AuthorsDen was one of the first places I joined after publishing my first book several years ago. Back then, my publisher encouraged all of us to actively join any relevant (and not so relevant) social networking sites we could find, and AuthorsDen was not only free, but also easy to join.
Like many of the sites I joined back then, AuthorsDen fell by the wayside as I found new and different ways to market. About a month ago I began receiving emails from them inviting me to upgrade my membership in order to gain access to more services and marketing tools. I decided to take a look.
As I mentioned earlier, a basic account is free. Called “Lite” membership, it offers the opportunity to list your bio, author photo, and books. For each book you can post a cover, description, excerpt, ISBN and ASIN, and your favorite reviews. The upload page looks like this:
The directions are straightforward and simple, and changes can be made at any time by simply logging back in to AuthorsDen and clicking “My Den.”
One particularly nice feature is that you’re given a website of sorts with a sharable link that can be posted on your own website, blog, Facebook Page, etc. For example, mine is http://www.authorsden.com/melindaclayton.
All members have access to literally dozens of industry-relevant blogs and news items as well as postings of upcoming industry events. Authors can also post news, poetry, short stories, and blog entries, and can review the poetry and short stories of others.
AuthorsDen also provides a marketplace in which service providers can list services such as audio book recording, ghost writing, editing, manuscript critique, and illustrating. If approved, the provider lists a price, posts a portfolio, and keeps 90% of the profits earned.
All of the previously listed benefits are available under the “Lite” membership package at no cost to the author.
As the emails informed me, however, AuthorsDen also offers paid membership packages (see below). For $25.00 quarterly, the Bronze package promises “more exposure, unlimited posts, unlimited reviews, tracking, stats, link to bookstores, support and more.”
The Silver package, at $40.00 quarterly, provides everything listed in the Bronze package plus “BookAds for each of your books, broadcasts to your fans and few ads.”
The Gold package provides all of the above plus, for $70.00 quarterly, you’ll be “Featured on homepage and top pages, high priority support, ad-free bio page and more….”
And finally, the Platinum package, for $200.00 quarterly, provides all the benefits of the Gold, plus “Permanent Homepage Exposure, a professional book review and eInterview.”
Now to the real question: Is AuthorsDen a successful marketing strategy?
As with all marketing strategies, I suspect the answer depends on a couple of factors: First, is it a good fit for the author? And second, how does the author define success?
I can’t honestly say I’ve sold any books as a result of maintaining a Lite membership on AuthorsDen, but at the same time I must admit that other than filling out my profile and listing my books, I haven’t done anything to network. I haven’t blogged, listed stories or poetry, reviewed the work of others, or otherwise reached out to network.
This is where the “good fit for the author” part comes in. For those extroverted authors who love to social network, who are willing to put in the time to reach out, grow their presence, and make new friends, AuthorsDen may be a fun and effective marketing strategy.
Will it help sell books? My impression is that the main benefit of AuthorsDen lies in connecting with other authors and sharing resources and information, certainly a valuable resource, but not one necessarily designed to result in a huge jump in sales. Again, my knowledge is limited only to my experience, but I’d love to hear from others who have had a different experience.
Although we’re frequently bombarded with “musts” for marketing, my belief is that determining effective marketing strategies is a very personal process, particularly when the strategy comes with a price. Because I’m not an extroverted author who puts in the necessary time to network effectively, my personal plan is to continue my Lite membership at AuthorsDen, but to concentrate my paid advertisements elsewhere.
The most salient point you make is that marketing strategies are determined by the individual, not a one-size-fits-all, you must do this strategy. If you’re uncomfortable doing something, you will not be successful at it. One man’s (or woman’s) effective marketing strategy is another’s waste of time and money. I, for instance, have had good results with freebies – of course, I have several books out there, so when I offer one of more than 40 free, some of the others are bought, much like going into a market and getting cheap items, but picking up something else interesting while there. Works for me. Many authors never do it. So be it. Great advice, though, and I just might give this site a look.
Thanks, Charles. I absolutely agree – if an author isn’t comfortable with a particular strategy, that strategy probably won’t work as well as something more in line with the author’s personality. Good luck with AuthorsDen if you decide to check it out.
Exactly my experience with The Den. It might be scrapped in my year-end clutter clean-up.
Mine, too, Mike, although the blame lies with me for not having tried to do more with it. It’s just not a good fit for me.
Yet another informative post from this excellent site. Thanks IU!
Thank YOU, KJD! 🙂
I usually check out websites for overall popularity and demographics by going to Alexa.com to see what is actually going on at that website. Alexa might not be the best for the final word but that’s what I know about… Here’s what they said about authorden:
How popular is authorsden.com?
Alexa Traffic Ranks
How is this site ranked relative to other sites?
Global Rank
Global rank icon 109,419 15,537
Rank in India
India Flag 24,276
Philip McQuillan
@mcquillan_phil
Alexa is an excellent resource (especially before shelling out money) – thanks for posting this!
I too joined the free version a long time ago and just recently, after a long “empty” period, started getting emails from them. I’m going to dump them and replace with ones I consider more effective. I think they’re really a money-grabbing institution, one of many climbing on the bandwagon right now. It’s way too time-consuming for most of us who are suffering from email “overwhelm.”
“Email Overwhelm” – I love that! We definitely have to pick and choose which ones we’ll devote time (and money) to and which ones we won’t. Best of luck with whichever ones you choose. 🙂
Thank you for this post! I kept up with my listings on AuthorsDen for my first two novels, but spent my marketing dollars elsewhere when I first started publishing. The feel of the site didn’t “click” with me, and when I went back to it after my third novel was released two months ago, the design of the site really got to me. It looks like a throwback to the 1990s, and for me personally, that has an effect on perceived credibility. It may function very well for those who use the paid programs, but there are other avenues that work well for me, and I’ve lost interest in using AuthorsDen. My time on Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads, and other channels seem to pay better dividends, as well as writing guest blogs and joining indie author/publisher groups like the Independent Publishers of New England and the Alliance of Independent Authors. As has been said before, each marketing plan is a personal endeavor! 🙂
Definitely, Christine – I think we all have to search for marketing avenues that best suit our personality. For me, that tends to be paid advertising that falls within my budget (and that passes the “Alexa” test Philip mentioned above). But I am curious to know how well it functions for those using the paid programs – hopefully someone with that knowledge will stop by and let us know.
Thanks for the info, Melinda. Very helpful.
Thanks, RJ!
Good to know, Melinda — thanks! I’m pretty much full up with the social media commitments I already have, so….
I’ve been slowly (or not so slowly) whittling mine down. 🙂
My experience at AuthorsDen was similar. Used the Lite version for a while but–also as an introvert–didn’t go out of my way to create friendships. I drifted away because my impression was that the site was like being in a room of writers all talking at once, asking others to buy their books. That notion, true or not, eroded my interest in the site.
Malcolm
My impression has been exactly the same – a room full of salespeople all selling their product. Thanks for stopping by, Malcolm.