Hot Trends, Hot Markets - Part 3: Using AmazonConnect & Chapters Community

This past weekend I spoke at the CanWrite! Conference in Edmonton, Alberta, on the Hot Trends, Hot Markets panel. I wish I'd had more time to talk, and since so many writers came up to me throughout the weekend, saying that they'd liked to have heard more about book promotion, I'm hoping you'll check out my blog. I have lots to say on the hot trend of social networking, so if you're a writer, please keep reading. :)

Please read Part 1 & 2 before proceeding to Part 3.

Part 3:

In Part 2 I discussed book collection or catalog networks like Shelfari. The next category of social networks is "bookseller networks", primarily AmazonConnect for US consumers and readers, and Chapters Community for Canadian consumers and readers.

Anyone, writer or not, can join Amazon.com and have a profile page, but they'll be slightly different with AmazonConnect. AmazonConnect is for authors of books sold on Amazon. Authors must apply by filling out the AmazonConnect request form. So if you're a writer with books available on Amazon.com, the first step is to sign up with AmazonConnect.

What are the benefits of AmazonConnect?

• You will have an author's profile page, plus links to all of your books. Others will see your author page if they look you up or subscribe to Amazon Daily, a collection of recent blog posts from AmazonConnect members.
• You can contact people (friends/readers) privately by sending them a message through their own profile page or you can leave them a comment on their reviews.
• The biggest plus to joining AmazonConnect is that you also receive your own AmazonConnect Blog, a place where you can connect directly to your readers and reviewers on Amazon.com.

You can add Amazon Top Reviewers as friends, plus other reviewers, and more importantly, you can add readers. Simply look at other comparable titles to yours and see who's reviewed them. Then invite those people to be your Amazon friends. Again, try to build genuine relationships first. Learn to be a "people person", and you'll find networking much easier.

Blog about anything and everything related to your books but also to you as a person. People like to know more about you--what you're interested, where you've been, what you're doing other than writing, etc. And if you include writing tips, then aspiring authors will thank you. Your blog is your direct line to potential fans. If you have more than one blog, don't be afraid to cross-post the same article on multiple posts, but be sure to change the title of the blog posts slightly and the first sentence, so that search engines don't ignore these posts.

What are the benefits of Chapters Community?

• You'll have an author's profile page so people will know you're an author.
• You can contact people/friends privately through messages or post a note on their profile page or post comments on their posts, reviews and forum discussions.
• You'll have a blog--although Chapters refers to it as "Posts". Use this just like you would any blog.

As with AmazonConnect, Chapters Community allows you to connect with people who love reading. You can invite friends and should do so every week, discuss books on forums, and write and read reviews.

Even more, Chapters Community allows authors to connect with bookstore staff (Indigo, Chapters, Coles, Smithbooks) from across Canada. And that is invaluable to an author. You'll even have a direct line to Heather Reisman, CEO and founder of Indigo Books & Music (and Chapters), if you add her as a friend. She loves books and enjoys hearing from readers and authors. Again, be genuine, not pushy. Every bookstore contact should be considered a valued friend and partner, not a 'sale'.

The thing to realize about online social networking is that it allows you to virtually meet more people from all over the world. People who love reading. If they aren't your specific target audience, then chances are they know someone who is. They need to be handled with care, just as you would if you met someone in a coffee shop or church and you became friends.

The idea is not to become the pushy car saleman type of "Shameless Promoter", but the author who is passionate about her work and knows that what he or she has written is just right for that person. So get to know your Amazon and Chapters friends. Find out what they like reading, and if you have something similar, mention it in a way that is natural, not forced, not a sales pitch--but genuine.

I've met some wonderful, great people through social networks. People I'd love to visit and meet. Many have purchased my books because they've met me online. Many are curious about what I write and they want to ask questions. Learn to love your readers and they'll tell two friends, and each of them will tell two friends, and so on...

Check back in a few days for more on social networking and how to make it work for you, the author!

Please leave me a comment if this has been helpful to you. :)

And if you haven't already done so, sign up on both AmazonConnect and Chapters Community.

Read Part 4.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
Canadian suspense author
http://www.cherylktardif.com/

Hot Trends, Hot Markets - Part 2: How to use book collection or catalog networks

Yesterday, I spoke at the CanWrite! Conference in Edmonton, Alberta, on the Hot Trends, Hot Markets panel. I had a great time and I hope that attendees left with a better understanding of how they can market themselves online through the use of social networks.

Read Part 1 first.

