I've been following Wil Wheaton's blog for a few months now, and his business as a freelance writer is pretty impressive. In fact, I've been following him to try to capture his secrets and use them in my own writing.
His most recent feat is with the book Sunken Treasure, which is a compilation of his favorite pieces from his books and blog.
Here's the short version of his success with the book:
Wheaton self published the book and automatically started marketing it, especially on his blog. He backed it up with tweets on Twitter and offered limited special offers for the book.
Then, last night Saturday afternoon, he started asking around on Twitter if his fans would like to buy a PDF version of the book for $5 a download. With an overwhelming demand and a few clicks of his mouse, he made the download instantly available. He saw both his digital and print sales rise, and as of the last update on sales, he said he was 17 digital sales away from overtaking the print sales he's amassed in the weeks since the print version went on sale. (You can check out Wheaton's version of events here.)
There are quite a few things beginning (and weathered) freelance writers can take away from his story.
- Diversifying content is a good thing. Write for a number of print and online publications and blog and tweet as much as possible, even if it's just to amuse yourself. This will build up a fan base. (Although, having a built in fan base of people who have watched your TV shows and movies doesn't hurt.)
- Write personal stories in your blog (as much as you feel comfortable) because people like feeling connected to who they're reading.
- If you blog and have a large readership, flirt with print on demand (Wheaton used Lulu), whether it be a book or 'zine. You don't have much to lose, and you can play around with marketing and readership to see if a print product is viable.
- Ask your readership what they would like to see. If you ask around and don't get any bites for your pet project, you might want to rethink your approach. But, if you find an enthusiastic response, you might want to take a risk.
- Look for services that will make your life as easy as possible. Wheaton could easily convert his book to a PDF format and offer it up on the Lulu website.
In a media environment where professionals from newspapers to book publishing are screaming loudly about a falling sky, it's refreshing to see someone taking advantage of digital outlets and making a living. Any other pointers about digital publishing and marketing are appreciated.
Comments