š„š„š„November prize-giving
A round up of the best book marketing (adjacent) advice I've found on the internet this month
Hello, and welcome to a round up of the best pieces of book-marketing advice Iāve read this month š„š„š„
This piece is free to read to all subscribers. If youād like more support with using Instagram to get more readers, consider upgrading your subscription to become a member of Too Much Instagram. Members receive access to detailed essays, banks of content ideas, video tutorials, monthly advice clinics, guest speakers and a weekly online chat where I will give you advice and feedback about your posting plans.
First of all, an updateā¦
A few weeks ago I set myself a target of reaching 1000 free subscribers by the end of this year. To be honest, I was a bit uncomfortable with the idea of setting a numerical goal as connection and conversation are cornerstones of my philosophy for anything vaguely social media and pursuing numbers feels counter to that.
After some thought though I decided I would set a numerical goal because:
what it represents is forward momentum, which my magpie brain needs a certain amount of to stay engaged
itās a reason to experiment with some tactics that I otherwise wouldnāt bother with (like including this section in my monthly newsletter)
Iāve realised I actually find the chase fun although Iām not sure I should be admitting that
Iām not going to use the goal to validate my work. I believe in what Iām doing here and if I donāt hit 1k by the end of the year, it means pretty much nothing!
So, all of that said, Iām now going to stick out my neck and ask: if you like what I do here and you know anyone who would find it useful too, please would you forward this email to them, OR I would appreciate it enormously if youād click the button below to share this publication with your network ā¤ļø
š„ First prize goes to this reel from kittyknorr on Instagram
I can think of a gazillion different reasons why you should watch this reel and take its message to heart but uppermost in my mind is a phenomenon I often see when writers are trying to work out how you should show up on Instagram.
There is often an expectation that every post should make a point that is wrapped up nicely with a neat conclusion or lesson, as though you, a writer have all the answers to the questions you are posing through your work.
I mean, sometimes you will have the - or at least, a - answer, but when you donāt I invite you to let that shit go. Show up with your messy, unfinished thoughts that trail away and have no closure; bring your audience along on the magical mystery tour of the thoughts, feelings, challenges, and joys of writing or marketing your book and donāt feel like you constantly have to know what on earth youāre going on about before you say it. Sometimes moments of pure magic happen when we donāt pass ideas through the ādoes this make senseā filter, and instead share them in their rawest state . As Kitty says in her video, āThere are less rules than you think there areā š„
š„ Second prize goes to who penned this piece that I insist all memoir writers should read
Caro is one of the few publishing professionals sharing their industry insights here on Substack and, as a publishing outsider, I find her posts immensely enlightening.
This piece is a thoughtful breakdown of the state of play for memoirists and analyses a range of different considerations that are influencing the market including the declining popularity of celebrity memoirs, the challenges of pricing and format in the midst of a far-reaching cost of living crisis, the complications of memoirs that cover sensitive issues, the impact of the growth of long-form journalism, and how publishers are failing writers from under-represented and marginalised groups.
Itās a fascinating read. HARD recommend.
š„ Third prize goes to the always excellent for this piece about the importance of persistence in your book marketing
Persistence is probably the biggest factor I see in whether authors achieve the goals they want to achieve with their Instagram book marketing. As seductive as āgoing viralā might seem, it doesnāt happen for most people, so the only way to get in front of potential readers is to keep showing up and Katie explains that perfectly in this piece.
ICYMI
This month Iāve been focused mostly on talking about the importance and impact of collaboration to the success of any book - collaboration with Bookstagramers specifically.
This brilliant post from Bookstagramer and Book Blogger,
is free to read:
Working with Bookstagramers to find more readers for your book
This piece is a guest post from Book Blogger, Clare Reynolds. If you have any experiences of working with Bookstagramers or Book Bloggers, it would be AMAZING if you would share them in the comments for the benefit of other members of this community ā¤ļø Letās normalise not pulling the ladder up behind us!
And I was joined for this šš¼ 60 minute conversation with Bookstagramer, Tilly Fitzgerald. Posting as tillylovesbooks, Tilly has over 129k followers on Instagram and very generously shared her insights into the strengths of Bookstagram, what authors can expect, how to being the process of collaborating, and common mistakes to avoid
'If an author comes out of the blue and comments on a post by pointing to their own book, that's an instant block'
Social codes donāt come naturally to me but only recently have I realised just how much energy I devote to decoding social situations and flicking through a mental Rolodex of appropriate behaviours to apply to whatever context I find myself in.
You might be thinking that you donāt have a book deal yet, or perhaps your book isnāt due out for several months but, as both Clare and Tilly mention, the earlier you start the better chance youāll have of securing a collaboration with a Bookstagramer whoās a perfect fit for your book.
To help you with finding the right Bookstagramers, and then taking the next steps to successfully collaborate with them, Iāve been working behind the scenes to pull together a directory of Bookstagramers across multiple genre PLUS a step-by-step guide. Iāll be setting it free into the world next week so watch this space!
Thanks for including me ā¤ļø
Just to say: if I could subscribe twice to this newsletter, I would. xxx