategies designed to build the author/book visibility.

She is the author of 18 books, including How to Sell Your Books by the Truckload on Amazon, Revise and Re-Release Your Book, 5-Minute Book Marketing for Authors, and From Book to Bestseller. She also hosts the top ranking podcast Book Marketing Tips and Author Success.

AME has had dozens of books on top bestseller lists, including those of the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal.

To learn more about Penny’s books or her promotional services, visit www.amarketingexpert.com. 

Top photo credit from Depositphotos.

by James R. Preston

Let’s take a ride, shall we? We’ll drive south down Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach, and turn right on Pacific Coast Highway. We’ll use some artistic license and stop in at a bar that’s not there anymore, and we’ll connect all of these dots to assign some meaning for your writing. And we’ll try to have some fun along the way.

So hop in! Buckle up! Here we go. 

In this installment of Writers in the Storm we’ll look at maps, geography, and factual details, those little things that can really help your work, but that can also hurt your work when you get it wrong.

Kids Today

So, my godson, his brother and I turned onto Beach Boulevard on our way back from a movie when the subject of the moon came up. I said, “It’s about a quarter of a million miles from the earth.“ My godson had his phone in his hand (of course he did — that’s where it lives) and, quicker than I can type these words, he said, “238 million miles.”

That’s how fast readers can fact check your novel, the 100,000 words that you labored on for a year or more, sitting up late at night thinking about motivation and plot points.

And they will fact check. And they will find mistakes — or changes you have made to details, which brings us to geography, and which will get us to that bar.

Bumps in the Road

A mistake can — just for a moment — jolt readers out of the story and cause them to, well, to pay attention to the man behind the screen.

Even if readers forgive you (and most will), you have distracted them for a moment, caused them to step back out of your fictional world. And it is so, so easy.

A few years ago, “How far is the moon?” would have required an encyclopedia or a trip to the library. Now it doesn’t even require keystrokes.

“Hey, Siri, how far is the moon?”

It’s important to watch out for slips, aka those potential bumps. I’ll provide some examples and just to be fair I’ll describe some of my mistakes, and I’ll throw in one geographic change that I did on purpose.

Wetsuit/Drysuit

There are two classes of factual errors in fiction: intentional and flat-out mistakes. 

First, let’s get to a pet peeve of mine. The secret agent dons his scuba gear and swims in through an underwater connection to the party he needs to infiltrate, where he slips out of the water and in a secluded corner, unzips the wetsuit and reveals a tuxedo, complete with carnation in the lapel.

Wetsuits don’t work like that.

Wetsuits allow a thin layer of water in between your skin and the suit and the water keeps you warm. That’s how they get their name. That tux would be soaked.

Your secret agent could use a drysuit except they don’t look anything like a wetsuit and a little water gets in no matter what. You see that in movies all the time; in books it’s mostly glossed over. But for any reader or viewer who knows, it’s a problem, a “bump.”

More Examples of Bumps

Once upon a time my wife and I were sitting up late at night reading when all at once she started laughing. When I asked what was so funny she explained that the heroine’s significant other worked for the U. S. Space agency — Nassau in the Bahamas. Now that’s careless! 

Ok, this one’s on me. I’ve told this story before but it’s applicable here.

I wrote Leave A Good-Looking Corpse and very quickly got my first fan letter. A fan letter! After I quit dancing around, I read it carefully, to find that my Faithful Reader (he still reads my work) went on to say that I had a character peel the paper label off a bottle of Corona, and that’s impossible because the label is painted on.

Oh, well. He still liked the book a lot. 

For blending truth and fiction nobody’s better than Michael Crichton. Read the Introduction to Jurassic Park and watch for the spot where he deftly moves from science to fiction. It’s really smooth. No bumps there.

Some Good Rules on “Bumps”

Does it matter? Does your story suffer because the heroine rides her pony from Pasadena down to the beach? And yes, that’s in another of my wife’s books.) Well, yes . . . and no.  It depends on the mistake.

Errors of geography are not critical but if the reader knows, they are thrown out of the story.

Rule #1

If you are going to change geography, be ready to admit it. In the Introduction to his monumental Noble House, James Clavell apologizes for altering the geography of Hong Kong. 

Meanwhile, on our drive we have turned north on Pacific Coast Highway. Let’s stop in at a bar that used to be there but now only exists in my stories. Cagney’s was one of my favorites, a small place on PCH at Main Street. It was great — you could lean your surfboard against the wall and go in for a brew.

I’ll never forget one afternoon walking in, blinking to adjust to the dark, noticing that the woman tending bar was wearing a stole over her shoulders. At least, that’s what I thought it was until it raised its head and looked at me. Yeah, she had a medium-sized boa constrictor draped over her tank top.

So, if you have favorite spots, by all means keep them, but be prepared to admit it.

Rule #2

Do your homework! Make friends with the Internet and spend time looking up details. Remember, some of your readers live there. If possible, visit the place you are writing about.

My suggestion is do this last.

We’re in this to tell stories and for me at least there is no better feeling in the world than the moment when it clicks into gear and the characters become people and talk to you and more than anything you want to know what happens next. I say never interrupt that moment to look up some obscure fact. Save that for later. 

Some of you may be thinking that you are writing about a world of your own creation and are therefore immune from fact checking. Well, in a sense you are — the roads run however you want them to. However, your readers will pay attention and if in Volume 1 the heroine is allergic to shellfish you better not forget and have her eating lobster stew in Volume 2.