Part 2:

Today, I want to talk about one of the three main categories of social networking--'book collection or catalog networks'. These are social networks that invite users/members to catalog their personal book collection, recommend books to fellow members/friends, discuss books and authors with others, and to send notes and virtually "meet" people from all over the world who love books.

The three sites that are top on my list are:

• LibraryThing
• GoodReads
• Shelfari

The first thing to do if you're an aspiring or published author is to sign up on these sites. If you're a published author, you'll want to sign up as an "author", which will give you some extra perks. If you don't see how to do this, just email the site's contact. They can get you set up as an author very quickly.

5 main ways to promote yourself on these sites:

1. Request to be friends with others on the network
2. Add your own published books to your list of books read
3. Review books, especially ones that are comparable to yours
4. Get involved in group discussions
5. Send your friends notes, comment on their posts and recommend a book

Social networking ethics:

In general, these sites are set up to bring people together. However, most people don't want a hard sales pitch, especially one by an over-exuberant author. So be careful when you approach others on these networks. Find a common interest and get to know your friends here first. Chat about where they live, their family, their own book recommendations and reviews. But be real!

I genuinely love meeting people, and I also love to promote my books. It's tough for an author to hold back sometimes, but it is worth it to do so when you first start checking into the social network market. There is a fine line that I don't want to cross, and what I've learned is this: if you're patient and take the time to get to know people, they'll start asking questions. And the great thing is, you'll know their interest is genuine too.

The benefits for authors:

It may seem obvious that the benefits are more exposure, but I've met a lot of authors who just don't get this. Think of that old shampoo commercial--"and they tell two friends, and so on, and so on, and..." This is a form of "viral marketing"--a way of promoting to one person or group that will create a chain reaction of word-of-mouth referrals.

Once you sign up on GoodReads, for instance, thousands and thousands of people will have access to your author profile. Every time you post some writing, add a book, review a book, discuss something in a group, the homepage shows your activity. This is updated instantly, and brings new visitors to your profile and activity pages.

You can contact "top reviewers" and arrange to send them ARCs or galleys. These are ordinary people who love to read and write reviews, and what better reviews are there than that? :)

You can contact libraries and bookstores and introduce them to your book(s). Offer to send them bookmarks or your publisher's catalog--or one book to sample.

And of course, you'll meet lots of wonderful people. You will connect with housewives, teens, entrepreneurs, business owners, teachers, librarians, other authors, but above all--readers.

Personally, through these three sites I have met some wonderful people, some fabulous authors and many terrific reviewers. It's like going to a huge party, or a multi-author book launch, where all the talk is about BOOKS. And for an author, is there anything better than that?

So...get social! Start networking! If you're an aspiring author, use these sites to start gaining fans now! Why wait? If they like your writing now, they're going to buy your book when it's finally published. Plus being a part of an online social network allows you to do the one thing you love most--WRITE! :)

Read Part 3.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
bestselling author of Whale Song
http://www.cherylktardif.com/

Hot Trends, Hot Markets - Part 1: Social Networking

Today, I'll be presenting on a panel at the 2008 CanWrite! Conference in Edmonton, Alberta. The topic of my panel is Hot Trends, Hot Markets, and it's the only panel that runs separately as a main feature. As an author, I'll be looking at this topic from the perspective of aspiring and published authors.

As someone who's been nicknamed "Shameless Promoter" because I promote my books with everything I've got, utilizing everything I can think of or learn about, I want to share what I've learned. This information will help writers and authors connect with readers and fans, which can lead to sales once a book has been published.

The question I asked myself was: "Which hot trend or market is really on fire today, one that actually benefits writers and authors?"

The answer I came up with?

SOCIAL NETWORKING!

In the next few days, I'll post more here about this topic, but for now, let me give you the outline. Social networks are prevalent on the Internet, and if you learn how to use them correctly, you will benefit greatly. This is a way to meet thousands of people and an acceptable way to promote yourself.

There are three main categories of social networks:

1. Book collection or catalog networks - ex. LibraryThing, GoodReads, Shelfari


2. Book seller networks - ex. AmazonConnect, Chapters Community


3. True social networks - ex. MySpace, FaceBook, Ning (multiple networks here)

There are many more networks than just the examples shown above, but these are the most important ones, and I highly recommend that every writer and author utilize each of them.

In my next post, I'll explain more about how to use each type of network to the fullest potential.

For now, I invite you to click on the network links above and join each one. Please note: to set up an Amazon profile/blog on AmazonConnect, you must be a published author with books available on Amazon. The other networks are all open to writers and readers, as well as authors.

Please leave me a comment if you find this information useful. :)

Read Part 2.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
author of Whale Song
http://www.cherylktardif.com/