Build Your Platform For Yourself, Not An Individual Book: A Quick Note on Platform Building

Get it because platform? Photo via Pinterest

Lately, I've been getting a lot of queries through the ol' P.S. Literary inbox from authors who have, for one reason or another, built out entire websites and social media presences for their books.

Books that aren't out yet.

I see the same thing, again and again. Sometimes it's a fully fleshed out website dedicated to a book, complete with an about section, synopsis, detailed bits about the characters and the like. Other times, the author is using a Twitter handle, named after the book, with a link to the book's website in the bio. Or maybe even a Facebook fan page, for the book, with periodic updates about that book, and almost always, there are like, a dozen fans.

Please. You must stop this.

Not that this is a bad thing that'll turn agents and editors away (though they might think the book is out already, be careful!), but because it's a waste of your valuable time. Time that could be spent building something worthwhile.

Here's what I think the problem is.

I think there's something getting lost out there in the advice that gets dished out on writing and publishing websites. Because let's be real, the platform discussion is one that gets brought up pretty constantly. I mean, all the time. Always. Forever. I hear the same shtick again and again, no matter what conference I go to. Build a homebase. Work on your social media profiles. Build your #brand social-media-buzzword-nonsense-blah-blah-blah.

And while that advice is correct, and you should have an online presence and all that... it should be for you.

Not for your book.

Let me explain. Your online platform, as an author writing fiction or non-fiction, should (and can) do a few things. It should introduce the world to you, the writer. It should be a jumping off point for you, in terms of networking and interacting with the community (ie: writing blog posts!). It should help with buy-in, showcasing you as a person that's worth looking into. What are you like? What are you reading?

It should not be just for your book.

Here's the thing, after your book is published... there is a window of time that it gets marketed and pushed. And eventually, after that window between building buzz and post-publication, the push slowly stops. Unless you become a monumental bestseller, reviews are going to slow down. People will stop tweeting about it. And eventually, you'll move on to your next book.

Your next book.

That's the thing, you guys.

If you spend all this time building up a platform for an individual book, you are putting all your effort into something that, in the end, won't get utilized anymore. If you're constructing an entire Twitter persona off the title of your book... what happens when you're working on that next book? Do you make a new Twitter handle? Do you change your current handle, and consequently, complicate your links across the Internet because now none of them will work, and point to something outdated? What about that Facebook fan page for your book? What of that? Will your audience navigate over to the new fanpage? How many?

If you use your time creating a platform for an individual title, instead of working on yourself... you run the risk of having something totally useless down the line.

Look. I want you to think about the reason you create a community.

You do it because one doesn't exist, right? That's why you bother to build a community online. Because you see a need for it someplace. So... is there an absolute need for the website and social media presence for your individual, singular book?

No.

The communities exist out there for it already.

From bloggers to the mass media, BookTubers to well-established community reading platforms like Goodreads, LibraryThing, etc... these exist to be, in some way, the platforms for your book. People have built them, and they are incredible (especially book bloggers, I love you guys). Down the line, when you're published, your publisher's website will have details about your book, full of resources and valuable materials.

You don't need an individual site for it. The communities exist out there already. There's no need to create one.

When you're published, and maybe have a series? Sure. Then talk about building out a website. There are SO many great microsites out there for book series, that dish out stuff for die-hard fans and work as places to gather information for educators, librarians, etc. And those are generally created when there isn't a place to house that stuff. But, that comes later, you guys. Much later.

You will impress agents and editors far more with a solid online presence that's about you. In addition to your book, they are interested in YOU. Very much so. Remember, you're someone they want to build a career with. Sure, they want to sell your book, but that website isn't going to help.

Your prose will.

So refocus that platform. Create a website that showcases you as an author. If you're looking for absolutely stellar examples of that, here are a number of authors that have spectacular online platforms, who I bring up in just about every talk I give at conferences.

• Chuck Wendig (www.terribleminds.com)
• Dahlia Adler (dailydahlia.wordpress.com)
• Katherine Locke (www.katherinelockebooks.com)
• Susan Dennard (www.susandennard.com)
• Nova Ren Suma (www.distraction99.com)
• Anna Banks (annabanksbooks.com/blog/)
• Mindy McGinnis (writerwriterpantsonfire.blogspot.com)

Check them out, and learn a few things. Good luck, and remember... focus on YOU. Other people on the Internet will take care of your book's platform for you. I promise.