TV shows create a document called a “Bible” that lists all these details. Below are a few tips from Writers in the Storm with excellent techniques for creating your own.

• Creating a Bible for Characters and Screenwriting by Ellen Buikema
• How To Organize Your Story Details Into a Story Bible by Lynette Burrows

Rule #3

Finally, always remember that it’s the story that counts. James Bond can unzip his wetsuit to a tux and it’s still a good story. In the afterward to the Edgar-nominated Joyland, Stephen King says, “That’s why they call it fiction.”

Final Thought

We’ve made it to Cagney’s. I’m disappointed because the woman with the boa is not working today, but it’s still a fine place to settle in to talk about writing, and to end with one final thought.

Never forget that your audience is on your side – it’s called Willing suspension of disbelief for a reason. They want to like your tale, and they will always, always clap for Tinkerbell.

Thanks for coming along on the ride, and now it’s your turn. Got a pet peeve you want to share? Or a goof that you made and can laugh about now that it’s over? C’mon, we’re all in this together. 

About James

James R. Preston is the author of the multiple-award-winning Surf City Mysteries. He is currently at work on the sixth, called Remains To Be Seen. His most recent works are Crashpad and Buzzkill, two historical novellas set in the 1960’s at Cal State Long Beach. Kirkus Reviews called Buzzkill “A historical thriller enriched by characters who sparkle and refuse to be forgotten.” His books are collected as part of the California Detective Fiction collection at the University of California Berkeley. 

Find out more about James at his website.

by Laura Drake

Compellingly showing thoughts is a topic I don’t see addressed often, but it’s done wrong so much that it’s become a pet peeve of mine. It’s like a cheese grater on the nerves. Once you see the difference between smooth, essential thoughts and "throw away" thoughts, you won’t be able to unsee them. And that’s a good thing for your writing.

Thoughts in exposition can be wonderful – they help your reader get to know your characters and have empathy for them. They can be a great way to reveal backstory in a pow kind of way. They can also be a great way to explode a secret on the page.

Some not-so-compelling ways...

Done wrong, thoughts on the page invite skimming and that’s the LAST thing you want. There are several ways to do it wrong. Below are a few.

Italics

Yes, I know there is no rule against putting thoughts in italics. But to me, it’s distracting. Since we use italics to show emphasis, for texts, news articles, etc., that can be a lot of drawing attention. Don’t use them for thoughts, too.

Too Many Thoughts

If you’re a fan of Margie Lawson (and if you’re not, you should be), you know she suggests highlighting thoughts in yellow. Choose any one chapter in the middle of your book and highlight the thoughts.

You will be shocked at how much is yellow. Too many thoughts tend to make a reader feel trapped in your character’s head. They slow the read, which is never a good thing. I believe it’s why many readers have an aversion to first person – too many thoughts! 

Unneeded Thoughts

As authors, we have a hard time judging when enough is enough. We tend to think the reader needs more information than they do.

Most importantly: This is the kind of thing that makes a reader ‘skim’ to get to the good parts.

How do you avoid this pitfall?

Example #1

          We’re in the hurricane’s path. It’s a solid Category 2 now, and it could get stronger.”

          I didn’t like the sound of that. “Do we need to evacuate?”

Who would like the sound of that? It’s a freakin’ hurricane! Doubly bad if you’re trying to increase tension in the scene. To increase tension—not a spare word!

Instead, tell us what we don’t know!

Example #2

          This guy is a legend in his own mind. I’ve seen some crap in my days, but he dishes it by the shovelful. “I’m so impressed with your body of work, Sir.”

          I’m good with diplomacy. My thoughts? Another thing entirely.

See how that last thought told you the obvious?

Done better:

          “I’m so impressed with your body of work, Sir.”

          And I’m even more impressed with my hyperbole super-power.

Backstory Thoughts

Backstory dumps are never good. They’re even worse in thoughts. Why? Think about it – how often do you go to bad memories in your thoughts? No more often than you have to, right? So does this sound like a legitimate thought?

      He remembered the blast of an IED, during his tour of duty in Iraq. He hadn’t wanted to enlist, but the judge said it was that or jail time. Didn’t seem fair. He’d only been driving the car, and he didn’t know his drunk buds meant to rob the gas station. But there he was, sweating under a fifty-pound pack, when the blast hit, throwing him in the air.

Dump-city, right? Sure the information tells us about the character, but not in a compelling way.

Backstory revised:

          Crouched behind the car, he rubbed the pain in his leg—a reminder of the IED that was the last time he’d come this close to death.

See how the above hints there IS backstory, without dumping backstory? The rest may be important about the character, but you can find places to slip in details down the road in this same compelling way.

Final Thought

Take the time to think about your character’s thoughts. I promise your writing will be better for it!

What do you think (pun not intended...)? Have you read writers who do great "thoughts on the page?" We invite you to share stellar thoughts you've written in the comments!

About Laura

Laura Drake is a hybrid author of 15 Romance and Women's Fiction. Her debut, The Sweet Spot, the 2014 Romance Writers of America® RITA® award. A city girl turned Texan, she's currently working on her accent. She's a wife, grandmother, and motorcycle chick in the remaining waking hours.

Her most recent novel, For Roger, is a Jodi Picoult-esque look at the right to die. 4.8 Stars on Amazon!

Photo Credits:

• Top photo and bio pic from Laura Drake
• "Too Many Thoughts" purchased from Depositphotos