Next week, I’m pretty sure I have a guest blogger lined up, so my myth-busting series spawned by the RWR article that I wrote about for the last two Saturdays will likely be over for a little while. But I did want to post something about the very common advice that I hear to fiction writers about “getting their name out there.”
Whenever I hear this advice, I always want to ask, “Out where?”
Readers (back me up here, people) are discovering new-to-them authors all the time. They discover them most frequently through word of mouth. This can be in the form of a recommendation from a bookstore or a friend, maybe a review they saw online or even a best-seller list in their local Walgreens. Readers usually also have a very healthy collection of authors they’ve already read and loved (or not loved, but let’s focus on the positive here) and whose series or book releases they follow through various means.
That’s a lot of authors for readers to keep track of…and all those authors actually have published books that readers can buy.
Enter the unpublished writer…the one who has been told over and over to “get their name out there” by well-meaning but misguided advice-givers. Where exactly do they fit in?
My theory? They don’t fit in anywhere…not, at least, as writers. They do not yet have a book that readers can go buy, so to readers, they are no more than FELLOW readers. And that’s not a bad place to be, actually. Go ahead…make friends on the Internet. Run a blog if that floats your boat. Attend conferences and volunteer and MAKE FRIENDS. But do this because writing is a very lonely profession that will jab at your self-confidence on a daily, if not hourly basis–don’t do it to sell imaginary books at some undetermined time in the future.
Writing credits can be very important in some worlds. In non-fiction, it is nearly essential for a writer to have publishing credits before they go out with their first project. Some genres put a lot of emphasis on short story publication and such prior to selling a novel. I don’t think that’s true in romance. Romance is the one genre where you can really come out of no where, sell a book and have a nice career.
I mention this when authors tell me that the reason they are posting their unpublished novel on their website or self-publishing the book through Lulu.com is to “get their name out there.” To whom? And to what end? These are not considered publishing credits. And then there’s the whole small press issue…do it because you want to get your work out to the public, no matter how small. Do it to make some extra income. Do it because it is your lifelong dream to have your book published, even if the venue is not one of the large New York houses. But don’t do it to “get your work out there” because that really doesn’t mean anything.
And if pursuing avenues that result in your “getting your name out there” keeps you from the act of actual writing, then again, I challenge you to rethink your priorities.
Last thing about me–I spent 10 years as an unpublished writer. I volunteered with my RWA group (something I absolutely DO advise of anyone who has the opportunity) and met a lot of people. I never did it to “get my name out there.” I did it to learn. I did it to make friends with people who KNEW the truth about publishing. Before I saw my own name in print, I had contact and was on a first name basis with a lot of the most popular writers in the industry.
Did this help me make my first sale? Nope. I did that, on my own, through my own work. My contacts didn’t help me get an editor. They didn’t help me get an agent. What these contacts did was help me understand the industry before I was actually in it. They gave me a foundation of knowledge, and most importantly, support, before, during and after my transition from aspiring author to published novelist. Anyone who follows this blog knows how much each of the Plotmonkeys values the people we’ve met along the way–readers and other writers.
So…my last bit of advice: Stop worrying so much about your name. Worry most about your work. Ultimately, it is what sells…and what will launch your career. After that, you can worry about building your name…which is a whole separate issue for another day!
By all reports, Julie Leto was a sweet child once, somewhat shy, preferring to play quietly in her room making up stories. However, being raised with three brothers in a loud, primarily Italian household did have its influences and Julie discovered her inner tough girl. That’s probably why most of her heroines kick serious butt. Writing sassy heroines has worked out, as she’s sold over forty books to four publishers featuring strong, confident women. Julie lives in Florida with her daughter, a spoiled dachshund, a haughty lynx-point Siamese and a wide range of relatives all within driving distance.
Destiny
Dirty Little Secrets
Once Upon A Valentine
Through The Night
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As a reader, word or mouth is the biggest way I find new authors. I do visit many blogs a day and read about new authors everyday on at least one blog each day. I listen to my friends who blog about books each day and take their suggestions on books. I’ve found several new-to-me authors I now love based on blog suggestions or guest author visits.
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Julie, I feel your advice has been excellent. And I agree with you completely. The only way for an author ‘to get her name out there’ is to be published. I want to share something on the same line with you: I recently had an author query me about giving a quote on her book. The book was not under agent representation or yet published. The author wanted a ‘quote’ for her website. A quote I passed on giving, as I honestly didn’t see a point. Word of mouth sells books, most definitely. Writers need to keep writing to become authors.
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Julie, as a reader I agree with what you have written.
Ultimately, there are so many authors that are on my list of who I will read that I usually need titles to associate with them so I know what is next on my book buying list. While I’m sure there are people who believe that name recognition is a good thing to have even before they publish their first book, I doubt that there is anyway I would remember an aspiring writer’s name by the time they got a title published. I started transitioning to ebooks because I was finding the 6 month delay between titles being released in North America and being published in Australia and NZ meant I was forgetting which titles I really wanted.
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I totally agree. The only way to “get your name out there” to the reading public is with a published book. Period.
