Monday, July 27, 2015

What Writers Can Learn from Donald Trump by Jacqueline Seewald


How do writers become bestselling authors? Publicity seems to be one crucial element or factor. To get fans, writers have to become known in the first place. Donald Trump has said outrageous things thereby drawing attention to himself and it’s worked for him so far. Trump has observed that there is no such thing as bad publicity, only publicity--which draws attention to an individual and his or her work. In the case of writers, publicity traditionally would be accomplished through the efforts of a publisher who has a PR staff that solicits significant reviews and promotes an author through numerous channels. But nowadays, this is often not the case. Also, many writers are currently self-publishing their work. This too changes how publicity can be obtained.

Trump is an example of someone who breaks the rules. He promotes himself as a maverick in politics. Perhaps what Trump offers to writers is the idea that we need to free ourselves. We have to look for creative ways to promote and publicize our own work--just as writers shouldn’t feel it necessary to write to any pre-conceived formula. We need to express what is unique to ourselves in our own way. By writing  exceptional work that stands out from the herd, I believe we can get recognition and acclaim. It will be interesting to follow Trump’s Presidential bid. Much can be learned from his techniques.

As for me, I have books published that I hope to publicize to readers:

The digital release of DARK MOON RISING, my paranormal romantic mystery from Luminosity, occurred on July 24th. It has already received positive reviews: 


                             http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z7824A4/

My well-reviewed YA novel THE DEVIL AND DANNA WEBSTER from Astraea/Clean Reads Press will soon be available in print as well as the current digital editions:






store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-devil-and-danna-webster


THE BAD WIFE, 4th in the Kim Reynolds mystery series, has collected  very good reviews as well and is available both in digital and print editions:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J6PCKVW

There have been great reviews from PW and BOOKLIST for DEATH LEGACY, romantic espionage mystery thriller now an ebook: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OGTMGLM

Publisher Novel Fox brought out the e-book version of DEATH LEGACY on Amazon, Kobo, Apple, and Google, and plans to publish an audio version very soon as well.

"This thriller keeps moving from its very first pages, while the palpable sexual tension between new cohorts Daniel and Michelle fortifies the story's intrigue with romance."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Getting back to the subject at hand, Donald Trump is a performer who makes outrageous and insulting comments. He shoots from the lip. But ultimately, it will be his actual ability to convince us that he can serve the country with good sense and integrity by which he will be judged. That is true of everyone including writers. The key to success is having something of quality to offer. Authors need to be unique and original, not merely imitative in their writing. Hopefully word-of-mouth will follow and help build a readership. However, promotion and publicity won’t hurt either.


What are your thoughts and opinions on this topic? Is there anything you recommend in particular in regard to promoting your own work that has worked well? Readers, what would like to see more of from writers? 

18 comments:

  1. Good points, Jacqueline. The problem with many writers, myself included, is we find drawing attention to ourselves difficult. Although I wouldn't call myself an introvert, I'm definitely not an extrovert. I'm not always comfortable with "Hey, look at me," or "Hey, look at my book." I guess I need to work on that.

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    1. Maris,

      I'm not comfortable with it either. And yet readers have to know your name to want to buy your books.

      Delete
  2. Jacqueline,
    I've often heard, "There's no such thing as bad publicity," but I'm not so sure about that. I think, as writers, we need to be careful in what we "say" publicly because, if we make a bad impression on readers, they probably won't buy our books. As a reader, if I perceive an author as someone I could be friends with, I"m much more likely to read their books.

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    1. Pat,

      I agree with you on this. If we as readers really don't like a writer, we're much less likely to buy his/her books. Too much of anything including self-adulation can be detrimental to drawing readers.

      Delete
  3. Bad publicity might sell one book if the exposure hits the stratosphere, merely for curiosity value, but it probably won't earn repeat readers. IMHO Trump is a big fat DON'T. I can't stand the man. He is nasty, picks fights left and right, and doesn't back down even when proven wrong. I couldn't live with that type of publicity, but he seems to thrive on it. I guess what it comes down to is that we have to wake up and look at ourselves in the mirror everyday (unless Trump is a vampire- then maybe he can't see his reflection- would explain the hair...). If I can't stand to look at myself, then what's the point of selling books by the truckload?

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    1. Good point, Kimber. As writers, it's important that we write the best work we're capable of and take pride in promoting.

      Delete
  4. I agree with Kimber. Can't stand Trump and at this point he's a joke. I am fairly outgoing, but find promo so difficult...sigh.

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    1. D'Ann,

      We agree. Book promotion is difficult. There are actually fewer opportunities. So we have to be creative in our approach.

      Delete
  5. Like most writers, I find it hard to market my books. I think maybe we need to focus more on our stories--what they're about, than our "platform," which might work for politicians, but I'm not sure it works for writers. It would be heaven to just write our books and do no publicity at all. At least that would be heaven to me.

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    1. I think we would all prefer not to have to create a marketing platform for our books. However, it is necessary for writers to make the effort so readers know about our work.

      Delete
  6. I keep telling people that Donald Trump is serving a purpose with his blatant "tell it like he sees it" philosophy and his politically incorrect comments. It's often said, even for writers, that any publicity is good publicity, even when the author does something outrageously inappropriate such as verbally attacking a reviewer or indulging in a rant during an interview. Most of us, however, can't afford to jump on social media and say the kinds of things Trump does. For one thing, it won't sell books and might result in our books being boycotted. Secondly, most of us can't afford to hire a team of bodyguards for protection. :D

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    1. Pat,

      I agree with you. Being a sensitive person myself, I don't want to offend others. Reviewers can in some instances be excessively harsh critics, but it's best to simply allow that everyone is entitled to their personal opinion, even if we don't think it's right.

      Delete
  7. Interesting premise, but I find The Donald so objectionable that I dislike ANYTHING he promotes. I'd hate for my readers to feel the same about me! BTW: Loved Dark Moon Rising!

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    1. Susan,

      No one seems to like Trump very much. So perhaps negative publicity isn't that great after all. Thanks for the comment about Dark Moon Rising! Much appreciated. I hope lots of people decide to read it as well.

      Delete
  8. John Wilkes Booth has enjoyed years of name recognition. So has Jonas Salk. One name recalls sorrow, the other appreciation. I would like to be remembered for my integrity rather than my stupidity. Unfortunately, I can demonstrate both. Establishing a reputation is an individual choice.

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    1. Good point, Sharon! Like you, I would like to be remembered for writing quality work.

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  9. Interesting post. That man is obnoxious on so many levels but he obviously understands showmanship. Our society responds to this temporary sideshow the same way gladiatorial games were entertainment once. Perhaps it's the fact we can’t believe someone would be so flagrantly insulting that we're glued to media waiting for him to cross that final line. I suppose it all distills down to being memorable in one form or another. As an author and a blogger, I strive for memorable. Memorable in a good way. Not a train wreck way. :)

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  10. Hi, Rose,

    Your opinion is in agreement with other writers that have commented.

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