Case Study - Andy Weir
Today, we’re diving into the unique approach that led Andy Weir to become a global best-selling author, and we will consider how you can apply some of his strategies to your own book promotion and publishing actions.
Before his big break, Andy Weir had actually given up trying to publish his novels, having spent three years contacting agents, publishers and distributors only to be rejected by all of them.
Andy decided to focus on his joy of writing, posting short stories on his blog while working as a computer programmer. He slowly accumulated followers, and after ten years he had 3,000 regular readers.
Now before we go any further, we will address the fact that this is a really long time and we don’t expect authors to spend ten years building up a platform. What is worth noting is that Andy didn’t market or promote his platform; his blog was his creative outlet. Growing a platform can happen a lot faster than this with planning, focus and effort.
Andy realised that one of his stories ‘The Martian’ was receiving more interest from his followers, so he focussed on publishing a new chapter on his blog once every 1-2 months.
His story contained extensive scientific scenes and narrative, which drew the attention of experts in the field. They began to comment on his posts, contributing their thoughts, opinions, and in some cases, correcting the calculations he’d used. Andy would listen to feedback and amend the chapters to incorporate the audience’s corrections, acknowledging those who had identified the errors.
Unintentionally, Andy found his niche audience and over time, these followers became the ‘champions’ for his book. They talked about his story and shared chapters within their networks.
Many authors tout “word of mouth” as the most valuable marketing tool for promoting their books....
But not everyone wanted to read the novel from a blog and Andy received requests to make it accessible as an e-reader that could be downloaded from his blog. This worked for a while, however other followers wanted to be able to access it through a simple platform (not knowing how to download the e-reader), so Andy uploaded his novel on Amazon.
But Amazon required a minimum fee of 99c. Readers were happy to pay the small fee, and over time the novel started to climb the bestseller ranks in science fiction.
Ultimately, the exposure on Amazon saw Crown Publishing approach Andy and he finally landed an agent.
The book he published for free on his blog became a best-seller, winning the award for “Best New Writer” five years after he published it on his website. You’ve probably heard of his book, which was turned into the Hollywood blockbuster, The Martian, featuring Matt Damon.
Andy’s journey highlights some major key considerations for anyone looking to market their book:
Identify Your Niche Audience: Target your niche audience and offer your book for free in exchange for a review on one of your promotional platforms. This can be done before publishing your book to identify any glaring issues.
Grow a Following: Use a platform of your choosing—be it a blog, newsletter, social media, or all of the above. Provide insight into your journey, share what you can, and seek feedback on concepts or ideas. Audiences love to be a part of the journey.
Build Hype: Offer a free chapter of your book as an enticement to not only purchase your book but also to sign up to follow your newsletter or blog.
Drive growth: Once you have a decent amount of reviews, running a 99c sale can really push growth. Promoting this sale is highly recommended to maximise impact (and where sites such as The Fussy Librarian and BookBub earn their worth!).
Most importantly, Andy demonstrated the power of perseverance. He continued to write in the face of rejection and ultimately found success. It did not happen overnight—it never does in the world of book marketing and publishing!
But by following a Marketing Plan, you instil a catalyst for your book’s promotion.
At Market & Action we have developed the Ultimate Book Marketing & Publishing Plan for fiction authors, incorporating strategies to establish the core marketing foundation to promote your work.
Have fun and keep writing!
