Marketing Troll (or “Oh, you’re a writer?)

Went to a fantastic birthday party last night with a few people I knew and a whole bunch of really neat strangers. Fabulous Publisher Babe ™ was with me. The shindig was for a group of folks who all celebrate March birthdays.

Was an absolute ball.

I don’t talk about being a data nerd at things like this, mostly because so many of the folks are artists of some sort. The host is a classically trained musician, to give you a flavor. Another woman I met absolutely assured me she couldn’t be an artist, let alone a writer, but finally had to confront that she had (if I understood her correctly) created the entire contents of a hilarious game, including writing all the fortunes. So, maybe…

At the party, the host liked to introduce me and the babe as writers, because, in his mind, that’s what we do. It’s where my (our) passion lies. And why I did one of the very few dedications I have done to him.

Of course, everyone asks “Oh, you’re a writer? What do you write?”

For me, that’s an easy question, so Fabulous Publisher Babe lets me answer first. Plus, I’m the Marketing Troll(tm). Pull out the wallet, grab a business card for The Science Officer or Auberon, and hand it to them with the explanation that the next in each series are coming out soon. (Javier in May, Jessica in June).

I have found that the return on the cards is low, but above zero. A standard business card is something you can stuff in a pocket, or put in your wallet/purse, and then you’ll find it again later and look at it.

According to scientific studies, you need to see something something like 3.4 times (THREE POINT FOUR!?!) in order for it to lock into your conscious mind for you to do something about it. In this case, first touch is me handing it to you and you reading it. Second is when you pull it out and look at it the next morning, or in the next few days. Then I’m halfway.

In this case, there were several people who were SF fans, so that might be enough. Plus, I’m happy to send book one in a series to anyone who asks. (Seriously, tell your friends. Sign up for my newsletter and I’ll send them something. Working on stories to send to anyone in the sound of my voice soon, including you.) Lemme know if you have not read Science Officer or Auberon.

Hell, feel free to seed a download/sharing site with it. You aren’t stealing from me. You are advertising for me. The biggest problem for an indie author like me is getting the word out to enough people. TradPub has a big enough advertising budget and can automatically put books in bookstores. I think I’m a better writer than most of those folks, and I’m willing to compete. Heh.

So I went through a bunch of business cards last night. Maybe I’ll hear from those folks. Maybe not. Mostly, it is a way for me to meet people, break the ice, and hopefully give  them a way to connect with me. Also went through a bunch of the Babe’s cards as well, since she’s the actual brains of the outfit. And the boss. I just work here, and wear the Marketing Troll hat. (That’s me: Ollie the Marketing Troll. If you want marketing ideas, email me at Ollie AT Knotted Road Press (all one word) dot com. Yes, seriously. Why the hell not?)

I enjoy meeting artists. And there were a bunch there. The question the Babe and I always ask is: How can we help you achieve your goals?

Your success as a poet, musician, writer, painter, or actor does not detract from mine. It helps, actually, because the more art there is in the world, the better a place it is.

And I hope we helped some people.

I know that she did, because she had lunch with another woman yesterday who is a poet, just getting back into her craft after a series of life rolls. That woman wants to support herself with her art, and suddenly realized yesterday that not only was it possible, but it could be fun. We showed her that there was a door.

I’m pretty sure she’s going to be kicking that door in, sometime in the next month or three.

I got a text from the Babe asking if there was a way to include this new talent in a project I have coming up this fall. F@#$ yes. More people, more marketing opportunity for discovery. More chances at the wheel.

Every time I publish something, as the joke goes, there is a one in a million chance I will write something HUGE. The next Harry Potter. The next Hunger Games. The next something.

I just have to keep publishing, keep writing, and keep marketing. It makes me happy. And lets me help people.

What have you done today?