Tag: marketing

What we can learn from Audra Winter

JB1 Comment

A cautionary tale to writers about getting lost in the sauce, girlbossing too close to the sun, and what really matters to your readers.

TLDR: it’s the writing.

Earlier this year, new author Audra Winter made waves in the Booktok community with the release of her much anticipated debut YA novel, Age of Scorpius. But all that glitters is not gold, and the 22 year old author found herself facing backlash after the book reached readers’ hands, and reviews started coming in.

This is all everyone seems to be talking about right now – or maybe I just need to hard refresh my Tiktok and YouTube for you pages. Anyway. It’s all I’ve been seeing for the past month or so, and everyone seems to have thoughts about it. So I decided to add absolutely nothing of value to it by throwing my opinion in as well.

Let me be clear: I am not here to rag on this woman, nor accuse her of scamming, or call into question her past behaviours, or her neurodiversity. I am going to talk simply about the situation at hand, the cost of girlbossing too close to the sun, and why all the art in the world won’t compensate for poor writing. Also, this is all my opinion, this is all allegedly, please don’t sue me. Thank you.

Let’s dip our toes in then, shall we?

At first glance this idea looks pretty freaking amazing. Zodiac magic, a fantasy dystopian post-apocalyptic world? Beautiful artwork with a strong anti Ai stance? Lesbians???

Why, an idea this good could never fail!

Aw, fudge.

So, what happened?

So how does an idea this incredible, at a time when the market is primed and ready for it, miss the mark? (let me tell you: it’s the writing – there, now you don’t have to read the part where I ramble, unless you want to of course).

A very, very brief timeline from what I can piece together: In 2021, Audra was posting to Tiktok and introducing the world of Gardian (yes it’s spelled Gardian in the book, not guardian). This continued until around 2022, where things went quiet for a while after she signed with a literary agent and was preparing the book for sale to potential publishers. Audra re-emerged on Tiktok around 2024, re-introducing her book with a Kickstarter campaign.

Some time later Audra abandons the Kickstarter to focus on presales of the book via Tiktok shop, and it all takes off from there. Pre-orders flood in, and suddenly she’s sold around 6000 copies – unprecedented for an indie author. Audra flips the script here, pivoting from her previous pity marketing tactics to “I’m Audra Winter and overnight I became the owner of a 6 figure multimedia business”, with claims she has hired a team of 15 artists to further develop the world of Gardian, and that she had hired the editor of the Hunger Games to work on her book (allegedly, please don’t sue me).

People were very excited for this.

The problem

The book was not well received.

Reviews and reactions came flooding in, and soon the Goodreads page for The Age of Scorpius was swept up in a tide of 1 stars (as of checking yesterday, the rating is currently at 1.51). Readers began demanding refunds. Nightmare fuel for every author. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy… Actually, I might. I’m a little petty. Is it petty to have a collage of 1 star reviews of your enemies books as your desktop wallpaper? You decide!

I had a look at the writing myself, and (in my opinion, don’t sue me), it does very much feel like it was written by a 12 year old (her age when she claims she started this world), and I can confirm that when I was 12 years old, I was writing fanfiction at a similar level to this. If you want to see it for yourself (the book, not my fanfiction), a sample can be found here.

Audra responds (with what I can only imagine is the royal ‘we’, because as the author, surely it’s only her that is responsible for the book, and not the artists or editors she hired), saying that the e-book version had missed a proofread and would be fixed. Fair enough.

But, it doesn’t end there. There’s issues with the paperback too – grammatical flaws, confusing descriptions and a fair few plot holes. Audra steers the conversation away from quality issues to the impact on her mental health, and says she will be taking a break from social media. I’m not here to comment on this side of things, I want to stay with the writing – I’m adding this for context as to why people became so frustrated.

Now, forgive me here because the timeline gets a little skewed as I try to get my head around it all.

