Wiley Wednesday: An Interview with Casey Lynn Marketing and Media Services

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For this week’s Wiley Wednesday, we have the opportunity to have a chat with Casey Lynn, of Casey Lynn Marketing & Media Services. Casey helps authors to market themselves and to navigate the new reality of self-promotion. Casey has kindly consented to answer some questions for us.

WR: First off, what IS a marketing/promo plan?

CL: Before we start, let’s lay out some definitions. “Marketing” comprises all the actions you take to connect a product or service (for writers, a book) with an audience. “Advertising” is any paid method of marketing, like buying a Facebook Ad or space in the Romantic Times magazine. “Promotion” is everything you do to promote yourself, your brand, and your product/service, like teaching classes, guest blogging, or being active on social media. Marketing is an umbrella term that includes both advertising and promotion, with neither one being necessarily more effective or better than the other. So, a marketing plan just is a way to formalize your goals and methods of reaching the target audience for your product/service. The most powerful aspect of it a marketing plan is putting it on paper (or on the computer, of course). This makes the plan not only more real, but holds you accountable for defining and reaching those goals. Remember–your goals need to start with your audience. What are their needs? How does your product/service fulfill an unmet need? If you take this approach–giving something they can use rather than foisting something upon them–you are more likely to form connections with your audience. And those connections are what turn the casual reader a dedicated fan, or a client into someone who will passionately refer your services to others.

WR: What should I include in my plan?

CL: Above anything else, give yourself measurable goals with a given time frame. A marketing plan is for accountability and a structured plan of attack, yes, but beyond that it can act as a test of how effectively you are promoting and advertising yourself. For example, if your goal is “I want to increase my twitter followers,” then adding one person could be considered a success. But have you reached your true goals and your audience? Probably not. On the other hand, if your goal is “I want to gain ten new twitter followers a week–not spam bots. On average, five will be follow-backs from relevant new tweeters that I follow, and the other five will be people with whom I interact using hashtags.” That is a measurable goal in two ways: One, you have a quantifiable number (ten) and two, you have a time limit (one week). Therefore, you could set up a spreadsheet to track your progress by week. That way, you can see if there are any positive correlations between promotional actions you take (like participating in a hashtag-based twitter chat) and meeting or exceeding your goals.

Some things to include in your plan: Targeted audiences (as specific as you can make them), Audience needs and desires, ways of reaching audience (where they spend time online, what resources they read and trust, etc), and tangible actions you can take to connect with this audience. Will you do guest posts? Pay for advertising on a certain website? Connect with them via social networking groups? I’d also suggest finding a way to chart out your actions and their results, so you can constantly evaluate your plan to make it more efficient.

WR: Where can I go for more information to do it myself?

CL: Before you run out and buy every book your Barnes & Noble has on marketing, promotions, and social media, check out the internet first. A slew of amazing blogs provide quality content–and it’s free. I have an ever-growing blogroll of places to pick up information, all gathered on my resource page, here. Or you can check out my marketing and social media blogrolls via Google Reader.

When you find a blog that provides information you can use, add it to your RSS (Really Simple Syndication) reader. For more information on what RSS is, and how to set up a reader, go here. By doing this, you can aggregate all the new blog posts into one site, like Google Reader, and read all the updated posts in an efficient manner–it’s almost like a customized newspaper.

Finally, experiment with the different marketing techniques you encounter. Eventually, you’ll build up a personalized list of methods and tools that put your product/service in front of the best audience.

WR: Where can I go to get help if I need it?

CL: I’m always happy to answer questions (via e-mail to CaseyLynnMMS AT gmail DOT com or via twitter @CaseyLynnMMS), and on most of those blogs you’ve added to your RSS (because you’ve already done that, right?), you can ask a post-related question in the comments section and a bevy of readers will help you out. I can’t guarantee that all their advice will be equally effective, but they will give you a starting point. Also, because marketing it NOT a science–it is trial and error, for the most part–ask your fellow authors. Many will be able to point you in a good direction. If not the right one, they’ll at least get you closer to the answers you need.

We are grateful to Casey for her time and information. Be sure to check her out at Casey Lynn Marketing & Media Services and remember – your success is in your hands!

Thoughts on The Artist’s Way

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In Julia Cameron’s book “The Artist’s Way”, one of the issues she brings up for blocked artists is poisonous relationships. They can come in many forms from a non-supportive parent or spouse to a jealous acquaintance who tears down your artistic attempts at every turn.

