I wrote Lionel’s Grand Adventure: Lionel and the Golden Rule first, followed by Lionel Turns the Other Cheek. I published my first book in December of 2011, so I have been at it about eight months or so. I’m certainly no expert, but I feel as though I have learned quite a bit in that time. I would like to share some of what I have learned (as well as some of what I think I’ve learned) with you. I invite you to leave a comment with anything that you’d like to add, agree with, or disagree with when you’re done.
*Sher A Hart butting in to add Paul’s book pictures. I liked them well enough already, but if you click on them, a new tab will open so you can see how the covers now on Amazon differ from the earlier versions.
Are they more eye-catching? I think so.
Now, back to Paul.

Moving forward under the premise that the Big 3 are done properly, let’s talk about the first of the social media outlets, Twitter. Twitter is a wonderful tool and great for many things. Sales, however, just isn’t one of them. Sure, you will gain some sales by way of Twitter, just not enough to take you where you want to go. One issue that I have found regarding sales on Twitter is your audience. In my experience I have predominantly connected with other authors and people in the writing industry. They may very well purchase your book and while a sale is a sale, they are most likely not your target audience. They are out there trying to sell their own books and/or services, and these sales will not help you in building your following among your target audience. Connecting with your target audience is the key to consistent, long term sales.
I don’t want to take anything away from Twitter; it is a must for writers marketing their products. It can be great for marketing your book in fact. As Melissa Foster, award winning author and founder of the WLC web site says, look at Twitter as your own personal advertisement or billboard. It is also great for connecting with like minded people. I have met great people that have been very helpful in exchanging ideas and answering any questions I might have. You may even come across avenues that are exactly what you are seeking to reach your target audience. A great example is my connection with Marie Renn of the great web site http://www.buzzingkidsworld.com. This site has activities from sports to science and everything in between for kids. It’s a kids-safe site that has tons to offer. Through Twitter, I connected with Marie and my books (along with other great children’s books) have been highlighted on her Triple Exposure-It’s Vacation Time segment. This is a great example of how Twitter can help you market. Twitter can help you sell books, just in the form of exposure and brand building, not necessarily in direct sales.

You can connect to your target audience all across the globe if we all work together and support one another. Maybe next time we’ll discuss some other marketing tools and their pros and cons. Until then, keep reading and writing and best success to you all. Don’t forget to leave a comment, if you have any input, anything you agree with or disagree with. Thank you for your time (and hopefully your input) and remember to give marketing your all.
Amen to ‘the big 3’!
Interesting post. š
Thanks for stopping by Melissa! Ah, yes the Big 3, Amen indeed! I really like that phrase that Jeff used and couldn’t agree more. Thanks so much for the feedback! Have a great night:)
Paul R. Hewlett