Have a wonderful Saturday everyone. We had 10 to 12 inches of snow here at our house yesterday.
Cher, who is off to the HOD chapter meeting this morning
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I agree with Cher (okay, I am a reader, not a writer). I”ll have to use Lori Borrill as an example. She first mentioned that she was having a Blaze published here….so, I bought her book….loved it….then, she started her website with other authors….then, I either won their book or I just checked it out on my own….or I think of PMs, I found Carly first and her books (still love “The Bachelor” series…I remember when it was a Kelly Ripa book!), then, I must have won or bought the rest of the PM books (and loved them!). Again, it all started with having a published book.
Have a great weekend, everyone. I am doing a lot better today. My Oldest did amazing at the Spring Program last night (he even had a solo!). Now, I am off to tackle the nanny for a week issue :)
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Jules, the advice you have given here has been very informative. I am learning a lot about the industry and just the writer’s life.
As a reader, I do find most of my new authors via word of mouth. It is by far the best way to get your name out there. Blogs like the plotmonkeys and some of my author friends are great ways to find new books too.
As a writer, I would never feel right making friends just so that I can get my name out there. Yes, networking is great, but I joined my local chapters so that I could meet like-minded people to hang out with and chat about any and everything. I even made some close author friends, and I feel weird asking them anything writing wise. I value them more as people rather than resources for getting my name out there.
When I self-pubbed my poetry book, it was purely for me to get my work out there with as minimal cost to me as possible. I didn’t have any hopes of making much money for it because I am an unknown poet. It was just my luck that the company I went with was a subsidiary of Amazon. I was very lucky in that regard because now I can check Amazon, and still feel good knowing that my books is available there. However, my goal wasn’t to get my name out there, but rather to share my experiences and give a voice to others who felt their didn’t have one.
Peace and love,
Paula R.
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Great advice. Thanks for keeping me grounded! Caroline x
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I’m jumping on the Julie bandwagon here, too. You’ve given some excellent advice. I, too, had heard an aspiring writer needed to get her name “out there.” I was already journalling on Live Journal (more personal than my writer’s blog) and through friends there, discovered writing-related/author blogs. Here. SBTB. Murder She Writes. Using my pen name, I commented on those blogs. As a reader at the time. And yes. My *name* was out there. A good friend (and my tech guru) also set up my site. I blogged there–very much in a vast cosmic void–sporadically, until I had substantive information to relate. In the past 2 1/2 years, I’ve slowly gained readership (and friends!). I’ve also gotten to know some amazing authors outside of my own RWA group.
I went with a small press, after numerous attempts at the big boys, simply because yes, I wanted my work out there. I have faith in my book and my publisher gave me the opportunity to put it in the hands of readers. Even so, I haven’t stopped pursuing “bigger and better.” I’ll get there eventually. I’ll write the right book and it will land with the right agent at the right time. And I’ll be an “overnight success”.
I want to thank you, Julie, and Leslie, Janelle, and Carly, for sharing your knowledge, your talent, and yourselves with the rest of us. What can I say?
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This was a fantastic post. I’m so glad I was trolling blogs this morning, or I probably would have missed it. Thanks for the great thoughts!
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I agree in that I read that article in RWA and wasn’t sure why you would spend so much time “getting your name out there and marketing yourself” if you have nothng yet to market. As a unpublished new writer I started by reading. I read Carly’s books which led me here to plotmonkeys. I have come acrossed many great authors along the way. I also will google or search amazon or Barnes and Noble for say Contemporary Romance and see what they pull up and look at the books to see what I may enjoy. that is how I discover new authors. If I was to do this and I got an umpublished author I would by pass them since they have nothing out to reed. I joined TARA (my local chapter) to learn not to market my unpublished self I will work on that when I publish a book. I love talking to authors and hearing what they say. I love it when I hear that all tell tales of their struggles not because they struggled but because they have been where I am now and have gotten past that. Back before I knew the process of writing and before I knew that I wanted to write I thought authors just whipped out books writing one right after the other and it came easy to them. When you go to the stores how many Nora Robert, Daniell Steele and many others have multiple books on the shelves who knew about reprints lol.
Great advice Julie I ove Saturdays in the jungle!
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Great advice, Julie! I think you make excellent points, and … I know I’m not the “target audience” but I’m basically the opposite. For sure, people know my name isn’t really “Lime” or “Limecello.” But online? It is.
Also, for “getting your name out there” – sometimes when starting out, you [plural] have no idea what you’re doing and you [plural again] might make mistakes. Do you really want that splashed around everywhere?
Or I know some authors say about their earlier works “Gah – no don’t read that story – read a newer one!”
Soo… those are things to consider, in my mind.
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I think in a round about way your saying it’s not so much about getting to the top quickly….it’s about learning the ropes along the way, sorta like Miley Cyrus’s song…. The Climb. I’d agree with that in anything in life, how much do you appreciate anything you don’t really have to work for? Yeah it might be nice for a while but deep down, you don’t value , appreciate it or take pride in it as much as you do it you have to work for it.
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I left you a “Best of This Week” award on my blog. Really loved this post!