BookExpo America 2009!
Posted by Devyn | Filed under Sekrit
I’m happy to announce that I will be attending BookExpo America! (As a totally normal person, no big book announcements… yet!) So if you are going to be attending–give me a shout out*! This is my first book event I’m ecstatically stoked!
*Personal Note to Maureen Johnson, do not try to hide. I. Will. Find. You.
Ned Vizzini.
Posted by Devyn | Filed under Uncategorized
A few days ago I was invited on Facebook, to a book event with Ned Vizzini. I had not idea who he was to be honest–there are so many authors out there, but I’m still amazed that he slipped through the cracks on my radar. I looked around his website, and became really interested in his book It’s Kind Of A Funny Story.
Within the hour, I had a ride ready and took the twenty minute drive to meet Ned.
When I arrived the small room was packed full of people, and I was greeted by the awesome Reading Junkie. I shuffled to the front of the room to listen to Ned speak, and since I am brutally honest–at first I was horribly bored.
HOWEVER, In Ned’s defense, I have met a lot of authors one on one–and have only seen John Green do a live event. (And two I was ten minutes late and had no idea, of what the hell was going on!) It was very new to me to sit still and listen to an author speak. But the more I listened to Ned the more I was drawn in.
I’ve listened to a lot of speakers in my life, but Ned honestly kept my attention. Once his talk was finished I sprinted to the back of the room to purchase two of his books and was first in line to get them signed.
I would like to thank Ned for introducing me to a ‘real’ author event–and making it very enjoyable & to the Reading Junkie for extending an invitation to me.
Some personal notes I would like to add, that everyone should remember when giving a large talk. He kept eye contact with everyone at least at one point during the night and he kept connected with the audience. When you connect with an audience they feel like your best friend and are more willing to purchase your work!
xo
db
Congratulations You Are A Published Author!
Posted by Devyn | Filed under Devyn's Tips
Don’t get your panties in a bunch–the name of this post in NO WAY effects me, I am not a published author. Yet. (DO YOU HEAR ME AGENTS–You better grab this deal before its too late!) Okay–So I wanted to just throw some ideas into a blog and once again prove how Nerdy I really am.
If you are a published author–that is fantastic! Way to go, blah blah blah–You have heard it all. Once the fairytaleness of it all wears off there is one thing to understand there are thousands just like you. They may not have the same writing style, themes, publisher–but they are authors. Regardless if you want to admit it or not there is a point when writing turns to a job–when the words become your income.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that you should write to try to get rich and famous–because you have a one in a million chance of that happening. What I am saying is–you wrote with the idea of other people reading your work–but now you need a way to pull the readers to you.
Setting up a Myspace and website is fine but not always enough.
So I, the wonderful Devyn Burton, (and the AMAZING Megan) have put together some ideas, after all I am the full package; Writer, Reader, Teen–I know what I want, and when it comes to books, my view is usually what teens in general want. Megan has the Writer, Reader and Adult end covered.
1) Personal Websites
Cleanliness is next to godliness; It is very important to have a fun and easy to navigate website. If at first glance, I visit an authors website and it seems hard to navigate, I instantly close my browser and never look back. Navigation on a website should only consist clicking a few links to find out all the info you need to know. The more fun your website is the more time your readers are going to spend on it, clicking from link to link, just because they can. That being said, having a website merely taking up spade on the web, with a generic template is a complete waste of time. If it doesn’t say anything about YOU don’t bother putting it out there.
Imagine; Its nice to have an imagination. You are an author after all, however if you are an author who writes about Witchcraft, having a ‘cute puppy’ layout for your blog and website is just utterly unacceptable. Stick with a theme. Don’t forget you are branding yourself. Everything you put on the web should reflect you as an author and the stories you create. Even if you use the same header on everything, people will make a
mental image of what they see and the simplest thing can make you pop into a consumers mind.
Generation…Internet?; Teen readers you are attempting to connect with are from the age of technology–you are ‘idolized’ in the readers mind and may rank along likes of Brad Pitt… I know, laugh it up, being an author means you are something that the read is not–Not trying to ‘put down’ the reader in anyway or whatever. The more you allow the reader into your glamorous (HA HA) life, the more they feel that they know you and connect with you.
Update, Update, Update; There is nothing more dissatisfying then checking out an author website just to find out it hasn’t been updated in years. Frankly, I don’t care about your SOON TO BE RELEASED IN 2007 title! You don’t have to tell us every movement of every moment of your life, (that’s what social media is for)
but keep in mind that readers often visit author’s websites to find out about their latest titles and release dates. Also tour dates. Because as much as readers want to virtually know you, they would love to meet you too!
2)Blogs
For some authors’ their website is just a glorified blog. This is sometimes a weakness instead of a strength.
If you don’t have website content, don’t have a website.
If you have a blog UPDATE IT. When I come across a blog that hasn’t been updated since the latest book release I realize that the author doesn’t care about it’s readers. It just cares about book sales.
This can be as personal or as business as you want it to be. Don’t feel obligated to be personal if you don’t want to share those aspects of your life.
Readers are fascinated by the details of BEING a writer. The experiences you have in this limited aspect of your life will fascinate readers.
3)Social Media
Just like a website, having a social media account that you don’t actually update can be frustrating to a reader. They added you on Myspace or Facebook in hopes of connecting with you. Not just seeing a list of people who friended you. It can be time consuming to interact with readers. Authors may feel that if they keep their distance, they will seem approachable but with boundaries. All these type of authors show is their willingness to alienate readers. There are ways to balance being active on social media with being interactive. That can vary greatly from author to author.
You may not realize it but that one Myspace comment you left that person the other day could mean the world to them! (And also factor greatly in their next book purchase.)
Staying closely connected with your fans with websites can be vital to your audience connection and staying power. Websites such as Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, Good Reads can be used in a combined effort to allow readers access into your life. All these sites may seem overwhelming, but it is worth it to have a direct link to your fanbase.
Back to what I said about letting the fans into your life–the more they feel connected with you the more
they are out to buy your product.–I find it the more that I can ’stalk’ someone the more I feel connected with and interested in their work.
And with that being said, I would like to thank Megan–who is one Mega Blogger and helped me put this post together. I highly suggest you check out her blog — Po(sey) Sessions.
xo
db
Devyn Burton writes stuff for teens. He was diagnosed with Lupus, an autoimmune disease, and lives every day to the fullest.