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When Books Go Social: Author Laurence O’Bryan

By on 2015/03/06

Michael Jackson once said “The greatest education in the world is watching the masters at work.” Whatever you want to be in life can’t be achieved if you don’t learn and observe those who have succeed on it first. I had no idea where I was getting into when I decided to publish my first novel New Era – The Chronicles of The Revealer. I was learning my ways in steps, then I found myself in the world of self-publishing and independent publishing. Being in control of your artworks feels good but it also means being in charge of other essential tasks that traditional publishers would take care of: promotion, publicity, social media content. You become your own agent, promoter, community manager, publicist… For some authors this is quiet overwhelming. Luckily, as the amount of independent authors grow so they do the tools they can use and the companies and individuals able to support them.

Laurence O’Bryan teaches digital marketing at diploma level, has been training authors in digital marketing for 4 years and is also a published author. He spent ten years trying to break into the publishing industry and finally won a contract after starting a blog and launching a Twitter account in 2009.Book Launch-24

Laurence’s has been published by Harper Collins in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and by ten other publishers in a cross section of European langauges. Laurence’s Puzzle series of thrillers has also been optioned by a Hollywood production company for a television series.  He is also the author of Social Media is Dynamite For Writers, a 136 pg. guide for writers who want to understand how to use the new tools of our age.

Laurence started BooksGoSocial.com to help other authors get discovered.

So let’s learn from one of the masters through this exclusive interview by The Creative Post.

The Creative Post: When and why you decided to become a Writer?
Laurence O’Bryan: I decided I wanted to be a writer when I was in my early teens. Books were my escape from a dull suburban life. They offered possibilities.
If you get it right, edit, edit, edit, then get a great cover and help with marketing, you can do as well as many mid-list published writers, that’s 99% of published authors. This means a modest income, not wealth. That’s reserved for the 1%. But if you cut corners, don’t expect to find readers. You can sell a well written book, which is well presented, online, but don’t think you can sell anything you throw together. The public is astute.
T.C.P.: How hard it was for you to get your first book published?
L.O.: I spent 10 years getting up at 4 or 5 AM to write, while holding down a day job. I got many rejections, but slowly I improved my writing and agents started to take an interest. 10 years is about average for published writers, though some make it quicker.
T.C.P.: Who are you influences and inspiration for your creations?
L.O.: I spent 10 years getting up at 4 or 5 AM to write, while holding down a day job. I got many rejections, but slowly I improved my writing and agents started to take an interest. 10 years is about average for published writers, though some make it quicker.
T.C.P.:  The world of self publishing has changed the rules of business completely. What advantages and disadvantages you see for someone who wants to become a professional writer and can’t get a book deal?
L.O.: Wilbur Smith, Robert Graves and the Arthur Conan Doyle are the type of writers I admire. I love a mystery with something important buried inside it.
T.C.P.: Is it that hard to get a publisher these days?
L.O.: The advantages are that you can publish a book quicker and reach an audience of readers fast. The disadvantages are that you can publish a book quicker and reach an audience of readers fast.
If you get it right, edit, edit, edit, then get a great cover and help with marketing, you can do as well as many mid-list published writers, that’s 99% of published authors. This means a modest income, not wealth. That’s reserved for the 1%. But if you cut corners, don’t expect to find readers. You can sell a well written book, which is well presented, online, but don’t think you can sell anything you throw together. The public is astute.
T.C.P.:  It seems obvious that a self-published author needs to become his/her own agent and publicist, these days. How do you think authors can manage their time wisely so they don’t get overwhelmed by this new hat they need to wear?
L.O.: I haven’t tried for a few years so I won’t make anything up about what it’s like now.
T.C.P.:  You are now dedicated to promote other authors, why you decided to get into this? 
L.O.: Each author will be different. I suggest once a day Twitter & Facebook, and a blog post once a week , if you have something interesting to say, Then use the rest of your time for writing and making a living.
T.C.P.: What’s the biggest achievement you have heard of from an author using your services and what do you think where the key elements to his/her success?
L.O.: Our biggest achievement was over 5,000 book sales in 24 hours this January for Barbara Devlin’s latest romantic-adventure novel. Barbara invested in our marketing service non stop for 8 months. She also invested in great covers and a well thought out Amazon presence. Barbara’s books are also in a popular genre and they are well written. All these crucial elements have to be working together to make money as an independent author.
T.C.P.:  Do you still have time to write?
L.O.: Less than a want, but I hope to finish The Nuremberg Puzzle this summer.
T.C.P.:  What 3 things would you recommend to any author who really wants to break through?
L.O.: Learn the craft. Read writing craft books. Attend writer’s conferences, not conferences for readers. Use Twitter every day for 10 minutes.
T.C.P.:  How do you see the future of book publishing? Will the big houses fall as oppose to the independent publishers? Do you think it can be possible for a self published author to get worldwide best seller as he/she would with one of the established houses?
L.O.: I advise people not to think about having a bestseller. If you are in this for the money you are in the wrong business. The hourly rates for a McDonalds worker are higher.
The publishing industry will shrink too. And self published books will take a bigger share of the market. What happens beyond that is difficult to see in my crystal ball. Anything could happen!

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