At a recent book launch in DC, a couple twenty-somethings approached one of our authors and asked if they would be willing to do another event in the future. Talk about a writer’s dream! Not only did they show up to the launch, they wanted to come to another one!
But these were not average book launch attendees. They were part of a DC Meetup group called Geeks’ Night Out. Why does that matter? Because they were a built-in audience for the book and we had no idea they existed. The fandom/meetup/Con trend is sweeping the nation and it’s high time that indie authors took advantage of it!
Step 1: Define “fandom,” “meetup,” and “Con”
Meetup (n): neighbors getting together to learn something, do something, share something, etc.
Fandom (n): the community that surrounds a tv show, book, movie, etc. Fanfiction writers, artists, poets, and cosplayers are all part of a fandom.
Con (n): a shortened term, meaning “Convention.” It’s a place where many people with similar interest gather to show their respect and enthusiasm for a particular fandom. Some examples are Star Trek conventions, anime conventions, comic book conventions, and motorcycle conventions.
All three terms have one thing in common: community. In an era of instant electronic communication and social media, people are dying to form communities around their shared interests. You’ll find that geeks have the most visible cons and fan communities, but literally everything has a sort of fandom around it. You just need to find your people.
A few months ago we talked about the importance of joining the conversation on social media and we discussed why writers should have a community rather than an audience. A fandom, meetup, or con is the perfect opportunity to join an existing community’s conversation in order to market your book.
Step 2: Decide Which Type of Community is Right For You
Do you just want to draw more visitors to your website, Facebook, or Twitter? Fandoms tend to communicate online. Reach out to a few that may be interested in your genre or subject matter.
Planning a book event in a particular city? Look up that city’s meetup groups to see if one fits your genre/demographic/subject matter, etc. Meetup.com allows you to search for groups nearby!
Are you writing a book that perfectly matches the demographic of a particular convention? Then think about investing the time and money to attend the next one as a vendor and/or a presenter.
Step 3: Do your research
One of the things you learned in kindergarten that we have yet to mention is the importance of figuring out the “rules” of a particular community before you jump into it. Think of this research phase as the “unpack your backpack night” of joining a fandom. You need to know which cubby is yours and which kids you want to sit next to at lunch.
Figure out your fandom’s hashtags, Facebook trends, and blog shorthand. You don’t necessarily have to be an expert, but you don’t want to seem oblivious either!
Reach out to a Meetup’s organizer to get an idea of what to expect. If you’re going to be uncomfortable in the environment they describe, the event won’t be a good opportunity to make important connections.
Track down vendors who frequently attend Cons you’re interested in attending. They will know which Cons result in better sales and roughly how much merchandise you can expect to sell.
Step 4: Join the Community
This is your chance to tap into a community that’s literally waiting for your book to fall into their laps. Remember to join the community before you invite them to your book launch or ask them to promote your book. If you lay the right groundwork, you could have a loyal fan base for every book you publish and every event you host.
Have you discovered any built-in communities for your book? Where did you find them? How did you reach out?
