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Facebook Group = Oprah Sensation?

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PhotobucketTherese here. Today’s guest is Catherine McKenzie, author of Spin, an acclaimed novel released in Canada, and Arranged, a novel that will be released in Canada in January (and, psst, amazon.ca delivers). Catherine is here today to tell us about her vision for creating a best-selling-novel machine via viral support on Facebook for another author whose work she believes in. Did it work? What did she learn from the experience? Enjoy!

Facebook Group = Oprah Sensation?

I did a crazy thing in May of this year. I’d been watching all the hoopla surrounding the Facebook campaign to get Betty White on Saturday Night Live, and I’d been listening to all the Twitter and Facebook etc. chatter on the effect of social media, and I thought, I really thought, that these things could be harnessed by me to turn some books that I loved into bestsellers. Well … they say all writers are a little crazy, right?

So here’s what I did. I created a group on Facebook called – wait for it – “I bet we can make these books bestsellers”, and I picked not one, but two, books by Shawn Klomparens (Jessica Z. and Two Years, No Rain) that I thought weren’t getting the attention they deserved and I invited all my friends to join the group.

I even wrote something in the group description about trying to harness the “Oprah Effect”, only I called the “Author Effect”. And that, I thought, was that. I’d just Facebook and Tweet all about it, and it would go viral somehow, and hey, presto!, these books would become bestsellers.

Okay, okay, I didn’t really think that. I knew it was a long shot. I knew it would take some giveaways. I knew I’d need the support of a whole lot of other people. So I did giveaways – some big (a Kindle!), some small (a free book!) – and I set about getting the support of a whole lot of other people. I got bloggers I knew involved. I got bloggers I didn’t know involved. I got writers, lots, and lots of writers, to join the group, and lots of readers too. I wrote to people like James Frey and Tom Perrotta – people I’d never reach out to in ordinary circumstances – and got both of them to join the group. And hey, James Frey even wrote about it on his blog for me – what a nice guy!

And yes, there was an increase in book sales, and yes, a lot of great reviews came in, and as I sit writing this we are approaching the 2,500 mark in the group – an impressive number, I think (so long as I don’t look at groups that are about hating, or loving politicians. They get crazy amounts of people to join.) But, but, but … no bestsellers. Yet.

I think I know at least some of the reasons for this, reasons entirely divorced from the quality of the work I’m encouraging people to read. You see, I learned along the way that you can’t get a book reviewed in a traditional media outlet like The Washington Post unless that book has just been released (both the books I picked were released in June, 2008 and June, 2009 respectively). And no matter what anyone tells you about social media and its effects, in the book world at least, reviews in these kind of traditional venues absolutely drive sales.

I also learned that it’s hard to get people to purchase a book if it’s not, you know, in stores. Apparently, people still like buying books from their local booksellers, and while these books are fairly widely available in the US, i.e. you should be able to find a copy or two in Barnes & Noble, I’ve yet to find a copy in a Canadian bookstore. So that put a crimp on things.

And, oh yeah. I’m not Oprah. Should’ve started with that, I suppose. Not that lots of people didn’t take my recommendation. But stores everywhere are not slapping a “Recommended by Catherine” sticker on their books anytime soon. Sigh. Had a great idea for what it should look like, too …

It’s funny because, right when I started the project, I got a whole bunch of advice – some solicited, some not – from certain online “gurus” telling me my project was doomed to fail and I didn’t know what I was doing. (Nice, right?) But you know what? I don’t think it’s a failure. I think I introduced a lot of people to a writer they should know about, and got some others thinking about what we should be using social media for – not just talking about ourselves, but about others, and the great things they’re doing.

And if that’s something that appeals to you, come check us out. Or pick up the books. Or start your own group. And keep reading. It’s what we all write for, anyway.

Thanks so much, Catherine, for a great post. Readers, you can learn more about Catherine at her website, or follow her on Twitter (and follow Shawn, too).

So let’s talk about it: Has social media ever influenced you to make a purchase?

Flickr photo courtesy dan taylor

About Catherine McKenzie

A graduate of McGill University in History and Law, Catherine McKenzie practices law in Montreal, where she was born and raised. An avid skier and runner, Catherine’s novels, SPIN, ARRANGED, FORGOTTEN, HIDDEN, and FRACTURED, were all international bestsellers and have been translated into multiple languages. HIDDEN was a #1 Amazon bestseller, and a Digital World Bestseller for five weeks. Her fifth novel, SMOKE, was an Amazon bestseller, picked as a Best Book of October 2015 by Goodreads and one of the Top 100 Books of 2015 by Amazon. Her latest release, THE GOOD LIAR, released on April 3rd.