Four Reasons to Use Social Media as an Author That Has Nothing to Do With Selling Books

This semester, I had a great time teaching my first graduate-level publishing class at Rosemont College. It was a real thrill, spending so much time with students eager to get into the industry, and exploring different ways to venture in. Some were aspiring editors, others wanted to get into publicity. The class? A marketing course.

A lot of the course touched on social media, as well as discussing ways to utilize various publishing-industry-specific tools when working on publicity and marketing campaigns.

I loved it so much, I thought maybe I should start blogging about some of the stuff I dished out. Maybe take some lessons from my pals and colleagues Carly and Maria over at P.S. Literary, and start doing advice-type-things on the ol' blog.

So, this is the first of what I hope will be many.

There are a lot of reasons why I'm on social media. I use it to network with people in the publishing world, keep track of news both locally in Philadelphia, nationally in, you know, the world, and keep an eye on what's going on in the book industry. I meet new authors, both as a fan and as potential clients. I tweet out links to things I find interesting and hope others will too.

But I don't think of it as a place to sell books. Because social media seldom does that well.

Now, there are certainly a few exceptions to the "social media doesn't sell books" claim. When an eBook deal hits for a book that plenty of people love and an author is able to rally their friends around it... well, that can do wonders. But that's a $1.99 eBook we're talking about, not your $17.99+ novel.

"Then why am I even on here?!" You scream to the heavens, your finger hovering over the 'delete account' button in your Twitter's settings.

Calm down. This is why.

What social media will do, is make you part of a community. It'll endear you to readers. It'll serve as buy-in for someone thinking about covering you and your book. And later on down the line... maybe the result of that will sell a book. Maybe.

But again. That's not why you're on there. For sales. You should be on there for other perks. Let's dig in.

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Sometimes you just wanna hug your favorite authors.

1. ENDEARMENT & WHY I'VE BOUGHT THE SAME BOOK EIGHT TIMES: Like every book lover ever, I spend way too much time fussing over my personal library. Moving this book here or there, buying a new box set so I have to shift an entire shelf. Maybe I'm having a rough day, so I just decide to go all High Fidelity on the collection, reorganize it autobiographically or some such silliness.

It happens.

Whenever I do this, there are a few books that always stay in place. Two dozen or so. Written by authors that I've become pals with on the ol' social media. Some I've never even met, some I've only seen once or twice at a convention. But these are the books I talk about with people the most. And this is a huge takeaway for authors and social media that people don't consider enough.

Social media has the power to endear you to your followers and fans.

See, social media has endeared the authors and their books to me. And this, in my opinion, is the number one reason to be on social media as a writer.

Publishing is always trying to figure out how to get consumers to know about their books. "Discoverability" is a fancy buzzword that gets tossed around a lot. And the most powerful method of discoverability isn't big ol' ads, book trailers, microsites, marketing campaigns, etc.

It's word of mouth from passionate fans and book lovers.

Those two dozen or so books? They're the books I giveaway the most to friends who come over. The books I rebuy constantly. For example. Recently while looking over my expenses, I noticed I purchased Something Strange & Deadly by Susan Dennard SIX TIMES last year. Promise of Shadows by Justina Ireland? EIGHT times. The list goes on.

Following people that love your work, booksellers you admire, communicating with other authors. They'll keep those special books on their shelves, and tell their friends about them.

It's an emotional connection. That's something no amount of ad money can buy.

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Dude.

2. COMMUNITY & NOT BEING "THAT GUY" AT THE PARTY: When I have a bit of book news, there are a handful of authors I tend to send a big ol' BCC email to, or bug on gchat, or hit up via DM on Twitter. If we weren't friends and in the same community, chances are this would result in an irritated email back or a subtweet, and then zero results.

But when you're part of a community, the result is wonderful.

Signal boosting cover reveals, eBook sales, new deals, etc. Blog posts listing books, including maybe yours. Reviews on Goodreads. Group blogs for debut authors (lookin' at you, Swanky Seventeens). No matter your genre, there's a community out there for you, full of writers, booksellers, bloggers, librarians, and readers that will bolster you up.

And now, for a quick lesson.

One question I get a lot regarding joining a community, is figuring out how to actively participate IN said community. How do you build a following? Make friends? It's easy.

