A few months ago, a woman contacted me on LinkedIn, introducing herself as an acquisitions editor at a niche publishing house. In search of new authors, she noticed the backgrounds and book titles of several authors I work with and asked if I might have any book proposals that could be a fit for her house. The timing could not have been better. I had an author in a very niched subject whose book proposal had been sitting with another publishing house that had expressed interest months before. The other seemed interested, but not exactly passionate or in a hurry to make an offer.
After an introduction, my client sent her proposal to this other publisher who loved her book proposal, fast-tracked it with the editorial board and sent an offer within a week. That showed passion for the book and the author is now in contract negotiations.
Yes, publishers are on LinkedIn. They are also on Twitter. They read blogs (as evidenced by Craig Malkin, author of Rethinking Narcissism, whose publisher, HarperWave, contacted him after reading his blog posts on Psychology Today and the Huffington Post). But how do you get acquisitions editors to notice YOU?
Here are 8 Social Media Tips to Get Noticed by Publishers:
1. Actively build your network: The greater your network, the more likely you are to reach a publisher–or anyone. Build your reach by connecting with others in meaningful ways. Be strategic about it and identify those people whom you want to connect with–potential clients, acquisitions editors/publishers, journalists, etc.
2. Write your best: Quality over quantity is key. Dr. Craig Malkin, author of the upcoming book Rethinking Narcissism, is a perfect example of someone who writes informational, relevant, entertaining and very well written posts. This is why his posts went viral in the first place–and one reason the acquisitions editor saw the potential for a book.
3. Know your audience: Rather than write for everyone, identify a clear core audience and write to those people. Use examples and language that will resonate for them. You’ll actually reach more people by being specific than by imagining you are writing for “everyone.” CLICK HERE TO TWEET THIS.
4. Be consistent: The more consistent you are, the better. I aim for 1-2 blog posts a week. The most successful bloggers blog on the same day(s) every week. Frances Caballo, author of Social Media Just for Writers, blogs every Monday and Friday, for instance. Her readers know when to look for her posts and it creates a more consistent and engaged readership.
5. Be generous: Share good posts by colleagues and others. Share posts or tweets by authors in your field or a related field and who are published by the publishers you are looking for. CLICK HERE TO TWEET THIS.
6. Be discerning: Think before you post. Ask yourself what value you are delivering for your readers in any particular post.
7. Use “keywords” in your title: Think about what a person might type in who is looking for the information in your post. Those are your keywords–and a long specific phrase can actually be an effective way to get noticed by search engines like Google. These keywords will help people find you when they are searching for information on your subject.
8. Be social: Share your posts on all the major social media–or at least those where your readership hangs out. Remember that tip #5, Be Generous, is the precursor to success in sharing your own posts.
Speaking of sharing, please share your questions or insights on social media and how to get noticed by publishers by adding your comment below.
Drawing upon my skills developed over 35 years of practice as a Clinical Psychologist, I am writing a book about women and the role that children play in their life.
Becoming a published author has always been a daunting task, but with the explosion of the age of Social Media, everything is different.
I am interested in finding out more about how a professional person with an idea for a book can start a Blog. What is involved in the process of establishing a Blog? What are the initial steps?
Thank you,
Dr. Jerelyn Brofman
Jerelyn, I recommend a wordpress blog and it must be embedded on your website (as opposed to residing on wordpress).
Think about what you want the focus of the blog to be. In particular answer the questions:
– Who is my blog for?
– What are my goals?
– What are the most likely keywords that people would type to find my blog and posts?
Write a few possible posts and run them by people in your target market, and an editor or proofreader, if needed. Include a call to action in your post to encourage comments. For instance, you can invite readers to share their experiences or to ask their questions.
When you are ready to actually build the blog, I recommend Mike Hyatt’s post on How to Launch a Self-hosted WordPress Blog.
hello Lisa, i have wrote a book focusing on my nostalgic teenage years. i spent my teenage years in the 80’s. the book reads reads like a comedy/drama, it’s packed with 80’s references and loads of running gags, with interesting characters. the main character suffers from being very immature for his age, with his main goal in life is to grow up, stand up for himself and be taken seriously in adult-world. the problem i have is i’m a first time author with no writing background what so ever. i have sent submissions to loads of agency’s who either said no thanks or they thought the book have a lot of promise, but not enough for them to commit. the book has been proof read by a vanity publisher, who promised me the world as long as i paid upfront. as the months went by i realized they weren’t crittersising my work, and when i asked for progress reports, they said the book was great, keep sending us the money. now with being Nieve i carried on paying until the penny dropped, that they were prepared to publish whether is was any good or not.
even though iv’e gone on a bit, my point is i have no money to pay for book coaches, but as you sound like a straight forward honest person, would you like to look at a few chapters, just to see what’s right or wrong with the book. i realize that you don’t work for nothing and you are a very busy person, but if you think it’s got any sort of potential, if you can’t help would you know any body who could.
thanks Lisa, yours, Gary Teasdale.
Hi Gary, It sounds like a fun and interesting book. Would that I had time to take a look at a few chapters but I cannot. I recommend you read Mary Karr’s The Art of Memoir as an excellent guide, as well as Stephen King’s On Writing. That will help you tremendously. You’ll still need a proofreader or copy editor at the very least to make sure punctuation and spelling are correct. Perhaps you can get help from an English major looking to get some experience and willing to do so for the experience rather than pay. They should use The Chicago Manual of Style for the proofreading style to use. Good luck!