(via Flickr)
I’m back from a lovely fall trip to New York City. What is the one thing about marketing and blogging that I heard over and over?
I heard that folks are looking for writers who are promotable (not that the publisher will do all the work, but that the writer already has a presence on the web)—blogging, Twitter, Facebook, etc.
So, if you are worrying that you may not be promotable enough, here’s a quick guide to help:
1. What’s your visibility on the web?
When people type you into a search engine, what comes up? Do you have a blog that lifts your results to one of the first pages in a search engine? If you Twitter, will people get a sense of your personality and what you are about (not by promoting yourself, but by viewing what you link to and tweet about: the ratio of your own stuff to other people’s stuff should be a 20/80 ratio, if you’re wondering).
2. What comes up most often (ie, what’s your story?)?
If you’re trying to write books for kids, do your journalism articles come up first? If you are seeking to publish a DIY book, do you have a blog that shows off your DIY prowess? Your presence on the web should showcase the background you’re hoping to sell. Wondering how to do that?
3. What’s your engagement?
The types of social media that you use must match the audience you are trying to reach. Does your audience prefer Facebook or Twitter? A blog or a vlog? Editors will be looking to see how well you interact with your audience and this is the first test. So, give it some time and think about it.
Up next week, more about using new media to promote books.