I want you to think back to every house party or college bash you've ever been to.

When you walk in, and people start talking to you... do you want to talk to the person who won't shut up about themselves, or to the person who asks you questions? Who inquires about your projects, wants to know you, wants to talk about you to other people? Who takes the time to introduce you around?

Think about social media and joining the online community like a party. Chances are, you'll make more friends and more connections by being genuine, by being curious, and by taking a vested interest in others. If you're just at the party to talk about YOU, no one will want to hangout with you.

Don't. Be. That. Guy.

There are a lot of reasons why writers write. To tell a story, maybe educate. But one thing you probably don't think about going into all of it, is the community that you'll inevitably discover. And finding your people, like minded folks... that's another reason to put pen to page.

When I announced WELCOME HOME back in February, I didn't expect to hear from several dozen authors and book lovers that were adopted. My entire life, I maybe knew a handful of adopted kids, who moved in and out of my life. Once that announcement hit, I suddenly knew close to a hundred. I might have cried a bit. Or a lot. It was probably a lot.

Joining a community makes you feel like you're part of something bigger. You discover a support system you didn't know you had. Social media is the perfect way to find your bookish people.

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Don't let this happen to you!

3. BUY-IN BUT NOT SALES, DON'T GET EXCITED: When I say 'buy-in' I don't mean purchasing.

When you have a book ready to hit the market, having an online presence is an important way to encourage people to learn more about you not just as a writer, but as a person. The books I love the most and talk about the most aren't just written by talented writers. They're written by good people I admire.

If you've ever been to a conference ever, you've likely been talked to death about platform.

Someone can check out your social media profile, your website that lists your writing, the articles you've posted on your site... and know a few things right away. Are you the kind of author who might draw people to their bookstore, if you're say, plotting an event? Are you someone that might be good on a panel? If you're unagented, and querying around, are you part of the community? If they are a person in the media, a book blogger or an editor at a magazine, can they learn about you quickly to help with potential pieces?

There are a ton of things that having an established online presence helps with, and this is a big one.

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They can be fun!

4. #HASHTAG: THE AUTHOR-CENTRIC ONLINE EVENTS: Still querying? Don't have a book out just yet? Besides all the other reasons I just listed (which yes, you should still be active on social media in the book community even if you don't have a book on its way), the author-centric hashtag events are a must reason to be on social media.

Since becoming an agent, I've requested manuscripts from SO MANY authors via social media, and signed quite a few as a result of events like #PitMad. I've offered to rep authors I've found on there, only to find numerous agents clamoring for that particular manuscript, which always fills my heart with joy.

Want to check out a success story? Check out Samira Ahmed's post about us connecting in #PitMatch, here!

If you're unfamiliar with #PitMad, you can learn more about it via Brenda Drake's website. It's an online pitch event, where editors and agents alike scour for projects they might be interested in. And there are many of these.

#DVPit is a new one that I'm excited to check out, specifically for marginalized authors.

#PitMatch was a Valentine's Day themed one, with editors, agents, and authors playing along. I hope they do it again.

There are also excellent resources like #MSWL, or Manuscript Wishlist, which allows you to read through book ideas agents and editors are excited about potentially finding. It's an absolutely incredible resource, and it all pools into this great website.

And then of course, some authors run them on their own. Dahlia Adler's Instagram hashtag campaign was FANTASTIC (I presented it in my class!), and helped scores of authors and readers connect. Learn more about it here.

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And there you have it!

Hope you liked this, you guys. I'll do more. Promise.

Book News: Welcome Home, An Anthology, To Be Published Fall 2017

Growing up, I could never find stories about adopted kids.

I always sought out other adoptees, to hear their stories, and as a teenager, wrestled with identity a lot. When people asked where I was from, I made things up. When kids poked fun at me for being adopted (that does happen), I got in fights. As an escape, I read. I read voraciously. And I wish that a some point, in all those pages, that I had been able to see stories about people like me.

"Aw, come on champ. Even Superman is adopted."

Okay, adopted kids hear that all the time. But adoptees can't fly away from their problems. There's no fortress of solitude to retreat to, and even if there was, being alone, feeling alone, is one of the biggest problems in the first place.

Which is why I'm really thrilled to be announcing my Young Adult anthology, Welcome Home. 

