Tim Grahl

It's an appealing title, and the book was cited in a rather good article I read recently, so I thought I'd give it a chance. Tim Grahl has some good ideas, and some opinions which I share. For example, he's convinced that email is a far more effective way of reaching people that social networks like Facebook, and I think he's right. That's been my experience as an Internet campaigner. But this short book offers little practical advice -- even something as simple as "should I buy ads on Facebook or Twitter" is not mentioned, not even once. And while there are some examples in the book of authors Grahl knows (and has had as clients) their stories are not particularly inspiring. It might have been useful to find examples of authors he didn't necessarily advise, authors who have made real contributions to marketing their own books. For those of us who write books, learning about marketing them is important. Unfortunately, this book contributes very little to that.… (meer)

Meh.

This is one of those books that I'd heard a lot about, so eventually I picked it up and made my way through it to see what all of the fuss was about. It's okay. It's probably very useful for certain types of non-fiction authors, but as a writer whose primary focus is fiction, I found that it didn't quite live up to the hype.

Tim Grahl's system probably makes perfect sense for a lot of non-fiction authors. He took pains to show how it could work for fiction, too, but it was a bit of a stretch. Here are some of the tips I found potentially useful as a novelist, even though I'm not sold on the whole enchilada.

Use a pop-up on your website for email list signups. Maybe have it appear after a delay. Everyone does this these days and we're so used to it that we don't even find it obviously annoying any more.

“Treat it [your writing career] like an adventure, an adventure worth sharing.” (This applies to blog posts and/or emails.)

When you do send emails, keep an informal, chatty tone. Also, “the problem is not being too salesy. The problem is lacking enthusiasm.” (As a fairly reserved, no-squee kind of person, this one may not work for me, but that has nothing to do with fiction vs. non-fiction.)

Live events are a great/the best way to connect with influencers and clients. (I like this idea because I am not a complete introvert. I don't like it because it sounds expensive.)

“If you write fiction, share your fan mail from readers.” Also, “you must learn to tell stories as a way to invite your readers into the selling process.” (Eh, maybe.)

Mention the book you have for sale or stick it in the footer of each email, but don't be actively selling it most of the time.

Use auto-responder sequences to introduce yourself and your backlist. (I can see how this would be good for novelists with a good backlist. It still sounds a little tricky to set up.)

“Focus on creating content that will stand the test of time.” (Is his “test of time” one year or five? I'd bet it isn't more than 10.)

The upshot is that this is probably a great book for non-fiction writers, especially those on the self-help and marketing shelves, but that it's a bit weak when it comes to fiction. I'm left feeling that there has to be a better system out there, whether or not it's been discovered and codified yet.

(Hey, check it out. I wrote a long review!)… (meer)

I have seen this book recommended by multiple writers that I respect. This book is short, but Grahl's approach is thoughtful, flexible, and makes senses. He doesn't believe in heavy-handed marketing. It's all about inviting a relationship with the reader and respecting that relationship. Much of his emphasis is on newsletters. I confess that I am ambivalent on that point because I've seen many newsletters that are not successful, and it's made me wary of starting a newsletter of my own. However, I might go forward with an attempt after reading this book.… (meer)