Building a Community

The statement I've made most often as an independent author / publisher is:

Writing the book is the easiest part. Getting people to care about it is the most challenging

As an author, the writing part comes naturally to me, and is enjoyable. But the majority of what makes a successful author is, unfortunately, not in the quality of the writing, but in who and how many people care about it.

Before I had my own products to sell, I thought that marketing was a sales tool. Simple. Let the right people know about the product and watch the orders come in. Oh how wrong I was!

Marketing is all about building a community

I've learnt a lot in the past year - thanks to a great Indie author community and newsletters such as Brett Goldhawk's Consumer Eye - and the key fact is that if people aren't connected to your product or brand, they wont care enough to buy it.

This is actually brilliant, because the reason we create new things is to connect with others. We make things that improve, enhance, entertain people's lives, and by doing so, want to be part of this too. Personally there's nothing better than someone sharing how their child chose my book to read 3 nights in a row, or visiting a school and seeing a whole class light up when I tell my stories.

This is why we create new things. To connect with others.

This is also why I use Kickstarter to launch my books. Yes, it helps small businesses and creators to get up and running faster by getting essential funds before the product is made - but more than that - it is a great mechanism for building a brilliant community of people who care about the same things as you.

And just incase my Kickstarter isn't successful (because I still need around 25 people and ￡400 in the next 9 hours) it isn't all in vain.

I've gained 150 people who care about more inclusive books in schools and homes

So thank you everyone in this community. It means a lot to know I am not alone.