Welcome Home collects genre-spanning short stories centered around the theme of adoption, with tales about foster care, searching for birth parents, group homes, adopted siblings, struggling adoptive parents, and more by a number of amazing authors.

The list includes Adi Alsaid, Dave Connis, Helene Dunbar, Kate Leth, Lauren Gibaldi, Libby Cudmore, Matthew Quinn Martin, Mindy McGinnis, Shannon Parker, Randy Ribay, Nic Stone, and many, many more we're going to reveal over the coming months. Note the question marks.

There are even a few debut voices in the mix, including Hello Giggles staff contributor Sammy Nickalls.

The book will be out with Jolly Fish Press in the Fall of 2017. We'll be donating the book's royalties to organizations that work with adoptees and foster kids, and I can't wait to share those plans when we've got them ironed out, as well as other fun announcements with the book, from covers to contributors.

And speaking of.

You might have noticed those question marks in the image up above. Are YOU someone with a close tie to adoption, and possibly interested in writing a story? Let's talk. I'm still looking for stories, particularly from diverse voices. No, you don't have to be published before, we have some exciting debut voices we'll announce very soon. You can find my contact info here.

Update (6/15): The collection is finalized, but we will be taking stories for the online portion of the anthology, a website where we will collect adoption stories. If you'd like more info on that, drop me a line.

Want to keep updated on pre-orders, giveaways, and all of that? You can add Welcome Home on Goodreads. Please do!

Now, some thank yous.

When it comes to my writing and literary agent life, my wife pushes me. She does it all the time. Pushes me to try things that are difficult, to work outside my comfort zone. To tackle serious ideas. Growing up, I shied away from all that, but since meeting Kristina, I've really started to try harder. Welcome Home is one of the first projects to come out of that. Thank you, Nena.

Thanks to all the authors who jumped in to play along with this, and took a chance writing short stories for a project that might have never happened. It's a hard thing, putting together an anthology (there will be a blog post on this down the line). It's a passion project, and you never know if it'll get picked up.

And the YA community as a whole. I literally emailed over one hundred of you. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction, making introductions.

And my superstar agent, Dawn Frederick, thank you for reading my long rambling emails about this thing, and letting me prattle to you on the phone about it. I'm not sure how you deal with me. You're a saint. And McKelle George at Jollyfish, for taking this labor of love on.

And Mom and Dad?

Thank you for bringing me home.

Stay tuned. <3

Jolly Fish Press: Twitter (@JollyFishPress), Facebook (facebook.com/JollyFishPress)

Welcome Home: On Goodreads (goodreads.com/book/show/28902446-welcome-home)

Book News: Inked Gets a Sequel, to be Published in May 2016!

Deep breath. Here we go.

Bloomsbury's digital imprint, Bloomsbury Spark, will be publishing the sequel to my debut YA novel, Inked, in May of 2016. 

And there it is. It feels real now.

Inked 2: Ink Harder (that is not what it is called) picks up where book one left off, and introduces a class of characters that get brought up in book one, but aren't really explored. The Unprinted, the citizens without the magic, moving tattoos that define one's place in society, who have opted to live off-the-grid and away from the mandatory practice of magical Ink.

In book one you get to see an Unprinted settlement, and one of the main characters is an Unprinted warrior (Tabor!), but this time around, you'll get a lot more of them.

What's it about? I won't get into much, but in  Inked II: The Inkening (still not the actual name), war has erupted. And  smack in the middle of it, are a pack of powerful teens that have been forced into a position where they are leading the charge. It'll take them across the Realm and challenge their relationships with one another. The Citadel has new weapons, new defenses, new allies. And they'll go to some pretty horrifying lengths to get what they want.

2 Inked 2 Furious (not yet), has a bunch of new characters that I can't wait for you to meet, as well as the old ones you hopefully liked in the first book. I started working on the sequel while my superstar agent (hi Dawn you rule!) was shopping around the first book, took a little break from it, and revisited it last year. I had a finished draft ready to go back in January, but my agent spent a few months editing it with me, as every good agent should, to make sure it was up to her standards.

And now, here we are, with Inked II: Cruise Control (no) coming out in the summer.

