Do Authors Have Crazed Fans?

 

Authors would benefit from borrowing some marketing tricks from the sports world to build up their brand and image. I know these are two different worlds, but hey, let’s steal ideas from everywhere and anyone if it can help us sell more books!

I had the pleasure of going to a Mets-Yanks baseball game this week, an event referred to as The Subway Series. It is a time for bragging rights to be affirmed in New York City, where the teams collide universes and make for a fun debate for fans.

What I love about going to these games is the inner child gets to come out in fans. First, everyone is wearing their gang colors— on shirts, caps, and bags. Second, everyone is boisterous and chanting polite and rude things more than an hour before game time. Third, the crowd is a mix of fans for both teams, so it is not just a one-sided silo event.

So how can authors create a fan experience? Will authors have dramatic readings and fun events for the public, and not just do your typical bookstore speak-and-sign? I want authors to be r0ck-concert stars or to have a mega-church type platform. I want fans to cheer for them, like at a baseball game.

Authors giving away or selling good swag could build up some attention. If an author can own certain colors or create a logo for their books and marketing materials, all the better. Above all, authors need to develop and give off a persona that will project an entertaining or alluring image.

I realize baseball has a 200-year history and entrenched generational fandom that links strongly to family bonds and geographic connections, but people have been reading books for many centuries and there should be a deeper relationship between books and readers.

Maybe the analogy of sports to books is ridiculous, or maybe I am on to something. You, dear author, shall decide.

 

Need PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over 3.9 million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.9 million pageviews. With 4,900+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.