Struggling with a bit of my own blight, I realize how fortunate I am. The gang here is wonderful, as well as others in my life, both on the internet and off. Even a coworker who knows of my passion for writing has expressed interest and gentle concern.

As a result, I’m taking baby steps toward picking up the pen again. I owe a lot of thanks to the folks who have helped by giving me pressure free challenges. You gals rock!

Is there anyone in your life who actively or passively sabotages your creativity? If so, I hope you’ll rethink your friendships and how you relate to family. I definitely recommend reading Cameron’s book and wish the best for you!

Now I’m off to type up something I wrote during the wee hours of the night. The opportunity actually makes me grateful for a brief and rare bout of insomnia.

Wiley Wednesday – Battling Through the Doldrums

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I’ve been suffering a bit of something I am loathe to name and honestly never expected would happen to me to such a degree – writer’s block. There are multiple insidious reasons for this. And I think I’m wallowing in it as opposed to using the tools available to me from sources like “The Artist’s Way”.

Just yesterday, though, I enjoyed a minor breakthrough via a responsibility to write something for this very blog. Instead of struggling, I went with my ennui and started a moody little piece. It worked so well that I managed nearly a thousand words, which used to be my daily goal.

To my satisfaction, the ending even took a bit of an upturn. The entire experience, albeit a small step, lightened my mood somewhat. And isn’t that the ultimate goal of creativity?

One lesson I need to take from this is that only I can remove my block. Another is that I can put words on the page without fighting against my mood. Third, joy can be found in the small projects as well as the large.

Best wishes to you on your road to satisfying creation!

Dear Sarah

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My feather touch stilled the spinning ballerina. Dulcet tones ground to a low chirrup as I closed the lid. Playing the music box always put my daughter right to sleep. Nothing else worked as well.

Except she no longer rested her sweet head in this bed. The canopied top fluttered gaily in the spring breeze. I washed all the bedclothes just the day before, careful to clean out the dust while preserving the pastel unicorns and rainbows.

Tears burned my eyes. Why was she taken from me?

Us, I mentally corrected.

I still didn’t know whether to blame fate or some higher power. There always seemed plenty of time to sort out my adult faith before I tried to instill any sort of beliefs in our little girl. Some sort of church waited for that future agenda.

Kat, poor baby, you never even got to attend Sunday School, let alone do all those other things we planned for you.

“Sarah, I’m home. Where are you?”

I froze, debating what excuse to use. Chester already strode down the hall. I jerked my hand from the music box and began brushing imaginary dust off the shelf.

“Sarah? Sarah, she’s gone, babe. When are you going to accept that?”

Never. “I’m sorry it’s taking me so much time, Ches.”

“Don’t apologize. Although you must admit it would help if we cleared out all this stuff.”

Imagining he really wanted to say “junk”, I bristled. My vehemence sent my long hair flying about my face.

“You have to move on,” he crooned, gesturing to the shelf now supporting my balance. “We should start with this thing. Some needy little girl would love to own something like her music box. It’s the way Kat would have wanted it, I’m sure.”

Our fingers met on the pink and cream colored wood. I moved to pull Kat’s birthday gift protectively toward my chest. I didn’t want to give it up.

Unfortunately, Chester’s grip didn’t relent as expected. Neither of us won our sudden tug-of-war. Instead, my stubbornness sent the little case spinning.

My left hand shot out but my attempt backfired and I smacked the falling ojbect away. Instead of bouncing harmlessly across the carpet, Kat’s beloved music box struck the wall.

Crack!

I think I moaned – a guttural sound. Several pieces rattled along the plaster and baseboard.

End over end, the helpless ballerina flew. I, in turn, flew out of the room, my husband’s cry of apology not stopping me. Meaningless words, an expletive, and my drawn-out name followed me through the house. I scooped my purse from the end table and tore through the front door, my feet pounding down the concrete steps.

What am I doing? The music box is just a thing. My eyes blurred. But she loved it.

I reached my car and nearly bruised myself against the side, momentum and adrenalin pushing me forward. My hand felt numb as I fished for my keys. I stabbed the one for the sedan into the driver’s side door lock. It somehow seemed faster than finding the right button on the fob.

Chester reached the swinging screen door. Sad eyes pleaded with me to stay.