A HUGE thank you to everyone who supported the first book. Those of you who helped critique the drafts and final manuscripts. Who tweeted, emailed, Facebooked, YouTubed, and blogged about it coming out, shared the cover, pushed the promotions. The many of you who took the time to write a review on your favorite retailer, on your book blog, or posted on Goodreads. Nena for pushing me. Dawn for repping it. Meredith and the Bloomsbury team for publishing it in the first place. Thank you! You're why Inked 2: The Squeakquel (haha, no) is happening.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have an edit letter to read through and a manuscript to touch up.

Inked: Rise of the Unprinted (the actual title!), coming your way May 2016.

A New Chapter, Turning a Page, [Insert Additional Book Metaphor Here]

At this point, most of the Bookternet seems to know. But in case you didn't hear, after five years at the fabulous Quirk Books, I'm packing up my little toy-decorated office this week.

Several New York Times bestsellers, books that won numerous awards, a dozen (mostly) viral book trailers, several bookish websites, plenty of social network profile launches, the publication of my own book, tons of conventions, and thousands upon thousands of books mailed to bloggers... it's been a really wonderful and fulfilling experience, working with all the awesome people at Quirk.

But, it's time for a new chapter, as they say. A new challenge.

This month, I'm jumping into a new career as a literary agent with P.S. Literary.

As anyone who has ever met me will tell you, I'm happiest when talking about other people. Asking me about a favorite book or a favorite author usually ends with me doing something like this.

I mean, when I was emailing friends and media about my latest book, I linked out to another person's book in my PS (again, ya'll should add More Happy Than Not to your Goodreads). Some of the best blog posts I've ever written on BookRiot and The Huffington Post have to do with me talking about other people. Hell, I started a blog and an awards show to give others a platform.

Using my voice to help others get their stories out there... it makes me happy.

So exploring a career where I get to discover new writers, boast about how amazing their undiscovered works are, help launch their careers, and be their voice? Ah, what a perfect, perfect opportunity. Thanks for giving me a shot, Curtis and David!

And while P.S. Literary is located in Toronto, I will be staying in Philadelphia, working out of my new home office / coffeeshops all over. I may even crash Indy Hall once and a while, when Adam and Alex aren't busy making websites.

So before I list the kind of books I'm looking for, here's a big ol' public thank you to Quirk Books, for an awesome five years.

If it wasn't for Quirk taking a chance on some local blogger with zero publishing experience, I wouldn't have had... well, any of this. Two published books (one of which was published with Quirk, thank you Jason!), dozens of lectures and talks at conferences, and now this, a new career to explore. For that, I'm not quite sure how to express my thanks. It's just so huge.

But I think about that fact often, how I got from Point A to Point B(ook). Thanks for giving me a shot after my awkward, nervous interview, Brett, and giving me the chance to grow over the years. I won't ever forget it.

Ah, and the Quirk authors and the many, many book bloggers. I've come to know so many of you outside the walls of our publishing house, and I'm happy to call many of you my friends. Thank you for your awesome words, whether it was a book you wrote or a book you reviewed.

Quirks, it has been an absolute pleasure. I'll see you at all the conventions. And you'll certainly see me in the area. Blair and I have new comic book day every Wednesday, and I don't plan on breaking that tradition.

I also have to thank my awesome future-wife Nena. Without her support to move forward with this, it wouldn't be happening.

And as for the books, here's what I'm looking for. You can scope me out on the agency website here. I'll update this site soon with all of this. But for now, here you go.

Note: To my friends that I've listed here as comps... well, I'm not sorry. I admire each of you so very much, and I want more writing like yours in the world.

Young & New Adult: I'm eager to find bright, diverse new voices in YA. Send me your sci-fi, your fantasy, your contemporary, your pretty-much-any-genre in YA. I write and read YA frequently, so this is a genre I'm fiercely passionate about. If you're curious about my tastes, I adore authors like Susan Dennard, Lauren Morrill, E.C. Myers, Rainbow Rowell, Chuck Wendig, Andrew Smith, Marie Lu, Tahereh Mafi, and new kids on the YA block like Aisha Saeed, Sabaa Tahir, Brandy Colbert, and Adam Silvera.

To quote Andrew Smith, "keep YA weird." Give me your weird, give me your quirky!

With NA, send me your awkward romances and your bold new ideas. It's a growing genre, I'd love to find something that surprises me and makes me swoon. Steamy kissing scenes are awesome... but I'd love to see some NA jump into new genres. Are those kissing scenes in... oh, I don't know, SPACE? Would it make Kirk and Uhura blush? Awesome. Send it to me.