After all the feedback, critiques, and varying levels of criticism, Audra released videos saying that the book will be re-released with a new editor and new artwork from her team of 15+ artists. This has not been well received, with many stating that the artwork isn’t the problem, that it was never the artwork, and the writing needs to be significantly improved before anything else is even considered.

Throughout this, Audra does not seem to apologise or take criticism well, at times claiming that her main character is neurodivergent, therefore the prose and dialogue would be different to regular writing, or blaming the poor prose on previous editors (allegedly, don’t sue me). Many, including other neurodivergent writers, took this as a poor excuse for the subpar writing. People became increasingly frustrated with Audra’s responses, and criticisms quickly steered from the writing quality towards Audra’s character (which I am not here to dunk on. I don’t think anyone should be doing any dunking unless it’s biscuits in tea), and accused Audra of weaponizing her neurodiversity in the face of genuine critique.

Side note: I’m going on a slight tangent here, as a fellow autistic individual: It irks me whenever people accuse an autistic person of weaponizing their disability. It is a disability. Joely Black does a great job of breaking this aspect of the situation down, so here’s the link to her video.

Still, Audra does not help herself (in my opinion, please don’t sue), often appearing arrogant and self-assured. She’s made claims of having 10 years of experience in the publishing industry , writing 10 books (despite Age of Scorpius being her self-proclaimed debut novel), and of having her 10,000 hours of practice in the bag, making her a master in writing. By that logic, I should be the next Shakespeare. Trust, I’m not.

Unfortunately, just because you’ve been working on your world for 10 years, doesn’t mean you’ve been working in the publishing industry for 10 years (in my opinion, don’t sue me). The self published novel you put out at 14 doesn’t really count either (in my opinion, don’t sue me). I put out a comic series at age 14, and it was not good. No, I’m not going to be sharing it.

Audra also seems to struggle a little bit with truth telling (allegedly, don’t sue me). A bunch of people who are much better at researching than I, have found several inconsistencies with her story. One of these being why things ended with her agent. In one video, she tearfully claims to have been let go by the agent, in another she says she actually left them and decided to self publish (I’m not putting allegedly here, it’s in her own videos). And it doesn’t end there. This has caused people to question many things Audra has said, leading to accusations of her being a scammer (I personally don’t think she is, but who’s to say).

Get to the point!

Pride cometh before the fall.

Unfortunately for Audra, this is the internet. Much like elephants, the internet never forgets. And it never forgives. Jk, people do worse shit than this all the time and their careers remain completely unaffected. In two years, there’ll be another drama worse than this one, and Audra will be free.

What can we learn from this?

It’s all about the craft, maaan.

If Audra had been going to writing classes, seeking out workshops, practicing prose and fine-tuning her craft, then yes, the 10,000 hours in question would certainly help her on the way to becoming a master. BUT – with any craft, you never stop learning, and the second you declare yourself a master of something, someone is going to come along and humble you. A 12 year old is certainly not the master of much (not including Shaolin monk kids in this statement, because damn), and it doesn’t matter that she worked on her world for a decade if the world still doesn’t come across as well developed and well written.

Here’s what I, in my ‘unc’ status, advise to writers and soon-to-be authors who are worried about being in this situation: before you publish, git gud, scrub. It all comes back to: just write.

I mean it. Work on your craft. It’s not super fun or sexy, or gets you going viral on social media, it’s just good ol’ fashioned grinding (which actually can be quite fun if you’re into that sort of thing).

Anyone who’s played Hollow knight will know how important it is to git gud.

Screaming, crying, throwing up

If you truly want to be a writer, don’t get distracted by the shininess of being tiktok famous or being the next whatever – just write. Work on your craft. If you want to be tiktok famous, then by all means study the methods of Audra for self promotion. Go off, majesties.