The engine roared to life. Barely checking for oncoming traffic, I roared into the street and drove away.

Eventually I got somewhat lost, knowing that I’d find my way if only my head would quit pounding so I could think. A convenient parking lot offered a place to stop and get my bearings, to calm down.

“Kat’s Attic”, the sign proclaimed. I shut off the engine and got out, clinging to my handbag.

What the heck.

I began wandering the aisles, breathing in a scent that reminded me of my late mother’s childhood home. My frugal but doting grandparents forever kept their same furnishings and trinkets. Some of what I saw would have fit in perfectly. Mom would have liked this, though not as much as she would have loved being a grandmother, herself.

Determinedly I swallowed back that old sorrow and inhaled the aroma of aged wood. I detected a touch of mustiness, without the cloying choke of real rot, and it took me back to playing in the basement at my grandfather’s side while he puttered in his workshop.

Then I saw the item least expected. Lifting the lid, I watched the tiny dancer spin on her toe.

“That just came in today,” an unfamiliar voice proclaimed. “I bought out an estate sale from the weekend. There’s a nice set of jewelry from it if you’re interested. The lady must have had the box as an adult, oddly.”

I jerked my head around and beheld a kindly face. “I’m just looking, really. I suppose these music boxes aren’t that uncommon but it’s exactly like one my daughter… my husband and I… have… had… at home.”

For a moment the lady, presumably Kat, looked speechless. I wanted to slip through the cracks in the floor. Finally, she spoke.

“There’s an inscription if you turn it over, though I don’t know why I’m telling you that. The words couldn’t mean anything to you. I’m not even sure what they mean, exactly, though they sound tragic. Anyway, I’m Kat if you need anything.”

I turned the box over and read.

Dear Sarah, always remember that God keeps close the little children. Love, Momma, Grandma, and Grandpa

Ten dollars bought the music box. The priceless message brought peace of mind. Chester and I cleaned out Kat’s bedroom that weekend, keeping certain things and donating those useful to charity.

The little ballerina stayed on the shelf ever since, even as we brought in a crib for Kat’s new baby sister. I only wish they could have met.

Wiley Wednesday: Music and Editing

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Getting Back In the Mood

I’ve been working on editing my first book, which comes out later this year from Samhain Publishing. I wrote it with my coauthor, Rachel Wilder. While we work together extensively, when I’m at my keyboard working on edits it’s usually by myself. Since we wrote Burning Bright last year, we’ve developed two new series in very different universes, as well as wrote more material in the Burning Bright universe but with other characters. So how do I recapture the mood I was in when first writing Burning Bright?

One of the ways, obviously, is to re-read the manuscript. But since the first draft was 87,000 words, that’s not the fastest method. Add to that the fact that we’re required to do multiple content edits (three in this case, since it was our first time with this editor), re-reading the manuscript doesn’t help me capture the mood I need so that I know what to cut from the manuscript.

To solve that problem, I use music. I develop specific playlists for novels and series, targeted to the specific characters and the world we’ve created. While I sometimes use the music my husband and I own in our library, I find Pandora online radio to be exceedingly valuable because it will develop “stations” based on artists or songs, and then give back songs that are related to it – but that I may not (and quite probably don’t) have in my library.

Which makes it like a stranger’s library.

In other words, it is like my character is a separate person from me, and I’m listening to their music choices. I don’t have to make them up, because Pandora does it for me.

How do you do this? Visit the Pandora website. You can either set up a free account (which is all I have at the moment), or you can subscribe to Pandora One for $36 USD a year. If you decide to use the free version, you can listen, with ads, for 40 hours a month. When you hit about 35 hours, it will tell you that you’re approaching the limit and offer to upgrade you, or tell you that your free time is over until the next month begins.

Unfortunately, I don’t believe the service works outside the U.S. (a fellow writer in Canada said she’s not able to access it), because of the record company’s strict licensing requirements. (Too strict, in my opinion.) But if you are in the states, you can sign up and develop stations based on particular artists or songs – and their mix is VERY eclectic. It’s not just mainstream music.

If you don’t have access to Pandora, then iTunes Genius does the same thing, using similar technology. It will use music you already own, or suggest stuff to buy, which is why I don’t use it (I don’t have extra music money in my budget for this, which is why I like the free Pandora service).

Are there other music services out there that you like? Other ways you use music in your writing? Tell me in the comments, I’d love to hear!