3 Marketing Cues from JK Rowling
post by Michelle Griep
There's no denying Harry Potter is a best selling sensation. Author JK Rowling wrote a compelling story that sucked in readers. End of story. Or is it?
Nope. The fat lady has yet to sing the finale of this sensation. Rowling continues to add on to the Potter phenomena in ways that can be used by any author . . .
Dole out character insights.
Don't worry. No spoilers here. But Rowling continues to flesh out her characters even though the book series is finished. Fans followe her Pottermore site and find out all kinds of tidbits about their favorite (or not so favorite) characters.
Write fresh, related stories.
Her latest is Seventeenth Century and Beyond, a short piece related to the Salem Witch Trials. Though Harry Potter was purely fiction, Rowling's stretched her reach to incorporate history into the story.
Reach wide and far.
Harry Potter appeals to fans of all ages. That can be challenging to market--or not. It opens the doors to a range of platforms, from Tweets to movies to plastic figurines. Yeah, I know this doesn't apply to small authorly schmucks, but the concept does.
And those are just a few ways that Rowling continues to appeal to fans of her fiction. You don't have to be a big name, though, to do this. I've got one author buddy (waving at you, Ane Mulligan) who's got a great Facebook site devoted to fans of her book series and she interacts with them regularly.
The point is just because you wrote a book doesn't mean you need to sit around and mope because the experience is over. You can continue to share your character and story love with your readers.
Nope. The fat lady has yet to sing the finale of this sensation. Rowling continues to add on to the Potter phenomena in ways that can be used by any author . . .
Dole out character insights.
Don't worry. No spoilers here. But Rowling continues to flesh out her characters even though the book series is finished. Fans followe her Pottermore site and find out all kinds of tidbits about their favorite (or not so favorite) characters.
Write fresh, related stories.
Her latest is Seventeenth Century and Beyond, a short piece related to the Salem Witch Trials. Though Harry Potter was purely fiction, Rowling's stretched her reach to incorporate history into the story.
Reach wide and far.
Harry Potter appeals to fans of all ages. That can be challenging to market--or not. It opens the doors to a range of platforms, from Tweets to movies to plastic figurines. Yeah, I know this doesn't apply to small authorly schmucks, but the concept does.
And those are just a few ways that Rowling continues to appeal to fans of her fiction. You don't have to be a big name, though, to do this. I've got one author buddy (waving at you, Ane Mulligan) who's got a great Facebook site devoted to fans of her book series and she interacts with them regularly.
The point is just because you wrote a book doesn't mean you need to sit around and mope because the experience is over. You can continue to share your character and story love with your readers.