All the other stuff aside, I do feel for Audra. She is obviously passionate about the world she’s created, and I think with some work and time, it could be something really cool. I can see why she had so many pre-orders. In a sense, she did everything right to promote Age of Scorpius. BUT – it just wasn’t ready, and the pride that inspired people to pre-order was the same pride that sent her flying too close to the sun. You can polish a turd all you want; no amount of pretty artwork, gilded pages, or girlbossing can compensate for immature writing. If anything, all the glamour set people’s expectations higher, which worsened everyone’s collective disappointment when reality hit.

I can’t even say this as a master, btw, because I am not a master at anything yet (unless its procrastination). I just have eyes and more than 1 functioning braincell.

Audra is living every one of our worst indie author nightmares. She’s at risk of becoming internet lore for all the wrong reasons, and we’ve all seen what that does to people. I genuinely hope it doesn’t happen to her. I know by writing about it, I’m contributing to the dialogue. Hopefully, it’s a contribution that doesn’t lead to negativity. This is a lesson for all of us about working on your craft and being willing to take criticism. By all means, share what you’re passionate about, share your joy of writing, share the joy of that world, but don’t lose yourself in the sauce, and don’t put the cart before the horse. Hey look, that rhymed. Maybe I am Shakespeare.

Sources

Non-writey ways to improve your writing

JBLeave a comment

No, you don’t always have to ‘just write’.

It all sounds very preachy and privileged. Someone comes along with a bunch of advice that goes ‘instantly improve your writing!’ and I roll my eyes immediately. I’ll tell you now, there is no ‘one size fits all’ way to improve any craft, let alone a creative endeavour that’s so subjective and nebulous. What worked for me might be a nightmare scenario for someone else. That said, I think some of the things I’m about to list might come with a “well, duh!” reaction.

Let’s get into it, and if I miss anything, let me know in the comments. Also, ‘writey’ is definitely a word. If Shakespeare can make up words, so can I, damnit.

Expand your genre horizons

Sure, you love to read, and you read a lot of books. Most writers are also avid readers, that’s pretty much a given (even if many of us don’t get the time to read as much as we used to). That said, the quality and quantity of what you’re reading can vary greatly. If you want to write an epic fantasy, but all you read is steamy erotica, that’s not going to give you the right building blocks for the tropes and beats an audience would expect from fantasy. I know. I’m sorry.

progress begins outside of your comfort zone – and this one is a pretty hard pill to swallow, but I’ve said it before (and I’ll say it again): you need to the thing if you want to be the thing. You need to expand your horizons if you want to write more stuff. Want to write horror? You’re going to need to find out what makes good horror, and what better way than to read more horror?

It’s like learning the rules so you know which ones to break.

Watch more movies

Human beings simply love a good story. The media that humanity uses to tell stories has changed over the many centuries, but the essence of storytelling has remained the same. If you want to tell compelling stories that evoke emotion and bring people together, just like with reading, absorb more storytelling media. That includes movies. And, while movies are a very different media on the surface, there’s a lot we as writers can learn. A movie has far less time than a book to set a scene – but it also has immediate visual and sound advantage. A novelist has to create the images and sounds in the reader’s mind through words.

Next time you’re watching a movie, take note of the visual and sound storytelling that has been utilised. Pay attention to colour, background, images, music and clothing. How can you convey these in a book? Can you create a scene without visuals?

Socialise more

Human beings are a pack animal. A social species that experiences torment, illness, and even death, if we are separated from each other. We are tribal, and in numbers we achieve many great things. With that in mind: you cannot expect to be an exceptional writer in a vacuum. This sounds counter-intuitive, because it doesn’t fit the stereotypical image of the lone artist with the bottle of bourbon, typing away, lit cigarette bouncing on the corner of his mouth as he goes.

But that’s the thing. It’s not accurate, or healthy. If you want to learn how people behave, how people talk, how they act when they’re hurt, afraid, lonely, sad, happy, etc, you need to be around them. It’s essential for writing effective, realistic characters.

