Okay, now on to a very interesting guest post:
Write another book, for Pete's sake
Stephen Tremp
Some of the best advice I’ve heard in a while came from one of my Yahoo! Writers Groups. The discussion was promoting your book:
Member Post: You can definitely promote too much and people get sick of hearing about the author and the book. Especially if it's always the same title. I just roll my eyes and say, "Write another book, for Pete's sake"!
Member Response: I agree! Talk about something besides YOUR book or YOUR writing, whether you are touring or not. Remember human nature - people don't care about YOU, they care about THEM.
Simple, yet powerful. Fortunately, I’m almost finished with the drafts for the next two installments in the Breakthrough trilogy entitled Opening and Escalation. Honestly, I am tired of talking about Breakthrough. However, I will discuss the promotional and sales aspects of Breakthrough during the next few months, what works and what doesn’t work, as this falls under the “Remember human nature - people don't care about YOU, they care about THEM" catagory.
I did a Blog Book Tour last November and did not do much in the way of promoting Breakthrough simply because most people are familiar with it. Instead, I focused on relevant and practical topics people can use for themselves. This being said, I thought I would take a moment to promote my trilogy in its entirety. Each book is written as a stand alone story, yet there is still plenty unresolved conflict that readers will want to buy the next installment. In a nutshell, the three books compromise the following concepts:
Opening: Wormholes are just the beginning. They are the key that opens Pandora’s box. More proposed theories of physics (theories physicists propose may be true but have yet to verify under rigorous testing) are introduced. Faith and science collide with cataclysmic results.
Escalation: Events escalate on a global scale. In the end, technology has gone too far mankind and is not ready for one of the greatest scientific discoveries in the history of mankind. Will Chase be able to destroy the discovery which threatens life as we know it?
I'm fort
20 Comments on Write another book, for Pete's sake, last added: 2/15/2011
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Thank you for hosting Stephen Tremp!!
I think having varied contents in one's blog keeps things lively and interesting!! I enjoyed Stephen's blog tour very much and learned so much more about him as a writer too! Take care
x
Hi, Kitty. That's what's great about touring, everyone get to learn more about the author and his works.
Great post Stephen. You're right, people are more interested in themselves than they are in us. They want to be entertained and hearing about the same book over and over doesn't do it. Either they're already ready it, or they don't intend to. Your new books sound very interesting.
Thank you Karen for having me over today. I'm having a great time writing the next two installments and looking for an agent and publisher. Never a dull moment.
I feel the same way about my two books, I need to get my other two manuscripts submitted an hopefully published so I'm just sharing what I'm up to instead of here are my two books again. LOL.
Your books sound great being a sci-fi nut that I am. Looking forward to more great post by both you and Karen on your blogs too.
All the best,
VS Grenier
http://vsgrenier.com
Good post and article, Stephen. I agree you can overdo it with self-promotion on your blog, facebook, twitter, etc. The key is to provide value to your readers and also to promote other good authors with hosting them on tours, doing reviews, etc. What goes around comes around - karma - you make good friends and help others - others will return the favor. That's a KEY element and the bottom line value of effective social marketing. Basically, it boils down to the Golden Rule, hmm?
Marvin D Wilson
Thanks, Karen and Stephen for sharing this with us! Appreciate the info and insight.
Hi, All, thanks for stopping by. It's so true that readers want the WIFM value from content.
I think the rule for marketing is at least 75% valuable content for the reader and at the most 25% promo.
And, Marvin, I agree; that golden rule holds true for all aspects of life. :)
Stephen, it was my pleasure!
Good reminder, Stephen. Sometimes we get so caught up in our marketing efforts that we forget about the reader! A fatal flaw in marketing as it's got to be all about the reader.
Hi, Maggie. It is all about the reader!
Content, content, content! Good content equals a great blog! I agree, it's better to advertise your books on other people's blogs. Thanks Stephen and Karen.
I totally agree! An author should always be writing that next book.
Kathy and Mayra, Thanks for stopping by.
Enjoyed the guest post. I look forward to reading the next book in the trilogy.
Good advice, Stephen. I'm working on the third in my series now.
Hi Susanne and Heidi, thanks so much for stopping by.
Stephen:
It's always a pleasure visiting with you. Sound advice, thank you for sharing with us your experiences.
Best wishes,
Donna
Hi, Donna. I agree, Stephen does have great advice!
Great advice Stephen! I better get back to my next book and get it finished. LOL
Stephen, Great reminder about human nature. I need to remember that from time to time.
Martha