Repeated Exposure Is Important

 

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Within the publishing world, on the surface, there appears to be a disconnect. While authors resist social media yet others spend a lot of time on it, the sales statistics have proven large social media numbers does not necessarily sell books. Yet when you submit your manuscript to a publisher or literary agent, they want to know about your social media numbers and your online presence. Why do they care about this information and why is it important? It’s what I'm going to explain in this article and give you some strategies for your online presence.

Why Is Your Online Presence Important?

Through the years, I’ve read numerous stories from people who work with authors on promotion and selling books that many times an author with a large social media following will have a limited response to trying to sell to this audience. The small number of sales make you wonder why authors should spend any time on social media. Is it a waste? Not necessarily.

If you read the literature on marketing books, you learn that someone has to learn about your book multiple times and repeatedly hear the benefits of your book before they purchase the book. Some experts will say the reader needs to hear about it seven or eight times before buying. Other experts will say that number of exposures is over 20 times. No matter which statistic you believe, you and your book need the exposure multiple times before you sell the book. 

When I say exposure, I’m talking about telling readers about the benefits and the stories which are in your book. It’s much more detailed than simply putting up a “buy my book message” which no one pays much attention. Instead, list the benefits for someone who reads your book and emphasize those messages on social media, through your newsletter and other places.  

Not everyone reads all of your social media posts or follows your posts in detail. For example, I published an article in Publisher’s Weekly about book proposal creation. I’ve posted multiple times about this article but recently a long-time writer friend engaged me with the post saying something like “Congratulations to get in this prestigious publication” as though she was reading my post about it for the first time (it wasn’t). I post on social media 12-15 times every day or a great deal of information and content.

For example, my Billy Graham biography was released over 10 years ago--yet every day I post something on social media about Billy Graham. I will often include a link to a live radio interviews or some other insightful information for the reader. As I guest blog and write articles, I include a link to my biography as another exposure for the book to that reader. 

I've mentioned that recently I’ve been doing multiple podcast interviews and recordings. During these interviews, I occasionally tell a story about my Billy Graham biography and that creation process. These stories continue to resonate and are of interest to others. 

The multiple exposures is not a waste of time or effort but informs readers the relevance of your book and that you as an author have on-going passion for your book. 

How Do Publishers Use This information?

Publishers and literary agents look at your social media numbers to see the engagement and at least get a big picture view of your online presence and potential readership. Publishers have access to other information as well such as Nielsen’s BookScan to check the actual sales of your recent books. The agent or editor will also google your name and see what they learn in the first few pages of their search. This basic information helps them learn about you and your book.

How Can an Author Build a Presence Without the Time Suck?

If the sales from this repeated exposure is limited, you want to have the exposure but use your time wisely. For example, I use Hootsuite but other people use Buffer or another social media scheduling program. I schedule my posts ahead of time. 

I’ve also started being consistent on sending my newsletters each week. Like my social media, I’m scheduling them and getting them done ahead of time when I have a spare moment. Or these articles on my blog which I write each week. There are several keys for every author:

1. Be consistent in whatever you do. You don’t have to be on every social media channel but pick one or two and post on them consistently. If you post several times a week, do that consistently. If you post 12-15 times a day like me, then do that consistently.

2. Often you will get little response from such activity. I don’t hear a lot sometimes and then some well-known author or media person and I will be talking and they will tell me how they read each of my email newsletters. I keep those stories in mind as I persevere even without a lot of feedback.

I hope this article about the importance of repeated exposure is clear. If not, or you have other additions, let me know in the comments below.

Tweetable:

If high social media numbers do not sell books, then why is the repeated exposure important? This prolific author and editor gives you the details and insights here.  (ClickToTweet)

When I’ve worked with different publishers on a variety of  books, I’ve learned the hard way that much of the publishing process is outside of anything an author can control. As an editor, I’ve spoken with different authors about their books, I’ve found many unrealistic expectations. There are actions every author can take with their books. I wrote  10 PUBLISHING MYTHS to give authors practical help. You can get decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for only $10, free shipping and over $200 of bonuses.