More Platforms than Grand Central

More Platforms than Grand Central

 

By Ian Mulville

Author:  Full Circle (Crime/Fiction, Launch date July 2013)

So what have I learned this week?  Social Media platforms can be grouped into roughly three groups depending upon whether you want to network, share or promote.  I want to do all three, so my team have helped me set up the following six platforms:

Network

Facebook and Twitter

Share

Instagram and Hootsuite

Promote

Blog and YouTube

They’re all ready to go, and will be linked to each other and to my website, www.ianmulville.com

For this blog, let’s look at one platform from each category.  I am one of the few who have stubbornly resisted using Facebook.  I love it, but know that if I had my own account, another hour of my already stretched day which would vanish into the ether.  But this is networking, and not just social networking, so we have set up a Fan Page, so that people can find out a little bit about me, be introduced to my new book Full Circle and, hopefully, some of them will like me.

Over the coming weeks I’ll be running a couple of competitions so that people can start to get a ‘feel’ for the book. I’ll release some of the content for review and feedback, and put a cover design concept out there, asking for comment and input.  The final stage will be requesting book reviews from like-minded authors, bloggers, professional reviewers and maybe even some literary agents, who knows?

Instagram is new to me, but we have some great images to work with and to share.  Again, I’ll start by introducing Ian Mulville the author, and then introduce the new book.  I have the manuscript cover, then the first and second concept cover designs, and I’ll be soliciting a response; feedback and suggestions on how we can maybe develop the cover.

Of course, you’ve now found the blog, and I will be using this as a forum for ‘my writing journey’ from the completion of the book, through the pre-launch activities, the launch, getting reviews, finding a literary agent and answering the question of “how do I get published?”.  The first chapter of the book will be made available for review and comment as an animated book.  This will be linked to the website.

I’ve invested in having some quality clips created for YouTube, which will be drip-fed to my potential target audience following the model of ‘About the Author’ and then ‘About Full Circle’.  Edited versions of the clips will be released on Twitter and the blog, with a link from the blog to the site and vice-versa.

The content has to be in a consistent and keyword-rich format for SEO purposes.  Rankings, likes feedback and comments are all important in the lead up to the launch and publishers will want to know that I’ve have connected to, and engaged with, my chosen audience; you!

So your comments are really valuable not only to me, but to anyone else who’s following my journey.  Have you found the blog interesting?  Any advice for other new authors who are planning to launch their new book?

Please watch out for the next instalment.  By then I’ll have put up the various platforms and linked them, and I’ll be able to share the experience and give you all the links so that you can see them for yourself.  Again, any comments, feedback, tips or advice you might have will be welcomed.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll be back soon.

Ian

Adventures in Social Media Land

Adventures in Social Media Land

By Ian Mulville

Author:  Full Circle (Crime/Fiction, Launch date July 2013)

Welcome to my first blog post.  Already, I can tell you’ll be back for more.

As a new author, I’ve been asking myself the same question as many others: how do I get published?

Although there’s still ample reason to go the traditional route, without doubt, the power and influence of social media cannot be underestimated.

So this week I’ve been propelled into the world of social media as an aid to the pre-launch and subsequent launch of my debut novel.  I’m working on a three month programme prior to launch, with the novel itself being launched in July 2013.

Though utilising social media to launch a novel is certainly nothing new, by confronting my fears head-on and throwing myself into it wholeheartedly, I’m confident that it will yield results.

For somebody who just scraped into the Sixties, social media is a concept I’ve had to adapt to, with all the associated ‘letting go’ of legacy systems and methodologies; old thinking.  My background is in Human Resources, and this is a perfect Change Management scenario.  Some people fear it, some ignore it, and some will try to fight it.  However, the message is clear:

It’s here.  Deal with it.

At this point it’s important that I ‘fess up and reveal that I‘m not alone in my adventure.  Oh no.  I’ve engaged the services of some very able, much younger people to assist me with selecting the various media platforms, setting them up and linking them; I just have to (ha, ha) provide the words and images.

Straight away I would like to give a big mention to the Journalism and Communications School at a local University (and also give a mention to the Marketing School).  I’m working closely with two fourth year students who have been given the brief to ‘successfully launch a debut novel utilising an innovative approach to social media’.  Without them, it’s likely that you wouldn’t be reading this blog right now.

The name of the University and the students themselves (and further details of the Project Brief, including milestones and metrics) will be revealed in subsequent posts.  Of course, we’re aiming for a win-win-win situation where boundaries are pushed and innovation is brought to the fore, where the students gain invaluable experience on a live project with real outcomes and where I see Full Circle gain the widest possible audience, garner some book reviews and ultimately be included in the catalogues of best books.

Working together, we’ve decided on a two-phased approach.  Phase one is to gently introduce me, Ian Mulville, to the market (whatever the market is), and Phase two will be to introduce my new book, Full Circle, first of all to announce its existence, but also – critically – to gain engagement from a receptive audience.

Over the next couple of weeks and months, I’ll be letting you know how our journey goes.  It will be a kind of ‘how to’ guide, and by following our progress and visiting the various links, you’ll be able to judge – in real time – how the project is progressing and whether the key objectives are being met.  If you are also looking to take the first steps in social media to launch a new book, then I’m sure you’ll find it interesting and informative.

Of course, I’d value your feedback on an ongoing basis.  Have we missed anything?  Are we making any basic errors?  Any advice you’d like to share from your own experiences?  And of course, if we’re doing it right, then some encouragement or affirmation would also be well received!

So thank you for joining, and before I sign off, I’d like to leave you with this quote by Douglas Adams:

“I love deadlines.  I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.”

 

Take care now.

Ian