Author Topic: Building a fanbase?  (Read 2794 times)

CTSinclair

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Building a fanbase?
« on: September 20, 2018, 08:10:15 PM »
Hey everybody, so I wanted so ask for help and people's opinions in regards to building a fanbase. I have been slowly but surely working on my books and stories, and recently finished a short story that I want to publish. The timeframe I want to publish it is around december of this year, so I want to build a fanbase prior to releasing it.

I made a youtube channel (still setting it up, no videos yet), and will maybe make a FB account, Twitter account, and Google + possibly? I don't use alot of social media though, so I am still unsure exactly how to get the ball rolling on this.

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance!
Inspiration comes from the things you love most in this world. For me, that is my wife. Thanks to her simple presence in my life, my works are filled with wonder and amazement.

Don't ever let the road pass you by, don't let your feet stop, and let them take you to wonders.
 

Simon Haynes

Re: Building a fanbase?
« Reply #1 on: September 20, 2018, 08:31:58 PM »
1. Newsletter/mailing list service plus bookfunnel

2. Publish at least one free short (wide, so you can make it permafree)

3. Put a link front and back offering a unique and/or exclusive freebie for signing up. (I use three different first-in-series novels for this)

4. Use instafreebie to push the shorts and/or other freebie works, and or samples.

5. Do newsletter swaps, sparingly

6. Learn to interact with the mailing list. I recently asked for beta readers and reviewers, and now have 40 of one and 70 of the other, many of whom are eager to get their hands on my newest title.



Just suggestions. Some are common sense, others cribbed from here and there, but since you specifically mentioned fanbase and not random sales, that's how I'd go about it.

 
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CTSinclair

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Re: Building a fanbase?
« Reply #2 on: September 20, 2018, 09:25:04 PM »
Wow, thanks for that lsit! The only issue is I haven't finished enough works for me to give anything away as freebies to people who sign up.

I was thinking that, if I made a website, maybe I could do something like "Tidbit Tuesday's" where I posted a small tidbit of insider information to the website, youtube, and emailed out to keep people wanting more?

Not entirely sure how well that would work, but I figured it was an idea.
Inspiration comes from the things you love most in this world. For me, that is my wife. Thanks to her simple presence in my life, my works are filled with wonder and amazement.

Don't ever let the road pass you by, don't let your feet stop, and let them take you to wonders.
 

scotcmorgan

Re: Building a fanbase?
« Reply #3 on: October 21, 2018, 12:46:35 AM »
Your best play is to continue producing more stories. Eventually, if you write one that really connects with a critical mass of readers, you'll begin to get organic growth of a fanbase. Website, newsletter, social, giveaways, etc. are all things you can do in support of your goal (and the newsletter—collection of email addresses from interested readers—is a must), but more really good stories is the best use of your time.

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Tonyonline

Re: Building a fanbase?
« Reply #4 on: October 21, 2018, 01:47:45 AM »
1. Newsletter/mailing list service plus bookfunnel

About time I went about setting one up  :icon_rolleyes:...What one would you advise using?
 

sandree

Re: Building a fanbase?
« Reply #5 on: October 21, 2018, 08:11:58 AM »
When you write a short or book as a freebie is it best to stick to the same genre? Could you do a non fiction article or book as a freebie when you are trying to sell a novel? My novel has some themes of energy healing and I have non fiction books about energy healing -would that be something I could give away for free? Only problem is they are heavy on line art - charts and I don’t know how to publish them - they are currently in pdf form and could be sent to someone on a mailing list in that form.   :dizzy

Post-Crisis D

Re: Building a fanbase?
« Reply #6 on: October 21, 2018, 08:27:17 AM »
. . . will maybe make a FB account, Twitter account, and Google + possibly? I don't use alot of social media though, so I am still unsure exactly how to get the ball rolling on this.

If you don't, then don't.  Plus trying to manage multiple social media accounts spreads you out and consumes a lot of your time that would be better spent writing.

Have a newsletter and a website.  Your website is your home base.  Your YouTube videos plus any social media you decide to use (if you decide to use it) should all funnel people to your website.  And your website should funnel people into your eMail list.

Your list and your website are the two things you control and should keep under your control.  You cannot control YouTube.  You cannot control Facebook.  And so on.  Any other sites should be used to bring people to your own website and list.  Don't be dependent on Facebook fans and Twitter followers and so on.  If any of those sites change algorithms or go under or start charging you an arm and a leg to reach your own followers, you're in trouble if you haven't gotten those fans and followers to visit your website and sign up for your list.

If you have their eMail address, you will always be able to contact them (unless and until they opt-out) and there's nothing Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. can do about that.

It benefits Facebook and the others for you to interact with your fans on their site because it keeps traffic on their site which drives ad revenue.  It benefits you to get your fans to your site.  Facebook and the others are not your friend.  They want your content, your posts, your fan interactions to benefit them.  You need those things to benefit you.

Get people to visit your website.  Get them on your list.
Mulder: "If you're distracted by fear of those around you, it keeps you from seeing the actions of those above."
The X-Files: "Blood"
 
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Denise

Re: Building a fanbase?
« Reply #7 on: October 21, 2018, 09:27:32 AM »
When you write a short or book as a freebie is it best to stick to the same genre? Could you do a non fiction article or book as a freebie when you are trying to sell a novel? My novel has some themes of energy healing and I have non fiction books about energy healing -would that be something I could give away for free? Only problem is they are heavy on line art - charts and I don’t know how to publish them - they are currently in pdf form and could be sent to someone on a mailing list in that form.   :dizzy

The lineart would need to be converted to pictures and inserted on the ebook. You want to send ebooks because you want to appeal to ebook readers. You could give it away for subscribers, and it would be something cool, I think.

But the problem with giving a nonfiction book is that you wouldn't be able to enter group giveaways in your genre. Ideally you should write something in the same genre, in the same series even.
 
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Tom Wood

Re: Building a fanbase?
« Reply #8 on: October 21, 2018, 09:38:11 AM »
I'm skeptical about the idea of writing a sample that could represent my novels. A short story is a whole 'nother format that requires its own mastery. If/when I screw it up, that short story is a bad representation of my novels. It seems then that I'm left with offering sample chapters of the novels as the enticement to sign up to a newsletter. I don't think that's a very good enticement because I wouldn't sign up based on that. Not sure what the solution is...
 
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Rose Andrews

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Re: Building a fanbase?
« Reply #9 on: October 21, 2018, 01:32:08 PM »
Just keep writing in your desired genre, reaching out and connecting to the ideal readers for your books. Do this over and over again without ceasing. It takes time, but it builds, and slowly but surely you will start to gain traction and see the evidence of an audience. Of course, some authors take more/less time than others. The process varies immensely from author to author. So just keep at it.  :pdt
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Simon Haynes

Re: Building a fanbase?
« Reply #10 on: October 21, 2018, 01:36:30 PM »
1. Newsletter/mailing list service plus bookfunnel

About time I went about setting one up  :icon_rolleyes:...What one would you advise using?

I use mailerlite - free up to the first 1000 members, unlimited emails.

Sorry, only just saw your reply.
 
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