marketing and the author brand...or 8 links to stardom

Once again I’ve missed my regular blog day....sorry all you regular readers...however if you check out Fifi’s blog, she has a blog roll which shows who has updated lately...quite a handy little list and it must pull in more readers to her blog...great marketing Fifi....

While you are looking at her list, check out the neat link to her craft classes for kids...she has to make the studio pay...(and we’d all like her to keep the studio going... coz it’s a handy meeting space with everything you need, great parking at the door, big table to spread your gear around...)

Today following on from a comment made by Tim I am going to muse about Author Branding.

"Eh What?" I hear you splutter...

Yes...Remember when I raved about meeting Stacy...among the snippets I gleaned was the way The Class of 2k8 was set up and why.

In the States now the author is expected to get out and really push the book. Gone are the days when the publisher’s publicity department did that work. Because of this, authors are frequently at a loss as to how to go about their books P.R.

Canny Greg Fishbone of 2k7 decided that if a whole pile of debut authors got together and started telling the world in as many ways as possible about themselves as The (Brand) Class of 2k7, people would be more interested.

Voila! And so they were...

Debut authors were invited for 2k8 and beyond (Canny Greg having registered the brand names.)

The collective Brand gives these authors a voice and an identity which would otherwise be lost in the huge publishing world out there. All the authors commit money to the brand so that a Youtube video book trailer can be made of their book...and the videos all have the same feel (brand identity)

All the authors have websites and blogs and so does the Brand. The Brand profiles the release dates of each Partner Author with interviews... virtual parties... guest blogs...etc. Partner Authors do the same on their own website and blog. Suddenly you have 30 people out there promoting your book like crazy...instead of just you on your own.(quid pro quo)

Now it gets interesting...Because there are librarian conferences, reading conferences, literature conferences etc...who all need speakers, The Brand supplies Panels and Speakers to these conferences. They have the topic and collectively within the Brand can supply

The PB,YA, Mid Grade writers...on the topic, New Voices in publishing (coz they are all debut) or New Trends (coz they are all debut ) or whatever is interesting.

P J Hoover has been giving talks about code cracking and new alphabets etc all based on the research she did for her book, The Emerald Tablet at Lit. Conferences.

Stacy Nyikos has been coordinating the organisation of panellists for The Class of 2k8...that means finding out who’s available and getting them to an event. The authors meet before hand to make sure they are all on the right page with their presentations and to make sure that a local bookshop has ordered in copies of their books to sell....

The speaker’s fee they get means that sometimes they break even, sometimes they make a little, sometimes they lose out. But their individual profile and their brand profile is lifted....and don’t forget that the other Brand Partners are out there talking up the fact that...X, Y and Z will be speaking at ....

And that my friends solves the problem of ‘What brand am I when I write across the age groups?’ that children’s authors have with Author Branding...that genre fiction authors don’t have (they just change their name.)

Theresa Meyers of Blue Moon Communications has written a great article about Author Branding on seven steps you need to take to get an author brand...here’s a little taste.

At this point you might be scratching your head and asking, "Why do I need an author brand anyway? I'm small right now."

The point is you want to grow big, right?

You can take a long, painful, expensive trip to get to from point A to point B without a road map or make it there for far less expense, time and effort with a map. All I am trying to get you to do it creating your brand is build your map first.

Hats off to Greg Fishbone for a brilliant idea.

Hi to Tricia Hoover and Stacy Nyikos who probably have a google alert out on their names and books...now that is a great idea. (Check out Stacy’s blog for her diary on her research trip to NZ, absolutely brilliant...you will be cheering her on...)

I’m off to think up some great brand names for our conference...email me or comment back if you have some brilliant thoughts on what to call the National Conference of New Zealand Children’s Writers and Illustrators 2009...(what a mouthful...)

pic is The constellation.. Kiwi....coz we need some local constellation names...courtesy of the Phoenix

Astronomical Society gurus...

5 tips for your writing career in a difficult time-Jane Friedman

I commented recently on Melindas blog about what writers should be doing now we are in a recession....(Go to Melindas blog... I know you read her anyway...)
Anyway I came across this post by Jane Friedman on the topic...great minds...

Jane says...