Comments

  1. The answer to the last question of this lovely informative post is: Yes.

    Of the last 7 books I’ve read, 6 of them have been influenced by social media.

    Because of social media, I’m reading The Passage by Justin Cronin.

    I just finished reading The Last Will of Moira Leahy by Therese Walsh which was a fabulous book. (Seriously)

    Also Draculas by Konrath, Strand, Wilson and Couch

    And many more. The one of the 7 that wasn’t influenced by social media was Under the Dome by Stephen King. For him, I don’t need influence. I just read.

    Thanks for a great post!

  2. Social media definitely plays an important role for me. Most of my “to read” pile is the result of seeing recommendations on Twitter, writers’ forums, blogs (including this one), and GoodReads.

  3. Social media has definitely begun to play a larger role in what I read. Actually, looking at the books on my desk, aside from the latest Lee Child/Reacher novel, they’re almost all the result of, “Ooooh, that sounds intriguing!” when I’ve read blurbs or reviews from Twitter, Absolute Write, or blogs.

    However, I will never lose my love for poking through bookstore shelves, waiting for book lust to strike. But there’s no denying social media is making an impact and will continue to grow.

  4. Hooray for Catherine! If more people cared as much about getting people to read good books as she does, the world would be a better place! I am a member of her Facebook group, and yes, I have both of Shawn’s books because of it. I have read Jessica Z, and it’s a great book. Would I have picked it up while browzing the local bookstore? Maybe not. Am I glad Catherine promoted it and I read it because of her promotion? Heck, yeah! I’ll be reading Two Years No Rain pretty soon, and I expect to enjoy it just as much as Jessica Z, which I found very thought provoking.

    I tend to love to troll the aisles of the bookstores looking for new authors, but I also like to hear the opinion of others on a book. Social media definitely makes its mark on me!

  5. Well, social media has convinced me to *check out* certain books, but only the feeling of genuinely connecting to an author has gotten me to actually *buy* books. (If a book I look into because of social media seems like something I would like, then I might buy it.) So it definitely plays a part, but it’s not the deciding factor. Personal connections or personal recommendations are #1.

  7. Great post! I love that you tried this project, and even if it didn’t make either of Shawn’s books an Official Bestseller, it sounds worthwhile to me. It’s pretty impossible to know what’s going to make a particular book catch fire — or, as they say “half of publicity works, but no one knows which half.”

    I buy a lot of books based on social media, but that’s mostly because I’m always meeting other NYC authors via Twitter and going to their signings, buying books as I go. Overflowed the bookshelf long ago.

  9. I make my choices along the same lines as Kristan, and my perception is the non-writing, reading public is even less influenced by social media than by their flesh-and-blood, local persuaders (including the presence of a physical book); BUT, how can I not admire someone championing another’s work from a selfless place? Bet you learned a lot you didn’t anticipate, too.

  10. This past year, I started picking up all sorts of books I wouldn’t have otherwise because I learned about them through blogs I enjoy or Twitter or Facebook. And I must say, the books have rarely let me down. I trust many of the people I follow online with book recommendations more than anything else. I think it’s a great idea that you started the FB page, and I really love that you are using social media to talk about the great things ‘other’ people are doing. That’s awesome. :)

  11. Whether you were ultimately successful or not, I believe your endeavor has been a wonderful boon for the author you’ve featured and will help you when it comes time to promote your own book!

  12. Do you think this had something to do with the result: namely how with politics or an Oprah reading group people know they have to buy/join *NOW* or they’re going to miss the information/experience?
    With books, no matter how good, they know they’ll still be there waiting in a year, two years . . . it doesn’t have the same immediacey (I’m too lazy to check my spelling sorry : )
    Or with the Betty White thing, was there the idea of a deadline? I have no idea: I live in China so my facebook, youtube and other social media are all blocked, oh joy.
    However with a different twist, this same premise (getting people to read and buy a certain book) might work, maybe. Bravo to you for trying!

  13. Interesting experiment. I’m glad there was some success! I always wondered whether social media can pull off that kind of effect you speak of. I love the part where you’re like “yeah, I’m not Oprah.” lol.

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