Create If Writing

Author collaborations can be fantastic ... except when they aren't. In this post, we'll look at how to avoid bad author collaborations and the questions you should answer before you dive in!

It's no secret that I'm into collaborations. I wrote a whole book on working with others called Creative Collaborations.

And yet ... I've had some bad ones.

I still recommend working with others, but I've learned a lot and am way better at choosing good projects and good partners. I hope this helps you avoid those bad author collaborations!

First of all, if you haven't worked with other authors, you might be wondering about the kinds of collaborations you can have.

Really, the sky is the limit as far as ways you could partner up and support other authors or work together. But here are some of the common ways authors work together all the time.

• newsletter swaps (sharing other authors' books in exchange for sharing yours)
• joint author box sets or anthologies
• series or shared, connected worlds
• co-writing a book
• group promotions through Bookfunnel, Story Origin, etc
• running a giveaway together
• joint Facebook groups
• co-hosting a podcast
• interviews (on blogs, Youtube, etc)
• and so many more!

Authors work together in all kinds of ways and it can really benefit everyone involved to work together and expand reach or share readers.

But ... you can also end up getting burned. You might lose time, money, or relationships. Or, you might just derail your forward trajectory and momentum when you make a group project your focus.

Read the full post HERE!

Everyone's saying go audio: should you? The buzz is all about audiobooks. The audio boom. Audio is the future. But are audiobooks for everyone? Let's find out by diving deep into the reality of audiobooks in 2020. 

Why is everyone talking about audiobooks? Simple. Audio is growing. People are consuming more things by audio, from podcasts to audiobooks. 

Even if YOU DON'T, other people ARE. 

I'm going to link to more articles with data, but suffice to say that the US market alone has been increasing in audiobook consumption 25% per year, with a 40% increase in 2018. It's alive, and it's growing. (Those numbers come from the first link below.) 

• Data on podcast and audiobook consumption. 
• Check out this report on audio from all of 2019, collected by Findaway Voices.

It seems like a no-brainer answer to say that YES, you should be putting your books into audio form. 

Not so fast. Let's look at the current landscape and some of the struggles for indie authors wanting to get their books into audio. 

Get the full show notes: http://createifwriting.com/183

I've covered Facebook groups before to the point that I wasn't sure what else there was to say. But, right now, many of us are turning to the internet and online communities, so learning to foster that is more important than EVER. 

The thing is? Fostering community can be HARD. It's tricky. And sometimes we miss the line we need to walk. I've covered much about Facebook groups before. If you haven't checked out these posts first, you might want to. Or, circle back after you finish this one. 

• How to Create a Facebook Group
• How to Not Be Smarmy in a Facebook Group
• Join my free Community!

SET THE TONE

First, you have to realize that YOU set the tone. And you definitely WANT to set a tone. Your group shouldn't be for everyone. If you're doing this right, some people might join and then want to leave. 

SHOW UP

When you first start a group, it will feel like talking to yourself. It's hard, sometimes embarrassing work. Because you post and ... crickets. But that's when you NEED to press in and keep showing up. Don't give up when no one talks. Just keep posting. Post what, you might ask? Great question. 

POST ENGAGING CONTENT

Start easy. Post content that is easily engaged with. Viral memes related to your topic? Yes. Gifs? Yes. Questions that may not relate but will spark discussion? Yes. Especially when you start a group, you have to make things low-risk. People are more likely to answer "what show are you bingeing?" than a more serious question. Even better, give them a graphic like this one I made in canva.

Easy. Once people start talking, the algorithm shows your group more in their feed. And it trains them to talk. They're more likely to start talking on ALL things, not just the easy, low-risk ones. 

SET EXPECTATIONS

Use the option in the settings to create questions. Maybe give people a heads-up about your group vibe. I also let people add their email address and tell them they CAN opt into my list, but don't have to. I have a short, one-email welcome email that they get when I manually add them. But this place is a great way to weed out people who change their mind about joining, or to make sure they see the expectations before they jump in. 

CREATE BOUNDARIES

Though my kids wouldn't say they like the rules in our house, they NEED them. Kids need healthy boundaries. So do your FB group members. State them in the rules section in the settings of FB. Pin them as an announcement. Put them in the header image. People will still break the rules. But set the guidelines and stick to them. 

BUT DON'T CREATE SO MANY THAT IT'S STIFLING

Some larger groups have to go WAYYYY overboard with the rules. I've found that the bigger my group gets, I still don't really have tons of icky spam or bad behavior. I think that's because the group overall has a sense of community and identity. When someone steps over, people report it. But if your rules make it so that no one can post EVER, it's hard. 

Ex: only questions on one day of the week

Ex: no links of any kind - so much easier in a reader group to have links 

REMEMBER THAT YOU SET THE TONE

If you don't set one, the members will. Consider how you want the group to function, then you keep showing up with content, questions, and comments that stay in that lane. Don't worry too much about growth. If you're super small, you can ask members to invite friends if they love it. I ask every week in my email for people to join, even though many are already there. Show up. Be clear. Have a voice, like a writing voice. You'll draw your ideal reader, and it's okay to send people away. 