Science Fiction & Fantasy: Looking for high fantasy and exciting sci-fi, new worlds that simply can't be put down. I would love books in the vein of titles by authors like Brandon Sanderson, Lev Grossman, Cory Doctorow, John Scazli, Jeff Vandermeer, Cherie Priest, or Andy Weir.

Cookbooks: I'm particularly interested in cookbook ideas from bloggers. Do you have an awesome food blog with a growing audience? Can you take amazing photos? Are you an active part of the food blogger community? Let's talk. I'm very open to helping develop ideas here, even if the book isn't quite there yet.

Non-Fiction: When it comes to non-fiction, I'm interested in books that focus on pop culture, geekery, and/or teach readers about the odd and the unique. If you've ever picked up a book by Mary Roach, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. Non-fiction that explains big ideas and large concepts in ways that are accessible, fun, and humorous.

I'm also interested in essay collections, particularly humor though I'm open to anything that's really compelling. Think Davy Rothbart, David Sedaris, or Anna Goldfarb. Give me your awkward confessions. Make me laugh.

Blog to Book Ideas: I would love to work with bloggers kicking around ideas for developing their blog into a book. Think your massively popular Tumblr deserves a fun hardcover gift book? Let's discuss.

Literary Fiction: Very open to and excited to read some adult literary fiction, especially anything contemporary with a rom-com twist (think Nick Hornby) or mystery / thrillers that touch on current affairs (think Jon McGoran).

I'm also very interested in literary fiction that does a bit of genre mashing. Think Station Eleven, The Last Policeman (one of my favorite books ever), or The Night Circus.

And there we have it. The adventure starts. Send me your books. Have a pitch? Email me. And I'll see you all at BEA. This time around though, it'll say "agent" on my tag.

Agent... Smith?

Oh dear.

Six Things I Learned Running a Pre-Order Campaign for My Book

A few months before INKED came out, me and the team at Bloomsbury started talking about building buzz on the ol' Internet. There are a lot of ways you do this. Sending out review copies, creating book trailers (or in my case, a book song), releasing excerpts, putting together blog tours, pitching media... stuff like that is all pretty standard, and really helps launch a book online. The crew at Bloomsbury did a killer job, and worked closely with me and the contacts I'd put together. It was an awesome experience.

And since INKED was a digital-first release, building that Internet buzz was extra important.

I wanted to take things a little bit further, and put together a fun pre-order campaign for the book. I promised signed posters, postcards, and handmade (more on that shortly) necklaces to anyone (also that) that pre-ordered the book. Since INKED is a digital-first book, I thought it would be a good idea to give readers some extra incentive to pick it up.

Was it a successful campaign? I'd say it was. Building pre-orders can be tough, and I was really thrilled with the results.

Here's what I learned putting one together.

If you don't check your budget, you'll end up doing this.

1. First, Check Your Budget: I mean, really check it. It's fun to offer up swag and presents to readers, totally. But if you're spending more than say, $1 a book... you'll probably never see that money again. If that's not a concern (it wasn't for me, I wanted to get this book out there and set some funds aside just for this), go crazy.

You're giving away 100 swag packs that say, weight one ounce. Each of those, first class just in the states, will cost about $1.50 to mail. That's $150. Add $15 for the envelopes. $165. Contents? Maybe you do a run of 100 posters. $25. Some nice sharpies and you're at $200. Not bad at all, you guys... although that does put you at $2 a book already.

See where this gets tricky?

And then this is where you run into real trouble... offering up too many other extras. Me, I gave out handmade necklaces, which in bulk, probably cost about $1.50 each to make. I had to buy the leather straps, the bottles, and the flowers for inside. And they took quite a long time to put together. I watched many movies while doing this. If you factor in the cost of time, it was extra expensive.

I definitely went over the $1 per book budget, especially later with shipping. But I regret nothing. More on that next.

The books went way farther than Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

2. Consider Just How Open It Is: When I launched my pre-order campaign, I said I'd send signed posters, postcards, and necklaces to anyone who pre-ordered. It didn't matter where. I honestly didn't think it would push out all that far.

But ah, the Internet makes happy fools of us all sometimes.