Writers must be involved with online life and expect to provide online content, and have an online presence. I’d say your career will come to an abrupt halt in a few years if you’re not willing to participate, market, promote, or engage in online activities and audiences.

Go here to read the rest of the article.

lots of food for thought
maureen

pic is Jane Friedman-managing editor of Writers Digest...Her Blog 'There Are No Rules' is a must read.

counting and commenting and a Sombrero

I’ve been away...but now I’m back...a forty eight hour pass from my kids...unfortunately I had to attend a funeral in Auckland to get the pass...but it was worth it.

Sometimes life gets so hectic around here, stepping away feels like heaven....

Jumping back into the fray... It’s Blog day Thursday.

A few posts ago I said that I’d talk about stat counters...

A Stat Counter is a little link that counts how many of your web/blog page loads are being looked at by other computers.

Fifi Colston is right... they are addictive. If you have stat counter (a nice little free service) you set up a little account and check it regularly and find out that all sorts of people around the country and around the world have stumbled over your musings. There is lots of information you can find out that will help you especially if you are using your web site to sell anything.

For instance key words... the stat counter website will tell you what key words were used to find your web/blog.

In terms of marketing this is invaluable. People looking for Ruth Paul, children’s books, the tomorrow code and Melinda Szymanik have all found my blog. I hope they enjoyed it.

I’d like to say Hi to all the people from the States that have popped in, and Dubai, as well as the many from New Zealand.

The other little piece of info that is invaluable is how your readers have found you through other web/blogs. Readers of Fifi, Melinda and Tim have come on over to see what I’m saying (with any luck it’s as interesting as what they post.)

Commenting on other blogs and web sites is great for getting your blog/web site noticed. There is a group of US kids lit bloggers (who attended the blogosphere conference earlier this year) who are having a 21 day challenge....comment on five blogs a day for 21 days and look at the traffic that results from your efforts.

I won’t be joining them at the moment I’m still trying to get on top of the mountain of laundry waiting for me after my forty eight hour pass.(writing... what’s that???)

All though I did get my space fix in yesterday with three presentations of my solar system/ nebula/galaxy, power point slideshow at school yesterday. It went down a treat and I hope I have inspired some eight year olds to think about getting out there and doing some exploration in space.

maureen

pic is the sombrero galaxy...voted the best picture the hubble space telescope has ever taken...Isn't it amazing!

Meeting Stacy across the Blogosphere

A couple of posts ago I said 'go on, just try reading some blogs and commenting on a few that interest you.'

I did this last week on Stacy Nyikos’s blog where I learned that she was writing a book called Pelorus Jack. Stacy lives in Oklahoma and has just had her first mid grade novel, Dragon Wishes, published. She is a member of the class of 2k8.

Stacy announced that she was coming to New Zealand to do some research. I wrote back telling her what the weather was and if she was in Wellington to shout out.

Stacy Nyikos is in Wellington now researching at the National Library before she goes down to D’Urville island. We met over coffee in the library cafe yesterday. What an interesting lady...I had lots of questions...I still have lots of questions about the state of publishing in the US. How 2k8 works...

I learned lots of things. I laughed, was moved, all in all, 90 minutes flew by.

Welcome to the Blogosphere.

Dip your toe in and get the chance to meet and share with people from all over the world so that when you do finally meet them for the first time... they are old friends.

The world needs more communication among ordinary people.

I know that Stacy is going to love the ‘Sounds.’ I am sure that they will love her back! (witty... charming...)

Welcome to New Zealand, Stacy!

One day I hope to turn up in the US and enjoy a coffee with an online friend I met over the world wide blogosphere. I know it will be just as amazing as yesterdays meeting with Stacy Nyikos in Wellington New Zealand.

Maureen...(you know how I hate gushing...I’m not gushing...I’m not...I’m just knocked out by the surreal experiences I have with blogging...)

Brain Falkner and The Tomorrow Code

Brian Falkners book 'The Tomorrow Code' launched in the English speaking world....on the 28th and his Cool Book Website also went live.

What I like about Brian's website for the book is his attention to detail.
You want to know about some of the science...it's there
morse code...it's there
The Haka...a video shows you how to do it....

Brian....Well Done Mate!....(you know that conference we are having next September....)

It's really great to watch a Kiwi having a crack at the world book market...and such a great children's writer makes it all the sweeter....

maureen