I've already covered writing to market in episode 174 and this post, but this is a big topic! In this post, I want to look at the concept of writing to market backwards. This post will be all about how to position a book you've already written into the market for better sales.

As I've talked about, writing to market is not a way of selling out just to make money. Writing to market simply means writing and marketing a book in a way that meets reader expectations for a particular genre.

There are really two parts to writing to market: the writing and craft of the book itself and the marketing and sales piece. The second part is where we're going to focus.

Ideally, you'll be thinking about the market before you write and as you write. But that's not always the case! If you find yourself in the position where you've written a book, you can still use the principles of writing to market to help sell your book better. It's all about positioning.

READ THE FULL POST HERE!- http://createifwriting.com/181

Or join the community- http://createifwriting.com/community

Even--maybe especially--in times of chaos and crisis, people need your voice. Your story. Your message. 

But you can't give if you're empty. Feed yourself, then feed others with your words and your creative work. 

Join the community: http://createifwriting.com/community

Does launching a book sound stressful to you? You're not alone. Here's the thing: a book launch has a lot of moving parts, but it doesn't have to be INSANE! And it all starts with me telling you to stop wasting time on your book launches.

Specifically? On things that DON'T SELL BOOKS.

I need to give a big caveat before I dive into things that people waste time on with their book launches. Why? Because things an vary widely depending on genre.

What might work for a nonfiction book doesn't necessarily work well for fiction. Or, even within fiction, what works for me with romance and what works for me with YA aren't always exactly the same. Also? Even within subgenres of romance, what works might be different.

Also? Some people might have one experience and another person might have the complete opposite experience. I'm sure I'll get some comments saying, "But that worked really well for me!!" And I'm sure they're right.

Get the full show notes here: http://createifwriting.com/179

Or join the FB community: http://createifwriting.com/community

I have avoided this topic for ... as long as I've been writing and podcasting. I do not like teaching productivity. I do not think that I should be doing it.

That said, I've consistently written at least one novel a month for the past two years, while also running this site and podcast (with some podcast breaks here and there), and being a full-time mom to kids who are ages three to eleven.

So, fine. I'm productive. I guess I'll talk about it.

But the reason I've been hesitant is that I feel like productivity is really relative and it's incredibly specific to individuals. What I'll cover is not a one-size-fits-all approach to productivity.

Instead, I'm going to share tips for finding your OWN productivity, starting with another thing I hate talking about: mindset.

***FOR FULL SHOW NOTES, HEAD HERE: http://createifwriting.com/178

This post may be a review to some or completely new to others. But I wanted to get super basic on how to set up the very basic author platform. If you don't have much time, money, and experience, but want to do this for the long haul, here's the best foundation.

Your platform is your people. It's not made up of numbers but actual people who follow you and will (to a greater or lesser degree) support you and your writing.

Platform matters if you want to traditionally publish, because you'll be expected to bring something to the table. Namely, sales. In my talk with Maria Ribas in episode 40, you can learn more about this.

If you're an indie author (self publishing independently), you'll need a platform to sell books and get reviews.

Your platform will include other areas, that people often refer to as platforms: email, social media, blogging, and podcasting. Email is about direct communication with your readers. Social is like hanging out with them in a room with other people. Blogging, podcasting, YouTube and other platforms can be about connection, but involve a higher level of creating more content. If you're already writing books, you may not have as much time to devote to creating other content.

• Create a freebie that relates to what you plan to send AND your paid products.
• Set up a single form or landing page to give away that freebie.
• Create a name for the group or list or create a tag for the people who join by downloading your freebie.
• Set up a super simple automated welcome series of 1-3 emails.
• Promote your free thing through Bookfunnel, Story Origin, Book Cave, Prolific Works, or by sending paid traffic via Facebook ads.
• Show up consistently in people's inboxes.

• Choose a platform that you love, know, and where your readers hang out.
• Get your basic bio, images, and info up to date.
• Promote your social media to your email list and vice versa.
• Show up consistently with a mix of conversational and promotional content.

Maybe. Those things require time that could be spend writing your books. Will they serve to help sell and promote your books or find new readers? If you understand SEO and how to create content, then yes. Blogging and podcasting and other content-heavy platforms might bring you new readers. 

For non-fiction, this can be vital. You need to not only find readers, but build authority. You can also do this by guest posting on other blogs with authority or being a guest on relevant podcasts or other places. Just be sure it's RELEVANT. Does it help serve your ultimate goals? Is the audience YOUR audience? 

Platform doesn't have to be complicated. It does take work and upkeep. But platform is really about connecting with your ideal readers and helping turn them into raving fans. 

To join my free Facebook group, sign up HERE. 

When authors share success stories publicly, it can be incredibly encouraging and provide a great resource for other authors. 

There is also a dark side to this. 

Namely: backlash from posting, misinformation or missing information in posts, copycats, and comparisonitis. 

Questions to ask before sharing your success and questions to ask before READING success stories. 

