Never Give Up and Never Stop! 

Quick Quiz. Let’s see if you can identify the movie by the following quotes:

“You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders - the most famous of which is ‘never get involved in a land war in Asia’ - but only slightly less well-known is this: ‘Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line"! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha...’”

“Inconceivable!”

“As you wish.”

“Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder today. Mawage, that bwessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam...”

And the giveaway…

“Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”

If you still can’t figure it out, you need to go back to 1987 and watch The Princess Bride.

It’s a little-known fact that The Princess Bride was the top grossing movie of the year, besting movies like Beverly Hills Cop II, Fatal Attraction, and Platoon.

Uh…that would be FALSE!

Actually, the Princess Bride ranked 36^th that year, with movies like Blind Date, Mannequin, and Throw Momma From The Train outdrawing it.

While it wasn’t a major box-office success, the movie has emerged into a cult classic and is now considered one of the most quoted movies of all time. (A Christmas Story, for that matter, ranked 47^th in 1983.)

This, my fellow author friends, gives all of us hope.

Your book doesn’t need to be a New York Times bestseller to have staying power. I mean, who even remembers Blind Date or Mannequin? Throw Momma From The Train, though, was hilarious! You can watch it on HBOMax.

Today we’re going to look at how you can sell books for the long haul.

Welcome to the Power Writers Report, our weekly update, packed full of powerful writing tips, productivity tools, platform-building strategies, author best practices, resources, and free stuff. 

If you find this useful, forward it to a friend.

Click here to subscribe to the weekly Power Writers Report.

Click here to schedule an author strategy session with me.

The Secret To The Princess Bride's Success

To what can we attribute The Princess Bride’s success? Clever writing, brilliant acting, and magnificent production.

As authors, we need to be as committed to the quality of our copyediting, typesetting, and cover design as we are to the writing craft. You want to maximize your book's staying power. 

But here was another factor in The Princess Bride's success: the movie’s release coincided with the launch of VCRs and VHS cassettes. While the movie was more or less overlooked when it appeared in the cinema, it was perfect for families. So New Line Home Video marketed the heck out of the movie to VHR users.

If you don't know what I mean when I refer to VCRs, go back to 1987.

Robust Social Media = Staying Power

I know that writing and publishing a book is hard. But you can’t give up on your promotion or no one will read your book.

You don’t need to make a big splash—but you must do something.

As an author, you are your own brand, and every brand—even Starbucks—needs to connect and engage with your readers.

Today, we’re going to look at how social media can give your book staying power.

Here are seven ways you can build brand awareness through social media.

1. Choose your platforms carefully

For the most part, there’s TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and Facebook. 

No, Tinder doesn’t qualify.

Each social media platform caters to a different audience. You do not need to use all of them. It is important to understand the audience of each platform to determine—based on your story or message—which platform or platforms are right for you. 

Do your research. It’s not about getting your message in front of an audience. It’s about getting your message in front of the right audience. 

Read that paragraph again.

2. Diversify your content

Social media platforms are constantly improving based on user feedback. Take advantage of whatever resources they offer. 

For the platforms that are right for your audience, diversify your content using images and videos that highlight the themes, key messages, goals, and characters in your book.

3. Be consistent in your posts

This is important. If you wait to make social media posts until after your book is released, you’re too late. 

You need to be proactive in engaging your audience before the release, during the first week, and even months after.

Be consistent in your posts based on what works for you. Maybe post three times a week to start and work your way up to each day. 

Different platforms suggest different cadences so pay attention to industry standards. The best time of day for your posts will also be determined by your audience and platform.

4. Tell your story

You are the author of your story which makes you the expert. Even if your story is fiction, you know the content best and you created it based on your own personal experiences.

Don’t be afraid to share your journey with the world. Be authentic so readers can relate to you and your message. Explore the themes in your book with videos, engage readers through polls and open-ended questions, and read your book to the world. 

5. Build your community

You know those irritating people who always talk about themselves but never ask questions about you? They have very few friends.

Don't be that person.

The secret to creating a community is to engage your readers in a conversation. Ask them which book cover you should use. Run your book ideas by them for feedback. Let's make this a two-way conversation! 

6. Be committed for the long haul

The secret to The Princess Bride’s success was the constant, consistent promotion by its distributor. You know the secret to A Christmas Story’s success? Ted Turner bought the rights to the movie and broadcast it incessantly on TBS—just as cable television began hitting its stride.

Stick to your social media plan and don’t give up. If you’ve done your research, your efforts will pay off.

I can't understate the importance of this. Stay committed for the long haul!

7. If this is overwhelming, get help

Recently, Erin McCracken, our Social Media Guru resigned, much to the disappointment of authors everywhere. The Illumify team, too.

Last week, Rachel Joffe joined our team as our new Social Media Coordinator. In the corporate world she develops marketing and social media strategies that effectively communicate the vision, goals, and values of her clients.

In other words, she really knows her stuff!

If you’d like to learn more about social media and how you can develop a strategy that gives your book staying power, you can set up a an appointment with me by clicking here.

Let’s bring your book to life!