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Welcome to another blog hop. Today’s topic is:
What is the worst piece of writing advice you’ve ever received?
Years ago when I was starting out I took notice of online advice to build an author platform, which in reality involves getting your books out there on a myriad of social media sites. I duly heeded these wise words and set up accounts on WordPress, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, MeWe, YouTube, Goodreads and Google for starters. Other sites followed over time. I am sure visitors to these sites must have been sick to death of seeing my books.
I waited for my books to sell in their millions, but hey, what really happened was that I met a host of lovely authors instead who had also set up their own author platforms and were all trying to sell their books on these websites too. I got to know quite a few of the writers, but unfortunately the millions of sales failed to materialise. I quickly discovered that any sale I recorded was due to another author buying my book (s) when they were fed up of trying to sell their own.
Author platforms don’t really work. The only website that does work is BookBub, and they know it. That’s why they charge on average between £600- £700 to advertise just one book. When I win the lottery I’ll have a go and watch with glee as my books fly off the virtual shelves. I do sell a few on BookFunnel, but again it’s probably down to other authors buying them. What’s really needed is a reasonably priced website to advertise books to actual readers who are not authors.
Let’s see what advice other authors have ignored. Please click on the blue button below to find out.
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Stevie Turner 
I think as self-pubbed authors, we have enough on our plates. The pleasure of just writing is a thing of the past with all the technical stuff we have to do to get us out there. My weakness is SEO, and all those keywords we should insert in our blogs and everywhere, so we can be found by search engines. I write like a writer, not as a mechanical robot having to think about rewriting for SEO, lol. I’ve been blogging enough years, if people are looking for me, they know how to find me. Lol. 🙂 xx
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Indeed. I don’t bother with it all. x
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🙂 🙂 x
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Growing an audience take a while for most of us. I just hope to gain a little more following at each bend in the road. @samanthabwriter from<a href=”http://samanthabryant.com“>Balancing Act</a>
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It’s not just on-line. At many of the events I’ve attended, many sales come from other venders. (Not necessarily author to author.)
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I think you’ve hit the nail on the head: “What’s really needed is a reasonably priced website to advertise books to actual readers who are not authors.”
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But wherefore is it (lol)?
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Darned if I know!
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Not in the same area as published authors, but the best advice I ever received was to try to keep my short stories and serial episodes to around 800 words maximum. Once I dropped down from 1200-1500 words, readership increased immediately.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Yes, people (and myself too) prefer shorter reads.
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I know some author that grow there audience with an online presents. I don’t know how they did it but, it seem like you has to be an outgoing people person.
As someone who the opposite I missed the days when authors can hid away in their writing space and hand out manuscripts without being seen.
I think the best strategy to promote you book is not online but, going out and meeting people by going to cons, libraries, and going on podcast and taking interviews.
Social media can be a good tool if you know how to used it but being with people in real life is better.
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You’re probably right. Thanks.
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Hi Stevie, like you I tried social media platforms like FB, Twitter and Instagram, but I didn’t have much success from them. I like blogging and it is one of my hobbies. Some of the other writers and poets I blog with purchase my books and that is nice. I also purchase theirs and try to read and review them all. I have so many now because so many people are publishing books. I just do my best all around now and spend time on the things I enjoy most which are art, poetry and short stories.
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Publishers and individuals are currently suing Amazon for monopoly/restraint of trade for publishing. Which they should. Among all the others with “proprietary” formats and agreements. Any sort of advertising costs real money and even in the mainstream is considered “recoupable” against sales. Maybe the big franchise authors get a percentage break, but there’s no free lunch. The dream of hitting the big time from an author site is a silly waste of time. An agent might be a better bet than all of them, but one that is really working for you? Good luck. Like entertainment lawyers. “Here’s my bill for breathing in your general direction last month. Go out, get in car wreck or busted for drugs or something if you want attention.” Then they go to work.
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Yes, one wonders whether agents are in it for you or for themselves. Hmm… I favour the latter.
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I would add the worst advice received – Show readers what your character does in (their) daily life. Which to me is an excuse for head time while the character does boring stuff. If there’s a point or a decent dialogue interaction for a “Domestic” scene, sure. But it’s much easier to work those things in than make a point of Here’s Dolores at the Laundromat, Here’s Boris getting a flat fixed, Johnny brushing his teeth. Without interaction that shit’s as much fun as watching paint dry. Or reading pages of dense narration about what everyone in attendance is wearing to a pair of rich twins’ birthday party.
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Very true. Nobody cares if Dolores is washing her smalls or cleaning her teeth, lol.
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I dislike social media, I seem to be either ignored or abused. I’m making my future on Medium. It seems to be filled with nice people (so far) and I get lots of readers.
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Yes, I’m getting quite a few followers on Medium too. Thanks for introducing me to it.
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Stevie, like you, I was given the same advice to use various social media platforms to market my work. Like you, I became disillusioned with social media and now just use WordPress and Facebook. My books aren’t flying off shelves, either, but that doesn’t matter. As long as I’m reaching people, I’m satisfied.
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I’ve retired from my main job now, and find that there’s so many other things to do. Consequently I’m not writing as much as I used to, but it doesn’t really bother me anymore.
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