Book series writers Amanda Giasson and Julie B. Campbell are taking multi-channel advertising to another level.
For Perspective book series authors, Amanda Giasson and Julie B. Campbell, social media marketing has been an integral part of the launch and continuing success of their fantasy fiction novels which so far include Love at First Plight and Second Wind.
However, these authors haven’t stopped at social networks and have turned to every angle they can to spread the word.
This effort has turned Giasson and Campbell into the exact opposite of the traditional image of a recluse author who hacks away at an out-of-date computer or even a typewriter, and who hides from his or her readers. “That’s not the experience we want,” said Campbell. “We absolutely love our characters, Megan and Irys, and we want to share that with our readers. How are we going to do that if we don’t put ourselves out there?”
Social media marketing has become the hub for a far broader multi-channel experience put out by the authors.
The Perspective book series now has a Facebook page and a Twitter account, and the authors have added their experience to Tumblr, Google+ and even Pinterest, but those are only jumping off points. The official website for the series is packed full of additional information about the books and the Qarradune world on which it takes place. The authors have gone to the effort of creating their own sound bites to reveal the pronunciation of each character and place name and have established an all-are-welcome Goodreads book club that features discussions on monthly reads as well as other fun off-topic subjects.
“Goodreads was a whole new experience for us,” pointed out Campbell. “To be honest, I’d never heard of it before Love at First Plight was published. Now I’m not sure how, as an avid reader, I lived without it! What a fantastic community and a great range of reader-friendly resources!”
The authors have recently started to post more regularly over their official YouTube channel, as well. “We debated going on YouTube at first, as neither one of us were used to recording ourselves on camera, but even as writers, our words could take us only so far. We wanted to share our own perspective using a media platform that would allow us to show the enthusiasm we’re really feeling when we make announcements and share new details about the series.”
In fact, the authors are using that same YouTube channel to help in the creation of their next level beyond social media marketing. They will be attending the 2016 Toronto Fan Expo and are creating their cosplay (costume play) costumes for the event. “I’ve always loved dressing up. I’m a huge fan of cosplay and have a lot of respect for the cosplay community. Julie and I are having loads of fun creating our costumes. We’re looking forward to wearing them at the Fan Expo and connecting with our readers and fellow cosplay enthusiasts.”
Naturally, they will be dressing as the characters whose perspectives they write: Giasson will be Megan Wynters, while Campbell will be Irys Godeleva. They are using the YouTube channel to create the costumes, gain advice from others and design their makeup for the look. From there, they will be taking their characters off the pages of the book series and beyond social media marketing and plan to make surprise public appearances throughout their home town of Barrie, Ontario, Canada, before going to the Fan Expo in September.
Social Media Marketing has been an integral part of the launch and continuing success of their fantasy fiction novels which so far include Love at First Plight and Second Wind.