For me, opening up the pre-order internationally meant that a $4 pre-order on Amazon turned into me spending $6 - $12 a package when it came to shipping to places like Australia. Five people in Australia pre-ordered Inked. Out of the 300 or so packages I sent out, about 25% of them were international.

Ask yourself when putting together your budget, just how open your campaign is going to be. If you're going to ship to other countries, awesome. But remember that it'll add up.

Financially, offering up the pre-order internationally was a bit of a mistake. But when it came to getting cool gifts into the hands of people that were excited about the book... I regret nothing. I appreciated every single person who took a chance on the book, and I still do.

Tweet! Tweet! Tweet!

3. Twitter Campaigns Work, But Not How You Expect: I ran three Twitter campaigns for INKED. A short one (like, three days) for the cover reveal, one to drive people to request it on NetGalley (a week), and one last big campaign for the pre-order promotion (about a month).

And they all worked... but maybe not how I expected them to.

Did the Twitter campaigns get people pre-ordering the book? Requesting it on NetGalley? Sharing the cover? It's hard to say. What it did do though, was expand my message well beyond my audience, and put it in front of the eyes of my friends and colleagues. Running the Twitter campaigns helped make sure my friends with way bigger voices saw my little tweets, and consequently, they helped boost my message with RTs galore.

I made sure I sent everyone a thank you email for that. Ya'll rule.

Let's talk those numbers. The pre-order campaign push cost $200 and was (potentially) seen by 87,484 people over the course of three weeks. This pulled in 999 clicks to the pre-order page from Twitter, and that individual pre-order page was accessed over 2,013 times.

$200 for 87,000 eyes and 1,000 click-thrus to the campaign? Not bad at all. But what was even more valuable, was the promotion that resulted from my many friends seeing the campaign and pushing it to their audience. Having other YA authors and blogger friends promoting the book to their audience that might not be (and probably aren't, let's be real) aware of me... that's worth way more than a click thru. That's a new follower, potentially a new fan.

Don't measure the success of your Twitter campaign on strictly conversions relating to pre-orders. There's more to it than that.

Hmm...

4. Market Your Campaign: You're running your Twitter campaign? Awesome. Maybe you've even decided to spend waste some money on Facebook ads. Great! But that isn't enough. People aren't on social media to be promoted at, you guys. They don't follow you for that. You have to step outside of all that, and do some marketing.

Talk to bloggers, talk to media folks, and see who you can get excited about your promotion. Is the mainstream media going to be psyched about your signed postcard? Probably not. But reach out to the people who support you that already have a voice, and see if they'll help you blast your message out there. Is a blogger hyping up your release? Ask them if they might consider talking about the pre-order option.

Superstar BookTuber Jesse the Reader gave Inked's pre-order campaign a shout-out in his video back in December. The result? 100 pre-orders straight from this video. How do I know? THEY TOLD ME. "I heard about this book from Jesse the Reader" they said. "I love you"  I said, in emails to Jesse. "Eric stop emailing me" Jesse said. Etc.

He didn't actually say that.

I didn't ask Jesse to bring up the campaign, he did it on his own. But several bloggers after him talked and linked to it, including Paste Magazine when they posted my excerpt.

My regret? I wish I'd told more people about it directly, especially after seeing the impact Jesse had.

Look at that handsome bro.

5. Find Yourself a Buddy: Having a pal on hand is an absolute must. I honestly didn't expect the INKED pre-order campaign to do all that much, and would have been thrilled if a dozen or so pre-orders came in. Then, as the weeks went by, I suddenly found my pre-order spreadsheet growing to hundreds of people. At the end of it all, I had three hundred envelopes to stuff and mail out.

I was pretty stubborn with the necklaces. When I wrote about them here on the blog, I said that they were going to be handmade by me. When friends asked if they could come over and help me put them together, I declined, because I had said they were going to be made by me. I didn't want to lie to these future readers.

However Chris, as he often does because that's what good friends do, wore me down when it came to helping with this, and insisted on helping me with the final mailing. I can't even begin to tell you how big a help that was. I literally would have been at the post office for HOURS if he hadn't come with me and helped, and I certainly wouldn't have made it all in one trip.

Take the help when it is offered, you guys. And then buy that buddy lunch.

Singing helps.