Study people going about with their day-to-day lives. Watch a couple on a date. Are they new, shy and awkward, afraid to say the wrong thing? Or, are they older, used to each other, familiar with each others habits? How do they talk? Is it short, sharp sentences pushed out through gritted teeth, or sing-song and sweet like a chirping bird?

Drink more water!

Well, duh. Drinking water is good for you, everyone knows that. It’s good for you, that’s true. However, staying hydrated is especially good for that grey matter inside your cranial cavity. Drinking plenty of water can help reduce your risk of stroke, migraines, tiredness, and a myriad of other things. If you want to improve your writing, make sure to drink your water!

While I’m at it, have a look at what you’re eating too. What we put into our bodies has a huge effect on what we can do and how we feel. Wherever possible, nourish your body. Get that brain food in yer.

Get outside

Get your butt outside and touch some grass – where possible. Some of us don’t have the luxury of countryside, and, for some of us, the outside is not a safe place. That said, for a significant number of us, there are outdoor spaces we can go. If you have a local woodland and are able, go for a walk in it. If you have a garden and the weather’s nice, go sit in it. Go enjoy the natural world. If we’re indoors for too long, without fresh air, we can get develop nasty things like respiratory illness. People who suffer with depression can experience an improvement in their condition with regular outdoor activities. Going outside certainly helps mine, so there might be something to it.

Basically, it’s not good for us to be sitting at a desk all day, every day. Go experience some of the beauty of the natural world. You might come back with some inspiration.

So that’s it – some non-writey ways to organically improve your writing. I hope you enjoyed this! Let me know what you think (even if it’s to tell me I’m talking nonsense). If you want to add ideas to the list, please do! Just head to the comments. Otherwise find me on Twitter and Tiktok (links in my contact page).

Also (shameless plug): you can find my debut novel EAT, available on ebook and paperback, right here.

Get more eyes on your book this year

3 ways to promote your book in 2024

JBLeave a comment

Getting your book out there is hard. Let’s make it a little easier this new year.

Happy new year!

So, you’ve finished your book. The edits are complete. The cover is designed. The arc readers are lined up and ready to go. Wait, what?

Yup. Apparently you need to have a bunch of them, ready with glowing reviews before your book even launches. And that’s just the start of it. ARC (advance reader copies) readers, author websites, pre-order campaigns, book promotion, book marketing, social media management, email newsletters… It all just sounds a bit much. Especially if you’re an introverted writer type who wants to spend most of their free time actually writing.

Some people find it easy. Some people are sexy and disgustingly charismatic (how dare they). Some people have a full arsenal of hype skills to fall back on, or connections to help them along their way.

So, what are the rest of us supposed to do?

Get more eyes on your book this year

Here’s where I come in. I worked as a marketer and social media manager for a number of small to medium sized businesses before becoming an author. And it looks like the game hasn’t changed all that much since I left, so let’s look at some options. Here are 3 ways you can generate awareness of your book in 2024…

1) Social media

The pros:
Social media is the great equaliser. For the cost of zero monies, you can create a profile on a number of different platforms and start building a following almost immediately.

It’s also a great way to connect with others. You can build a community and collaborate with other authors and writers. You can build friendships, a support structure, and find writing groups easier than ever before.

The cons:
It takes time and ongoing effort. You can’t just make a post, hope it will go viral and that’s that. Sure, you can ‘buy’ followers from questionable sources, but those won’t be real connections. Most of them will be bot accounts, and won’t help you reach a real audience or sell any books.

Social media is constant, chaotic, and loud. You are in a room, shouting “read my book”, surrounded by hundreds of other people also shouting “read my book”. There are so many of us, all trying to do the same thing. It can be difficult to stand out in such a crowd.

Build a following:

1) Pick your battles. Many of us only have a short window of free time every day to make posts and share them. Choose a couple of platforms and make those your arena. If you only have the time/energy for 1, do that. My personal suggestion is to find 3 platforms and design posts on 1 that can translate across each of them.

