Members of the Chorus

[Dorien Grey]

As a writer obsessed with finding a way...any way...to attract more readers, I have found myself joining more and more on-line groups: My Space, Crime Space, Book Place, etc. I must belong to at least half a dozen "ning" sites alone, including this one. I'm standing on tiptoe now, and the waters keep rising, and I still can't resist the temptation to join the next group that comes down the pike promising potential readers.

The problem is that nearly 99.9 percent of the membership of these groups is comprised of other writers trying to do exactly the same thing as I'm trying to do. Where are the readers? Sure, most writers are readers, too, but they tend to be far to busy writing their own books to have much time for the works of others.

I do two primary things to draw in new readers, my 18,000 online groups aside, and short of buttonholing total strangers on the street and asking them to please, please read my books. Those two things are:

1) Acknowledge via an email "thanks" anyone who happens to stumble across my website, however and for whatever reason. Establishing some sort of personal relationship with a potential reader is a definite plus.

2) I believe in the drawing power of blogs and as a result have only slightly fewer of them than I do memberships in online groups. I have my main blog, "Dorien Grey and Me" at http://www.doriengreyandme.blogspot.com; a completed but still up blog consisting of letters written to my parents while I was in the Navy from 1954 to 1956. "A World Ago" at http://www.doriengrey.blogspot.com, which is scheduled for release in book form by none other than Zumaya Publications sometime in 2008 (with luck).

I would be most interested...and most grateful...to hear what the rest of you writers not living on a yacht in the Bahamas do to draw in readers and, even more important though far more unlikely, if there are any READERS out there, I would be eternally in your debt to hear what it is that attracts you to new writers/books, and how it is, that you find them.

Thanks for your time.

Dorien

[Elizabeth Burton]

Actually, Dorien, you might want to ask the readers (once we persuade them to join us) what makes them return to a blog or social network site. Are they annoyed by a lot of "hard sell," or do they appreciate knowing what an author (or in our case, publisher) has to offer? Do they like trailers?

Readers?

[Christopher Hoare]

Hi Dorien:

I'm doing the same things as you are and also wondering when the readers will show up. I don't have the pressure on yet, because my first novel is slated for June release and the second some little time after. I would like to meet a reader or two online by that time.

I mentioned my writing and the publication of the Double Dragon anthology Twisted Tales II to the secretary of the Alberta Search and Rescue (I edit a monthly e-newsletter for them) -- she was enthusiastic and offered to put out a news release at the AGM. Unfortunately it will be held before I have any books in hand, so there seems little point in my being there. Next year I will go.

I belong to a couple of online boards for people with interests in line with my Double Dragon series -- alternate history and military history -- so I expect to glean a few readers there. I think that will be more profitable that my joining more writer sites.

Has anyone tried chatting on any of the popular sites with teens? Not that they read, but some might find my adventure novels interesting. Several things are holding me back -- I don't speak the same language, and I wouldn't like the police at my door thinking I was trying to pick up under-age girls. But I think I will try for a reading at the local high school when I have books in hand -- I might find one or two teens that would clue me in how to pitch to them.

Chris.

[james bennett]

Hi Dorien

I've found My Space pretty helpful, in terms that you can search for people who read the kind of stuff you write, and basically hit them with an add or a message. I also think that any writer serious about promoting their work really should have an up to date website these days. The bigger your online 'presence', the more people you can reach.

Writers groups are great for support, but you're right to point out that we're all hungry for readers, and other writers (great as they are) are generally far too busy pushing their own stuff to get sucked in by another's promotion.

You've said all that, and I totally agree. One of the things I try to do is maintain a fairly regular presence in the short story industry. Even though it's small press (though I'm currently after a place in Weird Tales) there's always the option of including a short bio, and mentioning the book and the website in there. I'm sure this has resulted in most of the hits and comments on my website. Short stories are great because they're not time-consuming to write, and to an extent, can keep your name in the public eye.

The slideshow facility on My Space is also pretty slick, lending a pre-released book a visual edge. The rest I guess can be generated by getting to know reviewers, some of who, like yourself, are other published writers. I also think there's no harm in contacting local newspapers, announcing you have a book published, and even radio. That route may not always yield a positive result, but it's worth a shot.

JB

[Eva Batonne]

James,

May I ask how you set up your website for your book? Are you paying a monthly fee? Did you design it yourself? Are you doing blogs to attract readers and book buyers?

Do you do interactive activities to keep people involved? Just curious, used to do an online mystery magazine and I did all those things. Course, I had a wonderfully diverse and talented staff. We even had a contributing editor from Singapore. I didn't do everything and the varied personalities and their input kept the energy level up high and interest was keen. Now, I think maybe I'm supposed to do pretty much the same for my novel, RESURRECTION DIVA. Would you agree with that accessment?

Thanks,
EVA BATONNE
RESURRECTION DIVA
A Police Procedural