6. Make Sure You Have the Time: Last, remember that these take time. You have to come up with something clever and fun. If you're doing posters, you need to get them designed and printed. Special swag? You need the time to create it. Then you have to package and mail all of this stuff. It takes a while.

I spent a few days packaging the envelopes, a week on the necklaces, and it took me about a month to finally get these all out and in the mail. When it came to the poster and the postcards, it took my pal Ashley a week or two to whip 'em up. And I know readers understand, but I still felt pretty guilty seeing that box there day after day, knowing I had to get them out, had to find the time to finish everything, etc.

Want to do a lot of cool swag, but afraid you won't have the time? Go back to step 5. Also, remember your budget.

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And there you have it. Six things I learned putting together and running a pre-order campaign. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Did I spend a bit more money than I should have? You bet I did. Would I do it again? Damn straight.

World of YA, Here I Come: A New Book Coming Out With Bloomsbury Spark in 2014

When my super agent Dawn Frederick called me last week, late in the afternoon, the day before The Geek's Guide to Dating hit bookstores, my heart started racing. Was this it? Did it happen? Was this the phone call?

It was.

I'm thrilled to announce that my first young adult novel will debut with Bloomsbury Spark in the Fall of 2014. They're a new imprint under Bloomsbury Publishing, who you might remember from this thing called Harry Potter. The imprint is so new, that their first seven books just came out this month. Popular YA blogger The Story Siren did a cover reveal of all their first titles back in November, and I seriously can't wait to be on their list.

Excuse me, crying break.

Okay, I'm back.

Though as I write this, I'm realizing some of my friends might be a bit confused. YA book? What YA book? Didn't you write a dating guide?

Well, back in May of 2012 I announced that I had signed with Dawn Frederick over at Red Sofa Literary. I remember the day quite well, as I made local artist / BFF Britt Miller hangout with me in Cosi as I signed the contract (it was a nice moment, thanks for being there Britt).

I'd spent that last year scribbling away at a YA manuscript. I'd been inspired by all the YA novels I had been reading lately, and thought I would give it a shot. I sent Dawn the finished book, and shortly after she signed me, the opportunity for the Geek Dating book came up. She started pitching publishers and I worked on the dating guide while editing the novel.

And now, here we are! Hooray!

As for the book, it's called Inked, and it's a YA fantasy story. You know, with like, castles, swords, magic... all that good stuff. Here's a blip from the sale mentioned in Publishers Marketplace (and a screenshot, cause OMG Publishers Marketplace!).

Eric Smith’s INKED, about a society where tattoos are magical, fate altering, and mandatory, and a teen’s search for his own path leads to the discovery of hidden powers, sending the corrupt government after him and those he loves –to Meredith Rich at Bloomsbury Spark, by Dawn Frederick at Red Sofa Literary.

I look forward to talking more about it as it gets closer, but for now, I'm just happy to share this news with all of you.

Big thank you to my awesome agent, my fantastic writing group (I heart you guys!), Nena for listening to me ramble about this book, and my friends who took the time to read the manuscript while giving me notes (especially Jennifer Adams, Frankie Diane, E.C. Myers, and Preeti Chhibber). And of course, to Bloomsbury Spark and Meredith Rich for taking a chance on me.

Time to get revising!

The Geek's Guide to Dating: So I Have A Book Coming Out in December!

Okay, so I've got some fun news for you, friends and readers. I've been teasing it on Twitter, Facebook, and here on the blog for a few months now. I have a new book coming out.

The Geek's Guide to Dating.

It's a fun, quirky little hardcover dating book being published by Quirk Books. Full of references to video games, comic books, movies, and misc. pop culture, it's a funny dating guide written with a geeky slant, with adorable 8-bit pixel art from Juan Carlos Solon (Kickpixel).

This is my first traditionally published book, and I'm incredibly excited about it. It's been a fun project to work on, and it'll hit stores everywhere on December 3rd. I've got a lot of neat things lined up and planned for the release of the book, and I can't wait to share them with you over the course of the year.

A huge thank you to my crew at Quirk, my writing group, the amazing authors who gave me blurbs (read them here), Kyle Cassidy for making me look handsome in the book jacket, and my friends who took the time to read the rough manuscript, helped me with research, and gave me valuable feedback.

It's been quite the trip, and this year is going to be awesome.

For more info (and to pre-order!), visit Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound, and/or the Quirk Books website.