I'm getting a little bit real in this post about what it takes as an author to sustain your book sales and yourself. 

Earlier in 2019 I wrote a post celebrating my success--going from making $30 a month to over $8000 in a month just from digital book sales. I'm still totally in awe of that! (Read this post if you want to know how I did that.)

I don't tend to talk about income a lot, because that's just ... not something I want to do. But I also wanted to address what happened after my giant celebration.

What I expected: passing the 5-figure mark that next month

What happened: my sales continued to fall through the year and are still falling

Yikes! One thing I've noticed in the online community is that people love to share the big numbers, but it's much harder to share the low ones.

I mean, duh, right?

Part of this stems from the fact that it's just plain embarrassing. (Even though I have to remind myself that it ISN'T. I'm still making solid 4-figures monthly from just book sales. Yay!) I had huge goals, and it was disappointing not to meet them.

Admitting disappointment? Uh, no thanks. I don't even like admitting them to myself! I don't check my income as frequently because I kind of don't want to know.

Which brings me to this place: I want to talk about sustainability for your sales and for yourSELF.

Sustainable is a word that gets thrown around a lot. In this context, sustainable is what you can do and continue to do over longer periods of time. 

Enough time has gone by that I'm examining why my sales dropped. A few key things happened.

1. I joined a multi-author series and wrote a book that was NOT in my bestselling series.
2. I stopped running ads on Facebook.
3. I stopped putting books out as frequently.
4. The hot trend I was writing in cooled off.
5. I finished a series and started a new one in a less hot niche.

These are all factors in my sales drop. I might dive deeper into each of these later, because these are BIG THINGS and I could say a lot about them.

What I've realized as I've looked at these things is that overall, to sustain sales, you have a few choices as an author.

YOU CAN:

• Rely on paid advertising (Facebook, Amazon, Reddit, etc)
• Work on smart marketing (updating old books, finding new places to promote, growing your list)
• Continue writing books quickly to boost your backlist

Honestly? I'm not sure what else is in your control. If your book gets great word of mouth reviews and people start snapping it up, that's amazing! But you can't make that happen.

Sometimes, all three of those things fail. Your books may simply not be connecting with readers or they may not be written in genres that are easily targeted or where there are a lot of sales. (This is where I see most people struggle--their book might be great, but it's not in a more profitable market or is harder to market.)

The biggest thing, though, is that you cannot STOP. Which is a scary thought.

Book sales won't happen very organically (in other words, without you ACTIVELY doing something). If you want to see your sales continue, you must continue writing and marketing.

It can start to feel like a very terrifying and fast hamster wheel. Which brings me to the next point...

If you want to sustain book sales, you need to find ways to continue to get eyeballs on your books. Ads, newsletter swaps, paid email services, social media marketing, or a million other creative things.

But as you're planning out how you're going to sustain those sales, consider how you'll sustain yourSELF.

I'll be honest: I never thought I'd write a book a month.

What I've found is that I could write several books a month. I love being fast at things, so I shouldn't be so surprised. My fastest-written book has over 100 reviews on Amazon. The average rating is 4.8 stars. I wrote it in just over two weeks, mostly while on an elliptical machine, typing with my thumbs into my phone.

I NEVER WOULD HAVE PLANNED THAT. It just happened.

Then when I started publishing monthly or every six weeks, I saw a bump in all my old books. This REALLY worked for me.

The problem is this: I can write fast. But I also have to get things like covers done, edits done, emails sent, and MORE. There is all the marketing stuff.

I don't mind marketing, which I know might make me a weirdo.

But I love writing.

If I could write and do nothing else, I might put out three books a month. I really might. My ideas file? Is HUGE. And I can't wait to write each book. I've written over a book a month this year and love love love the writing.

Without marketing the books, though, they don't sell. I have to actively market. Even if you release a book a month, without marketing, you aren't going to make sales. It's not magic.

Here's the conundrum authors face: You have to keep marketing to SELL books. But you have to keep yourself alive to WRITE books.

That means you need a writing and marketing plan that's sustainable for YOU.

What does this look like? I'M NOT SURE.

I'm figuring this out for myself right now. But I can tell you that I don't want to lose the joy I have in writing. I also hate writing great books and seeing them languish on Amazon, dying a slow death because no one can find them. Because: no marketing.

I want to challenge you to think about sustainability.

What are sustainable goals? (Ex: My $10k a month goals are not, right now, sustainable.)

What are sustainable writing habits? (Ex: Writing a book a month IS sustainable. I love it and can do it.) 

What are sustainable marketing habits? (Ex: If I'm writing MORE than one book a month, it's hard for me to carve out marketing time.) 

This looks different from everyone. It may look different for you year to year. But these are big questions. If you aren't thinking long-term about what you can maintain, you're likely to burn out or get frustrated. You might lose your joy or your income.

Make sustainable goals. Set sustainable writing habits. Create sustainable marketing plans.

Then adjust whenever necessary. And believe me, it WILL be necessary.

To join the community, go to http://createifwriting.com/community

To learn more about workshops, go to http://createifwriting.com/workshop