First and foremost you must have written a good book. You have to have had a good story people became absorbed in. You have to have put out a quality book. You also need to have, or need to be, following that book up with another book.
Dedicated Readers are not only series followers, but if you're writing a series I think your chances of gaining Dedicated Readers is better. Simply put, people want to follow the characters they have fallen in love with --when reading your well written book.
Now, if you have the book, you're wondering where do I find these readers? If I need 1000 Dedicated Readers to have success who do I get those on my first book? My advice...you work social media!
A great way to meet new readers is by taking part in a blog takeover, an FB takeover, an online party...the list is endless. As an author and a publisher, I utilize Facebook parties. How does this work? Begin to follow groups on Facebook that are for authors/readers. This is a great place for people to interact with you, whom you don't know. Be active during a launch party or a celebration party. Reply to posts and get your face out there. Then look around. There are ample opportunities to have page takeovers. Some page owners do this for new authors or they include new authors in their takeovers. You can also pay for this service where a page owner will host a party for you and invite readers. This is also a great way to introduce yourself to new readers.
Get reviews! Pitch your book to book reviewers. Sign up for services such as Net Galley (this is a paid service, but the reviews are not paid for.) Again, there are also services that will send your books out to reviewers, usually as part of a blog tour. This puts your book in front of people who don't know you. That is the important part of finding Dedicated Readers. When you follow up with a review make sure to thank the reviewer as well.
The Dedicated Readers I interviewed all mentioned that they enjoy finding new authors to read. In this, the movement of Indie Authors, readers are finding the joy in new and fresh voices. They know that authors are reachable and therefore seek them out (and often they seek them out in online reader events.) Readers especially enjoy finding new authors whom they can follow from day one and get to know on a personal level as well. Imagine you go to a bar and follow the band that plays there every Thursday night. Then, one day they are Grammy winning! You could say, "I knew them when!" Readers are the same. They like to be part of your journey.
Be active on your Facebook Author page. (If you don't have one, get one!) Be active on your Twitter account. Don't forget these gems are sitting there waiting for you to engage with their followers. Once you hit a few hundred followers you'll find that they begin to come faster, if you're working it! And once you hit that 1000 mark, they come even faster.
Now just saying you have 1000 followers isn't saying you have 1000 Dedicated Readers. This is a journey that doesn't stop. You have to keep working all these angles and keep being personable. And above all else, you have to keep writing so that those Dedicated Readers have something to read and be dedicated to.
Please Follow my #AuthorSuccess Series
PART I: Dedicated Readers: Get Some!
PART II: Dedicated Readers, Where to find them
PART III: Dedicated Readers, How to use them
Bestselling Author
Bernadette Marie is known for building families readers want to be part of. Her
series The Keller Family has graced bestseller charts since its release in
2011, along with her other series and single title books. The married mother of
five sons promises Happily Ever After always…and says she can write it, because
she lives it.
When not writing,
Bernadette Marie is shuffling her sons to their many events—mostly hockey—and
enjoying the beautiful views of the Colorado Rocky Mountains from her front
step. She is also an accomplished martial artist with a second degree black
belt in Tang Soo Do.
A chronic entrepreneur,
Bernadette Marie opened her own publishing house in 2011, 5 Prince Publishing,
so that she could publish the books she liked to write and help make the dreams
of other aspiring authors come true too. She is also the owner of Illumination
Author Events, which brings authors and readers together. Through IAE she is
also able to share her expertise in the fields of publishing, marketing and writing.
To find out more about
Bernadette Marie you can find her here:
FACE BOOK
EMAIL: info@bernadettemarie.com
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