Debut Author Tam Linsey-Building an Audience from Scratch; Finding Your Maven





Tam Linsey

Discoverability. That’s what debut authors are all about. Each reader who picks up my book has discovered me. If that reader likes my writing, they may tell a friend, who tells a friend, and so on. A slow buzz begins.

Then there are those few and precious readers who become ‘mavens’. A maven is someone who falls in love with a book and takes it upon him or herself to tell everyone they know about it. The buzz becomes a roar.

We all want a maven.

So how does one go about getting a book into potential maven hands? I’m still awaiting my book’s breakout, but I think the key is putting the book into as many hands as possible. That is why Amazon’s KDP Select program has been so successful; five free days not only boosts a book’s stats, but also opens the doors for potential mavens to try a debut author. However, I didn’t want to limit my distribution to Amazon (a requirement for using KDP Select.) What if my maven prefers to read on a Nook?

Instead, I’ve been using Goodreads. Like Facebook and Twitter, Goodreads is a social media site, but with a focus on books. Groups on Goodreads often have a Read to Review option, which allows me to target readers who like my genre, and to give them a free book in return for an honest review. Even if I don’t find a maven this way, the reviews have been great. The more reviews on a book, the more credible the book will seem to potential readers. Once the number of good reviews climbs high enough, Goodreads’ Recommendation Engine may take notice and begin suggesting the book to readers. A sort of electronic maven!
 

To put my book into reader hands, I’ve also participated in Goodreads Giveaways. Goodreads will advertise free copies of your paperback book to readers (you are responsible for providing the book and the postage) and people will a.) see your book and b.) put your book on their to-be-read shelf to remind themselves to read it, even if they don’t win. I’ve had readers contact me directly because they saw my Giveaway and became excited about the book.

A couple of my readers have already taken it upon themselves to help me promote. One is a fellow Alaskan and book review blogger, The Cabin Goddess, who is both amazing and hilarious. Another simply has a lot of friends on Goodreads. Will they be my mavens? I hope so. I’m still building my audience, and will be for a long time. Publishing is a marathon, not a sprint. If I’ve discovered anything, it is that the best thing I can do to sell books is to write another great book.


TAM LINSEY ICE FISHING

My mavens want more.

Tam Linsey lives in Alaska with her husband and two children. In spite of the rigors of the High North, she grows, hunts, or fishes for much of her family’s food. During the long Alaskan winters she writes novels. 

You can find her on Goodreads, on her author website at www.tamlinsey.com, or on Facebook or Twitter