Meet K. Iwancio Part 2
My hearts, this is part two of my interview with K. Iwancio. She recently posted on Threads offering to do an Ask Me Anything for new and potential indie authors. I thought this might be a good place to start. Here are the questions I gathered from friends and followers.
JEN: From Nicole Frail, “What’s the halfway point between her town and mine, and does she want to get lunch with me?” She says she knows you’re actually two hours away and, "She has a super cute bookstore near her I desperately want to go to so if I ever do get over there, I intend to turn it into a day. Whether she knows it or not." Needless to say, you have a fan in Nicole!
K.: I adore Nicole! We were in the same city for different events at the same time and just couldn’t manage to meet up. I’m always down for bookstores and coffee!
JEN: Christina Diane says: "I always want to learn about marketing/ad strategies."
K.: Ah, marketing is the one thing authors absolutely need to do and it’s the one thing they're mostly unprepared for. As an indie author it’s tough to get your name out there. From my experience with paid ads, I don't see much return on them. I never spend more than $20-30 to boost a post (it’s just not in the budget). Don't feel like your marketing is life or death on ads alone. You are your best advertisement. People will gravitate to your books organically if you have an approachable mindset and social media presence.
JEN: Christina also posted this question: “What do you do when you struggle to focus?”
K.: Oof. Struggling to focus is my biggest fight as an author. I’ve actually found that if I leave my home, taking away all my distractions, I work much more efficiently. I get some of my best work done at coffee shops with my headphones on. Music helps me focus as well, especially with headphones on. I get thrust into my own little cocoon of motivation.
JEN: Great answer. I love to write in a sea of chaos.
Any Pasqual asks, “How do you handle ARC readers and they’re not posting a review?”
K.: For ARC readers, it’s bless and release. I have a questionnaire application that I use for all my book ARCs. It asks in-depth questions about their reading history along with their history with me as an author. I also give them an explanation about what is expected of them. Once I select ARC readers, I send out a mass email with expectations, timelines, and leave an open door of communication with them for any concerns (or unhinged DMs). I let them know to tag me and I’m always happy to share their posts about my books. Authors have to understand that ARC reading is a volunteer position. The reader has no obligation to do anything. If they don't like the book or if its marketed poorly/incorrectly to them, they will DNF (did not finish) and not bother to review. I would recommend not sending DMs to readers asking them to read and review your book. It makes you look desperate. I advertise ARC sign ups in groups and on social media and leave a link in my profile.
JEN: I’ve never heard “bless and release” before! I love that. Here’s a second question from Any, “What do you do to market your books once they’re published?”
K.: Ah, marketing your book. My mentor told me that the best person to sell your book (as an indie author) is you. Not readers, not reviewers, you. Y-O-U. If you're scared to talk about your book with others, then readers won't even bother. How can they see you have a quality product when you can't even sell it yourself? Talk about it as if it's a fandom of yours (Because it is). Show your passion, your heart and soul. That's what readers like to see, your genuine self.
JEN: Wow, that is great advice. I am my own fandom. I love that.
Okay, here’s a question from Desi Stowe: “Does writing still hold the same enjoyment or mystery after publishing several books?”
K.: Oh my gosh, yes. But I write what I love to write about, spicy romcoms. Some authors write only to the bestselling niche, and they treat it like a cash cow. There's no passion behind it. But each and every one of my books is full of passion, my personality, my heart. I wish I could write every second of every day, I love it that much. I’ve had this dream since I was in first grade, but I was too deterred by large word counts. Now I can write 50,000 words in 30 days without batting an eye! (But I do whine.) [laughs]
JEN: Charlotte Valentine asks, "Which social media platforms do you rate most highly for author visibility? Your top tips for using social media to find readers?"
K.: I’ve had the best luck with Instagram. I’m not at all a video-friendly face (at least I don't think so).
NOTE FROM JEN: K. is lovely and need to take her own advice to become her biggest fan!
K.: It’s honestly all based on your demographic. If your readers are mostly 30-50 year old females, then it’s Instagram. If you readers are 30 and under, then it’s TikTok. If your readers are 45+ then it’s Facebook. Threads is new and I feel like it’s a mix of the Instagram and TikTok demographics. My top tip for using social media is to be genuine. Be yourself. Don't turn your posts into a constant advertisement. Advertisements are white noise to most consumers. Have fun with it. Post snippets. Shop for other authors. Show your fans what you're reading. Show your fans you're on vacation or what new coffee shop you found. Tag people in your posts if they're featured. The algorithms love that. But be sure that you have a "voice" or a "style" to your posts. Don't have a PA take over. If you need to, you feed them content and they post.
JEN: The most successful posts in my feed are those when I’m being my most authentic self. That’s great advice.
Tamaya Cruz asks, "What are your Top 3 marketing tips?"
K.: Well, I covered a few with Charlotte's question. But the main one is to be genuine, be true to yourself. People can see that you have a passion for writing and what you do when you're yourself. It's not just true on social media, but it's also true at book events. Have a presence at your table. Be approachable. Secondly, you need to have an on-genre cover design. It’s absolutely essential. The cover is the one-second advertisement for your book. Aside from a good editor, you need to invest in a marketable cover. When you have a marketable cover, the book sells itself a lot easier. Don't be deterred by the big price tag of some cover designers. There are plenty of super talented people out there who don't charge as much but deserve a chance (me included!). You just will have to do a bit more digging to find the true gold nuggets. The third one is to be consistent. Post at least once a day 5-6 days a week. It takes all of 10 minutes and I just copy and paste across all platforms. Social media is the first place that readers go to find more information about you.
Hey, thank you so much for this! These were a heck of a lot of fun to answer. Let me know if you have any further questions!
JEN: I will!
And here is how you can let K. know if YOU have any questions, my hearts. Her website is kiwancio.com. She’s on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
Are you a human author? A human who narrates audiobooks? A human who designs book covers? Or a human who does PR and promotion for other authors? I'd love to interview you, too. Let me know when you’re ready!
