Marketing Q&A with author Dharma Kelleher
Looking to improve your marketing and publicity efforts? Check out our Book Publicity Tips series where we ask real authors to share their experiences, thoughts, and advice to assist both new and established authors.
Which social media channel has yielded the best results? Why?
For me, the best has been Facebook, both my personal account and my author page. I’ve tried other social media such as Twitter and Pinterest, but I find it easiest to engage with people on Facebook. It has more flexibility in terms of content and people seem to engage more. Successful social media marketing is always about engaging with people, not talking at people.
From past experiences, what is the best way to react to a negative review?
It depends on the review. If the review is a well-thought-out critique with valid points, I may acknowledge their points and thank them for reading the book. On the other hand, if it is simply a hateful, angry review (as a writer of LGBT fiction, it happens), I will ignore it. Don’t feed the trolls, as they say.
Recently, Facebook updated its Pages policy leading to a significant drop in reach for most authors. How are you combatting this?
I do most of my engagement from my personal account, often paralleling on my author page. Of course, personal accounts have a limit of 5,000 friends. The ultimate goal of Facebook or any social media is to drive people to sign up for my newsletter, which doesn’t have such restrictions.
How do you recommend leveraging your website’s e-newsletter to meet your marketing and sales objectives?
I only send out information to my subscribers one or two times a month. More often than that can drive people to either delete without reading or unsubscribe. When I do send something out, I provide information (non-promotional) I think readers will enjoy or be able to use. Too much self-promotion can drive away subscribers.
How have you utilized a giveaway to increase your book’s exposure, reviews, or sales?
I have done a monthly giveaway of a $25 Amazon gift card to newsletter subscribers, promoting this giveaway ahead of time on Facebook. This has worked well so far.
About Dharma Kelleher
Dharma Kelleher writes gritty tales about outlaws, renegades, and misfits. Over the years, she has worked as a radio news director, a goldsmith, a caregiver, and a web developer. Her hobbies include riding her motorcycle, picking locks, and getting inked. Her new book, Iron Goddess: A Shea Stevens Thriller, will be avaialble June 28, 2016.
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