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FFG LogoRecently I have been involved in several discussions centered on the current trend of authors supporting one another’s social media pages. Many authors believe that this is a waste of their valuable marketing resources and time. The argument that these authors provide to support this belief is that books are meant to be marketed to readers, not to other authors who are too busy to read the work of others or spend their valuable resources on purchasing the works of another newly published author. Although there is some logic to this theory, I, myself, don’t support this stance.

My first novel, Fall From Grace: The Scribing of Ishitar (Vol. I), was originally self-published through a print on demand company.   I had tried for years to market the concept of the story without much success. Frustrated, I finally decided it was time to take matters into my own hands. The problem I faced by going this route is that I was completely in the dark with regard to how to take the next step.   So, I did what any person living in this tech driven society would do—I “Googled” my questions and found a plethora of answers. The solution, it would seem, was to join reading and author groups such as LibraryThing.com and Goodreads.com.

After setting up my account through these sites, I found that the people who made contact with me tended to be other authors. Many of them were reaching out to me to market their books. At the time I found it kind of pushy and, really, rather odd. Then I started actually connecting with one or two of them and, since that time, I’ve made some excellent friends and found some incredible resources for works going forward.

For example, Nik August, the author of Along Temptations Edge, has taken a section of my current project, the third installment of The Scribing of Ishitar, and given me valuable feedback that can only improve my writing skills. Another author, Kevin Klehr, who wrote Drama Queens with Love Scenes, listened to the starting sections of the audio version of Ashes to Ashes (which is currently in the recording phase) and called me with some excellent advice that I can implement in my next project to assist the voice actor from tripping over sentences that might read well but can become wordy when verbalized.

FFG BCAs well as receiving assistance from my fellow authors and establishing new friendships, another benefit of networking with other authors I received is that some of them have actually read my book and posted a review. The driving force behind Amazon ratings that pushes an author’s book higher up the search engine is the number of reviews the novel receives.   More importantly, reviews from other authors are extremely valuable in that they understand how to present their feedback in such a way that will either explain to potential readers why they should purchase the book or provide valuable feedback regarding what could have been improved.

Social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, have features which stream information from one user into another user’s news feed. If an author visits your Facebook page and “likes” it, that information is shared with any of their Facebook friends who have subscribed to their news feed. This includes family and friends who may be avid readers but aren’t authors, themselves. The potential for reaching an untapped audience can increase exponentially based on the number of people who have visited and liked your page.

In the end, the goal of most authors is to have their book read and enjoyed. For that reason, as well as all the other benefits I have shared, I believe that networking with authors is a valuable use of my marketing time and resources.

 

 

Available for purchase via the following retailers:

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Synopsis:

Ishitar is born on the cusp of a great war between the two ruling Gods of the Heavens and Hells Realms. With his father in control of a repressive society and his mother fighting for free will for all, he believes the game that they play to be just that: a game. Little does he know that the players that he sees are not necessarily the ones who will influence the outcome.

 

 

CFS PICtureAbout The Author:

Carrie F. Shepherd grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah. Raised outside of the predominating religion, she sought answers of her own. Fascinated by the mythology of the Greeks, Romans and Egyptians, she delved into the old stories and meshed them with the new to create a fascinating world of good versus evil.

When not immersed in the world of the Gods, Carrie’s full time job is in Regulatory Compliance. During her time off she enjoys hiking on cooler days or, when the weather permits, hanging out with friends and family by the pool.

Carrie now lives in Highlands Ranch, Colorado with her fourteen year old daughter, her dogs (Commander Jon Snow and Sir Buns McGee of Bratwurst) and her cat (Blizzardfur).

 

 

Connect With Her Online:

BOOK PAGE

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK FAN PAGE

TWITTER

 

 

 

 

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