For example: if you make Tiktok your main output, focus on making posts there. Then, share them to Twitter/X or Instagram. The goal here is to maximise views efficiently and get out to people.

2) Know thy enemy. Every social medial platform has its own ‘flavour’, timezones, and hashtag use. You will need to learn what to post and when. You need to make sure you post when your desired audience is likely to be most active. Get familiar with timing posts. On many platforms, you can make drafts and set a timer for when a post goes live. For some platforms like Tiktok, adding a location can help gain traction with posts – you don’t have to be specific, but just adding something like ‘united kingdom’ or ‘London’ can make a difference.

Also look at how each platform utilises hashtags – if you use too many on some, you can actually be penalised in terms of views. Use a hashtag that’s too vague or popular and you’ll be lost in the crowd. Try to find ones that reflect your posts the best and go from there.

3) Strength in numbers. Engage with other authors, writers, reviewers and readers. Make your goal to befriend and build, and you’ll soon find that others will seek you out. Building a community will ensure you have a support network of your peers.

4) Never back down never what??? Like the noble honey badger, you must persist and be active. Make your posts when you have the time, schedule them, and schedule them regularly. Like I said, you can’t just post once and that’s that. You have to be consistent.

2) Website/Blog/Newsletter

I know, I know. I’ve combined 3 things into 1. Sue me.

A lot of blogs about book marketing will tell you to create a e-newsletter and send it out to your readers. Email marketing is fantastic if you’re selling lots of products, or if you already have a loyal fanbase. If you’re a new author (and you don’t have a publishing house behind you), this advice is kinda meaningless. There’s just not enough hours in the day for most people.

That said, if you did want to set up a newsletter, it’s handy to have a website. A website is a central hub for all your authory stuff, and you can set up an online shop to sell your books and any merch you want to create. And, instead of a newsletter, maybe consider a blog? You could write about your book, storylines, your experience with writing, etc, and build a subscriber base from there… Did you know, WordPress lets you set these up for free??? Amazing.

With a website and a blog, you can type till the cows come home and include lots of nice, juicy keywords for the ol’ Google algorithm, such as ‘marketing’, and ‘debut author’ and ‘writing hacks for the 21st century’. It’s easier than ever to create a free website and set up a blog. You can also link up your blog with social media platforms, allowing you to reach multiple audiences with one click.

Quick tip: using free design tools like Canva, you can create great looking posts in minutes. Design your own blog and social media headers using templates – it’ll give your website and blog instant professional appeal.

3) Get out there!

Attend conventions, fairs, writing events – if you’re able. If you attend comic conventions, talk to the organisers and see if you can get a table. Look up your local events (Google is your friend here) and see if you can be a part of it. Usually, getting a table is cheap, and if you can get some promo materials printed for it, great.

Things to consider:
1) KDP select: If you sell via Amazon KDP and don’t have your own ISBNs, you might need to check where else you can sell your book.

2) Genre. If, like me, you’ve written a horror with lots of violence, you might not want to book an appearance at a church faire, or a school, but it might do well at an anime or comic book convention. Consider your audience before sending that email.

This isn’t something I’ve tried yet, but I’ve seen others suggest getting in contact with a local library, or independent book shops (or board game shops/cafes depending on your genre) to see if they’ll let you do a reading/signing. In my opinion, this is one of those things that could be risky. I’ve seen a lot of posts from people lamenting a zero attendance turn out.

If you’re going to do this, I would suggest getting at least a few close friends/relatives as seat fillers, so even if others don’t show, you can get some good photos. Make sure you invite people in advance, and consider offering a promotion to get butts in seats. Maybe whip up something that you can give people for attending, like some merch or a free e-book.

Hopefully I’ve given you some ideas that will help your 2024 book sales bloom!

I could talk about this stuff forever, so I’ll probably make more posts on this topic. What did you think? Did I miss anything? Let me know your thoughts in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer.