Survey Results - Part 4 of Indie Author Survey

In January of 2013, Suckers Guild conducted a survey of Independent Authors. The original survey can be found here: What Indie Writers Need Survey.  The first three parts of the survey results can be found here:

Survey Results – Part 1 of Indie Author Survey

Survey Results – Part 2 of Indie Author Survey

Survey Results - Part 3 of Indie Author Survey

If You Belong to Any Writer's Groups, What Types of Support Do They NOT Offer That You Wish They Did?

I teach a course on preparing a business plan. Many young entrepreneurs know they want to open their own business but do not know what kind of business. I tell them if they want a successful business they need to forget about what THEY want. The best businesses focus on what the world NEEDS.

That is why we added this question to the indie writers’ survey.

Some of the responses were expected:

·         Finding readers because my current group only has other writers

·         Help with editing, proofreading, cover art, and launch promotions

·         Help getting word out about my blog

·         Marketing, promotion, and distribution.

Other responses were unexpected. These are things we can use to build the kind of group you need.

1. Access to Media and More Info on Social Media.

The internet is quickly becoming the number one method of advertising in North America.  The internet is pervasive. It is in almost every home and on almost every phone. At the same time, many people are not marketing correctly on the internet (see below).

There are thousands of sites focused on how to use social media.  Who has time to read a thousand pages? Suckers Guild will be your “go-to” people for promotion and social media questions. Rather than reading those thousands sites, ask us. We will dumb it down for you. This will free up your time to focus on writing and editing.

Internet Advertising Now the Top Medium in UK and Fastest Growing Around the World

U.S. Study Reveals Online Marketing is Failing with Consumers

2. Increased Access to Marketing Opportunities.

Here are the things everyone else is already doing:

·         Facebook author pages

·         Blogs

·         Blog tours and swapping promotions on blogs

·         Shout-outs on Twitter and Facebook

·         Standard book trailers

·         Goodreads author pages

We want our members to stand out. All of the above tactics are good and necessary for the modern author. However, if you want to stand out from the competition you need to do what they are not doing.

Suckers Guild will help you improve your promotion by:

·         Analyzing your current promotion strategy (if you have one)

·         Determining your strengths/weaknesses for promotion

·         Developing an innovative promotion strategy focused on you

3. Organized Help in the Writing Process (e.g. writing circles).

Marketing and promotion is one of the core functions of the Suckers Guild.  Improving your writing process is the other core function. Trying to find other writers you can trust to give an honest opinion on your work can be time consuming. Rather than hunt for them, simply come to Suckers Guild. We have a built-in network of beta readers.

Writing can be a very solitary process sometimes.  The more you connect with other writers the more productive you will be.

4. Post Traumatic Review Stress Counseling.

We cannot share a Haagen-Dazs over the internet. We can help you use the traumatic review as a learning tool. Sometimes a bad review is because the reviewer is a jerk. Other times, it is because the reviewer is giving you the greatest gift an artist can ask for: honesty.

Years ago I interviewed for a position as marketing manager for a national retailer. My resume said I was qualified and I was sure I connected with the people conducting the initial interview. At the end of the session, I asked (very cocky) if there was anything I could do to improve my interview skills. The interviewers exchanged a look and then laid into me. I took a deep breath and learned from it. They told me everything I had done wrong (in minute detail) and I never did those things again.

Harsh reviews can change everything about your work if you use them properly.

5. Divide Group Based on Genre.

From day one we will categorize authors by genre. Much of this will be behind the scenes until the group grows.

6. Introductions to Literary Agents and Publishers. A girl Can Dream.

Absolutely. There are some big advantages to being an indie writer today. That’s why I’m starting as an indie. Still, most writers dream about hitting the big time. We all want to be the next Stephanie Meyer, George R.R. Martin, J.K. Rowling or E. L. James. One way to grab the attention of an agent or a publisher is to build your own following. It means less work for them.

Rather than wait for them to notice you, we’ll help you get started building your fan base today. When that happens, you won’t have to look for agents. They will look for you.

7. More Room for Non-Fiction & Memoir Writers. We're Usually Left Out.

Another lesson from Marketing 101 is the importance of staying focused on your target market. If you try to please everyone you end up pleasing no one.

Suckers Guild will be focused solely on helping genre writers. If anyone is interested in starting a group of their own for non-fiction or memoir writers we will happily assist with the setup.

Conclusion

That wraps up the report on the indie writer survey. Thanks to everyone who took part. It will definitely help us create a better group focused on helping you.

Survey Results - Part 3 of Indie Author Survey

In January of 2013, Suckers Guild conducted a survey of Independent Authors. The original survey can be found here: What Indie Writers Need Survey.  The first two parts of the survey results can be found here:

Survey Results – Part 1 of Indie Author Survey

Survey Results – Part 2 of Indie Author Survey

The last two questions on the survey were short answer questions.

What I Like Least About Being an Indie Writer

The results for this question were varied. However, there were two basic trends.

1. Being Responsible for All Marketing

Here are a few examples of statements made in the survey:

• Spending all my time trying to market and not having any time to write outside of my technical writing business.
• The endless search for information that will be relevant and perhaps critical to the successful marketing of my books. I learn something new every day and am constantly saying “I wish I had known that 6 months ago”. The learning curve is steep.
• Difficult to get the word out. Marketing.
• Marketing takes away from writing
• Having to do all the promotion myself

Without the support of the marketing team of a major publisher, independent authors are responsible for doing all their own marketing.  However, even authors published through one of the big six are often responsible for their own marketing today.

See these articles for more information on how all authors are responsible for their own promotion:

                Six Common Misconceptions About Being a Published Author

                Do Publishers Expect Authors to Market Themselves?

                Publishers Must Change the Way Authors Get Paid

One of the goals of the Suckers Guild is to ease the burden of doing all your own marketing.  We help members formulate smart marketing strategies to ensure the biggest impact for the least amount of work.

Several others commented on how expensive marketing can be.  Thanks to the Internet and social media, it is possible to do very effective marketing campaigns for little to no money. 

2. Indie Writers Have a Bad Image

Examples of statements made in the survey:

• I think indie writers are often unfairly grouped together. If a reader discovers a few badly formatted books that have terrible grammar and have clearly not been proofread, they assume all indie books are like that.
• The stereotyping that all Indie books are of a low quality.
• Being lost in a sea of others and told you are lazy or no good because you chose to not do traditional pub.
• People assume that I have no editor and dismiss my work out of hand without even looking.
• The old ways still hold sway, even though the 21st century promises to displace it. The general opinion seems to still place much emphasis on traditional publishing houses.

Undeservedly, there is an impression that indie writers are independent because they could not get a publisher or agent. The truth is many writers are choosing to stay independent because they get to keep more of the money from their sales.

However, in the marketing world we learn that image equals reality. If the world believes something about you it is, in essence, true.  We have to fix that impression. 

So why is this happening?  I think the following statement from one survey respondent is the most accurate:

Some people release work that is not ready out of ignorance; they don't realize how unfinished their work really is.  Other people put out work that is not ready because they can’t afford to hire a professional editor.

If you have the money, hiring a professional editor is an amazing experience. If you have more time than money, becoming part of a writers group may be a better offer. You gain someone who will edit your book for free and you “pay” for it by editing theirs.  One of the benefits of this is you become better at self-editing as well. Seeing the mistakes others make is a wonderful way to learn what NOT to do.

Just because you can publish a piece does not mean you should.  In the past, publishers acted as “gatekeepers”. They decided what got out into the public.  Today the gatekeepers are on holiday. Anything can get out into the hands of a reader no matter how good or bad it is.

One of the goals of the Suckers Guild is to self-police our members. We will be the gatekeepers helping to make sure only quality products are released.

The last section of the survey results will be released tomorrow.

Survey Results - Part 2 of Indie Author Survey

In January of 2013, Suckers Guild conducted a survey of Independent Authors. The original survey can be found here: What Indie Writers Need Survey.  Part one of the survey was previously posted and can be found here: Survey Results - Part 1 of Indie Author Survey

After a month of responses were collected and analysed, here are the end results:

5. How Promising is the Future of Indie Writing?

Not surprisingly, most who took part in the survey saw a promising future for independent publishing.

6. How Strong is the Sense of Community Between Indie Writers?

Again, most people who answered the survey found a very strong sense of community among independent authors. Meeting other writers on twitter and other social media makes me feel like I'm not alone in my struggles.  On days when nothing seems to be working, I have a small group of supporters who lift me up when needed and give me a kick in the pants when that's what I need.

7. Do You Belong to Any Writer's Groups?

Yes - 45.71%     

No  - 54.29%

Some people stated they don't have time to belong to a writers' group. The opposite is true. Belonging to a writers' group can actually free up a great deal of your time.  How much time do you spend each week on promotion and marketing your product? Wouldn't it be more efficient to have a whole group of writers marketing your product with you? Groups like Authors Social Media Support Group do this extremely well and we have no intention of competing against them. Suckers Guild has a very different focus.

8. What Sort of Help Would You Like from a Writers Group?

Overwhelmingly, most authors said they wanted help with book promotion. In the past, writing groups were formed primarily to improve the quality of each member's writing. Today it's all about increasing sales. The two are not mutually exclusive. All things being equal, improving the quality and quantity of your writing should increase your sales. 

When I teach marketing classes, I tell my students quality is defined as "meeting or exceeding customer expectations". Suckers Guild can help you understand the needs of your customers (e.g. your readers). This will increase retention rate (e.g. guaranteed purchase of future books) as well as increase your brand awareness (e.g. become known to new customers).

I recently did a marketing series on my own blog. You can find it here: Marketing Articles

One of the key goals of Suckers Guild is to make marketing and promotion of your product much easier and more time efficient.

The last two questions were comment fields.  Instead of making this post another 5 pages long, I'll break them into separate blog postings. For many of you they will be the most informative sections.

Check back tomorrow for those.

Questions: 

Why do you think so many people need help with promotion?

Why is promotion so difficult?

Best Book Trailer

I have to thank Johnathon Gunson for this. Here's a link to his blog post about the best book trailer he's ever seen.
The best Book Trailer I've Seen in Years by Johnathon Gunson

After you watch this I guarantee you'll have a very different opinion of how to do book trailers.

We need more book trailers like this:

And less book trailers like this:

Survey Results - Part 1 of Indie Author Survey

In January of 2013 Suckers Guild conducted a survey of independent writers.  The original survey can be found here: Indie Author Survey: What You Need.

After a month of responses have been calculated, here are the end results:

1. How Often Do you Write?

Most "how to" books on writing suggest you should write every day if you want to get better at your craft.  Well, if the numbers are accurate more than 70% of people are not following the experts' advice.

I've started giving myself Sundays off. I need a day of rest because I'm doing so much.  Taking time off to recharge is understandable.  However, if you are only writing 3 days a week because you don't "feel" like writing you need to look at your habits.

Writing is a skill.  You need to practice it. If you only write when the feeling hits you it will take you forever to complete anything.

2. On Average, How Many Pages Do You Write Per Session?

More than half surveyed write under 6 pages a day. Now, ask yourself why? Is it because you are editing as you write? The experts say that is a big no-no for first drafts. I average 5-6 pages a day. I won't stop until I've hit 5 pages even if the work is rubbish.

It's truly a question of discipline, not talent.  Only  a few very experienced writers are able to self-edit as they go. My best advice for newer writers is finish the book. A garage first draft is better than a marvelous first chapter any day.

3. Are You a Pantsing (e.g. "seat of your pants") Writer or a Plotter?

Looks like those surveyed are not heavy plotters. Do you believe there is any relationship between plotting and quality of the work? Sound off in the comments below.

4. What Do You Do On Your Days Off From Writing?

Is your day job getting in the way of your writing? Are you spending so much time networking that you no longer have time to write?

The experts (and I'm thinking specifically of Julia Cameron) will tell you that you need to write every day. Even if it is only 20 minutes. Don't applaud yourself for find 1/2 an hour to write. If you're serious about writing you need to start allocating time for it. If it is important enough to you, you will find the time.

Part Two can now be found here: Part 2 of Indie Author Survey Results

What is the Suckers Guild?

Here's a quick video explaining:

1. WHAT THE GUILD IS

We are a writers' collective offering free marketing assistance and quality control for independent authors.

2. THE SERVICES WE PROVIDE OUR MEMBERS

Once your book is written, you need to find people to read it. That's where our marketing assistance comes in. The video explains why I'm qualified to provide that assistance.

To make sure your readers like what they read, we offer free beta reading, line editing and proofreading assistance.

3. WHAT YOU GAIN BY JOINING

I recently had to contact a professional editor for the last draft of my novel (Council of Peacocks). She charges $25 an hour. She is worth every penny of it; however, many authors cannot afford that kind of service. We provide the same service for free. The price: you agree to edit, beta read or review another member's work. We are strictly a "quid pro quo" organization.

Introduction to the Suckers Guild

The Sucker's Guild is a writers collective of independent authors. Our mission statement is to provide free marketing assistance to independent authors and improve the quality of independent genre fiction.

This blog will be our central hub.  You can also find us on Facebook HERE.

For now, check out these two posts on why/how the group came together.

Helping Indie Authors Find Readers by M Joseph Murphy

Photo: writetodone.com

Indie Writer Professionalism by Mary Jeddore Blakney

If you want to be notified when the blog goes live or have any question please email us at SuckerSGuild@gmail.com or leave a comment below.