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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Marketing » Branding

Branding

You Gotta Have Friends … and Strangers Too

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon May 31, 2023
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No one likes to see negative book reviews. However, if you earn a negative review or two out of many, don’t despair. This event likely means strangers who have no personal interest in you, but are reading books only for themselves, are engaged with your work. That’s great news!

Where Are the Readers?

Keep in contact with potential readers so they’ll be amenable to your books and eager to see them released. Find a fan base willing to follow your career through newsletters, social media, and books.

However, authors can’t force connections. Many Christians are engaged in my life but couldn’t care less about my work as a literary agent. When I wrote books for publication, many weren’t interested in reading them, either. To further my career, I conversed with people I didn’t know but who wanted to read my books. Authors must keep in touch with readers today as well.

Platform can be confusing, partly because no magic formula says, “This many followers on this many platforms equals a book contract.” Publishers continue to talk about engagement, however.

Voting

Publishing may have little in common with the music industry. Yet I have a story regarding voting for a music artist, which is much like someone “voting” for or against an author’s book with a review. Years ago, an acquaintance asked me for a personal favor. Would I go on a website and vote for their band to be selected to perform at a music festival? You may say, “What’s the problem?”

These are only a few of the problems for me:

1. Most important, the band’s lyrics were hostile toward Christianity.
2. I didn’t know any of the other bands in the competition, so my vote would not be fair.
3. I had no intention of attending the festival, so I didn’t feel I had a right to vote.

I took heat for declining, including from outsiders who felt invested in this band, which perfectly illustrates engagement.

I don’t regret my decision not to participate. I wasn’t a fan. Likewise, regarding books, authors must focus on those who want to read their work. Friends and family can offer encouragement but are not, nor should they be, the author’s solitary fan base.

What Does This Mean?

No author can or should be best friends with thousands of readers. But friendly and consistent interaction, demonstrating that the author has an audience or, in the case of a new author, the potential to reach people sincerely interested in their books, shows the author is devoted to and appreciates readers. My favorite authors are those who care about pleasing their readers.

And by the way. While writing this post, I received a text from someone invested in my career as a literary agent. She commented on a book I sent her to read. Our readers are there. Genuine interest in them does more than increase sales. Attention deepens relationships, warms the heart and soul, and enriches all our lives. To God be the glory!

 

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Category: Branding, Marketing, Platform

Tips for Nonfiction

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 22, 2023
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In response to my post “Line Editing,” a faithful blog reader asked me if I had any tips for nonfiction writers. The suggestions here aren’t considered line editing but are more general. I hope they offer insight. Consider your brand. While you want each book to be fresh, you want to stay within your brand, or the brand you’re building, so your readership knows you wrote …

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Category: Branding, Pitch, Pitching, The Writing Life, Writing Craft

Voices of Courage: Why Military Writers are Important

By Dan Balowon February 8, 2023
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Successful books always come from a writer’s inspired, creative mind and heart. Every time we attempt to make publishing a science, making it more about business nuts and bolts, rather than art, serendipitous creativity seems to find a way around the science, nuts, and bolts. Effective and wise business planning is important, but Christian publishing’s guiding principle should be Proverbs …

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Category: Agents, Book Business, Branding, Career, Encouragement, Faith, Inspiration

Building Your Platform Without Becoming a Narcissist

By Dan Balowon October 19, 2022
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Authors in the process of building and maintaining their media platforms can easily slip into a self-focused effort, evaluating every relationship with an eye toward their personal benefit, seeking attention in any way possible, and exhibiting all the traits of destructive pride. Well now, there’s a cheery thought to start the day. Some little hairs must have gotten under my collar after my last …

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Category: Branding, Marketing, Social Media, The Writing Life

Watch the Jargon

By Dan Balowon February 17, 2022
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In early 2018, a corporate consulting firm, Grant Thornton, did a detailed analysis of Fortune 500 company websites, press releases, and social media. What they found was not surprising, but still proved how the use of business jargon (commonly used phrases) pervades the corporate world. What was the most commonly used phrase by Fortune 500 companies? “Best in class” Rounding out the top ten most …

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Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Branding, Marketing, Pitch, Pitching, The Writing Life

Searching for Books

By Dan Balowon September 8, 2021
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Online search engines are immensely powerful, often anticipating what you want and asking, “Did you mean _____?” when it doesn’t locate what you typed. This is very helpful because making your book as findable online as possible is critical since online book sales are pretty important! Making your book discoverable online is all about keywords. Read a good explanation of them by clicking on the …

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Category: Book Sales, Branding, Marketing, Self-Publishing, The Publishing Life, The Writing Life

Visual Marketing for Your Books

By Steve Laubeon August 2, 2021
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Yesterday, August 1, was the 40th anniversary of the launch of MTV. Back in 1981 Music Television (MTV) debuted on a cable channel initially only available in New Jersey. It eventually changed the way music was consumed in the pre-Internet era. It quickly became a vital part of the music industry and worked its way into pop culture. A number of years ago, many authors began using video trailers as …

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Category: Branding, Marketing, Trends

Platform Planning

By Dan Balowon May 26, 2021
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The never-ending struggle of an aspiring author to meet the requirement of publishers for a big enough “platform” can be frustrating at best, or worse, discourage someone from writing at all. Platforms are always built on content, not the container. Social media doesn’t give you a platform; it is the content that causes it to grow–or not. All medias are simply channels to people, and using …

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Category: Branding, Marketing, Platform

Where Do Your Readers Come From?

By Guest Bloggeron May 24, 2021
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Today’s guest writer is Carla Laureano. She is a two-time RITA® award-winning author of over a dozen books, spanning the genres of contemporary romance and Celtic fantasy. A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked in sales and marketing for more than a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write full-time. She currently lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband, two sons, …

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Category: Book Review, Book Sales, Branding, Indie, Marketing, Self-Publishing, The Writing Life

Your Reader

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon April 8, 2021
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Not long ago, I met with a group of publishing professionals who broached the topic of audience. A couple of them discussed how their company envisions their reader. They went so far as to identify the reader by the name they had given her. They knew her age and discussed preferences that would dictate whether she would like a specific book. As a writer, perhaps you would be helped by working to …

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Category: Branding, Editing, Marketing, The Writing Life
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