Yesterday, I asked to hear what ideas you all have for marketing your work. Carrie’s caught my eye:
OK, Randy, I could use your help. I’m a forensic artist. I’ve written/illustrated three books on how to draw. I’m working on my novel with the main character a forensic artist. (A forensic artist stumbles upon the killing grounds of a serial killer.)
I wrote an article on the REAL story of how forensic art was used in such cases as the Unabomber, Polly Klaas, etc. I’ve given helpful suggestions on my Amazon page. Any suggestions (outside of “don’t give up your day job…”) for better marketing?
Randy sez: Wow, this is cool! You definitely want to keep your day job, because it’s your connection to what you write. There are a lot of things you COULD do. It’s a question of what direction you want to go.
But help me out a little here. What exactly do forensic artists do? Do you work with the cops or do you work with ordinary people? Are you trying to draw suspects in crimes, locate missing persons, or what exactly?
I just now Googled “forensic art” and found that there are over 1.1 million pages that are listed under this subject. So for starters, you could visit the top ten of these sites and then ask yourself the simple question: “What’s missing on these sites?”
Hey Randy,
Not all forensic artist perform the same range of skills that I do. They include:
-composites from witness description
-image enhancement (add/subtract facial hair, glasses, etc.)
-Aging of missing children
-2 and 3 dimensional facial reconstruction
-unknown remains
-demonstrative evidence (trial charts)
-crime scene sketching
-courtroom sketching
I teach these skills around the country.
I checked out the forensic art links (or at least a bunch of them) on Google.
What’s present on many of the sites is a rather large ego–(I know a lot of these folks either personally or by reputation) so I’d venture that what’s missing is a genuine sharing of knowledge–(which is why YOU are so great!). The exception is Wes Neville’s forensicartists.com, which was more complete. None had blogs or message boards. None had changing articles. Most were advertising their services (should you have a stray skull hanging around the house and need to know what they looked like…)
Did I do my homework?
Blessings,
Carrie
PS: maybe it’s just me, but I’m no longer receiving an email notice to your new articles/blogs.
-C
I’m not receiving the email notices of updates either. (Until the last three or so posts, I’d received the updates everytime).
I tried to resubscribe, but got a message saying I was already subscribed.
At least it’s a nice surprise every time I pop in here “just in case” and find a new post!
I am not getting the notice, either, so it must be general. By the way, looks like I should have posted my comment today instead of yesterday. If anyone has a chance to go back and look, I would appreciate it.
Carrie, have you thought that maybe you article could become a super article with a little more work? Having never read it, I’m not sure how in depth or technical it is. Is it written so anyone without the technical knowledge can follow it easily?
That Neville site seems pretty thorough. But, your idea of a blog or forum sounds cool and could make a huge difference.
Also, keep in mind that there is a popular forensic artist character on TV right now. Angela on the Fox show “Bones”. Perhaps explain how your role and the character’s role are similar/different?
The only other forensic artist I had ever heard of until now was the Bender guy who sculpted the head of John List.
I’m not receiving email updates anymore either.
When the new feedburner was set up, I think something was wrecked somehow.
Interesting you said Carrie, about the sharing of knowledge, I’ve been trying to compile some archetypes for a project I’m working on. I came to the actuarial profession and signed up as an author seeking info.
One post–a gentlemen from Malaysia–had a whopping 474 views in its introduction section, and yet only 3 people had responded.
I wrote a “Do the Math” heads up to the long-timers… nothing. So far, it appears to me the interest is solely in numbers, but not the people that relate to those numbers.
Well, the guy from Malaysia’s done better than me. My call for info still has a big doughnut hole sitting beside it. (lots of views though)
Blessings,
Joleena
I don’t know about what superarticles produce in terms of sales, but I’m avidly following this idea. But you know, numbers exposed don’t necessarily result in customers. I will give you an example. I learned my marketing on four ‘products’ — nonprofit fundraising, home design services, exotic livestock sales and wilderness trips. No one idea worked for all. You have to do research to find out who wants your product first, the adjust the product to suit the market. Please remember that in a crowded market you only have one shot at a prospective buyer. So don’t present your stuff until it is ready.
The one shot priciple does not seem to be true of editors/agents, or so I’ve heard. But it sure is true of readers. Bore your prospects on one book, and they will never pick up another. Please them enough, and they will put up with a semi-mediocre offering next time.
If you can become part of their lives, (like on a packtrip) they will think of you fondly forever. But if it rains, you and your services are the pits. Unless you have the extra poncho they forgot!
Some rules are counter-intuitive: if you really need a mailing to produce enough money to pay the staff, send it to a poorer demographic. They give disproportionately. Conservatives donate more than liberals, so check the politics of the area you mail to. And make sure to include a good heart-wringing mini-story of someone you have served. Three paragraphs or less. That was good training for writing.
For design services, they want to see your stuff, and word-of-mouth is king. Actually, W-O-M is king in everything.
With the llamas— well, you get ‘eyeballs’ all over the place, especially as a 4-H leader. You can get ‘ink’ (newspaper and magazine articles0 speaking events galore and even TV exposure, and still not get one single buyer from that route. I did find a sure-fire way to locate exactly who wanted my product, but it would take too long to explain here.
PS the answer to Randy’s question, I presume, as to what is missing on the forensic sites, is any means of connecting to a product or sevice the site owner offers for sale.
But what would they be selling? And if they wrote a book, like Carrie, would readers be going to their site looking for it? How would you send them there?
Thank all of you for your helpful comments!
Hey, Katherine, special thanks. The article was not technical at all–just telling the “true” story (as opposed to the press versions)on famous cases. Thanks also for the heads up on what’s on TV. Our television only seems to get ESPN and the Stanley Cup…
ML–I probably didn’t answer Randy’s question correctly. Only Karen Taylor, Lois Gibson and myself have written books. Karen’s is on Forensic art (mostly facial reconstruction.) I proposed writing that book and didn’t get any buyers–her publisher had already signed her. Lois Gibson wrote about herself.
My “products” are classes (forensic and fine art), books, DVDs, fine art, forensic art, and professional speaking. I also want to have a bunch of folks just waiting in line to buy my novel…….(ok, dream on.)
Oh, this is just toooooooooooooooooo cool. Randy just sent out a flash alert…and he mentions the hands-on project above. Whooooooooooooohooooooo.
Randy, it you’re planning on looking at a SuperArticle on my novel, there’s one other piece of information you might want to have–for the past few years, my writing mentor was Frank Peretti. He loosely based his YA novels (the Veritas Projects) on my family.
I’ll be watching the INSP show tonight.
I’ve been missing the Blog connecitons too. Please reconnect.
Not receiving blogs either.
Carrie, I spent a fascinating time last night wandering around your site. I have been trying to think what kind of *super article* would get me coming back, linking to it, recommending it to friends etc.
I have no present application of the law enforcement aspects of forensic art … but I’d love to be able to draw faces like the ones on your site.
I saw you have drawing books / DVDS aimed at the general public. How about a putting some free lessons online from those? Enough to give visitors something to learn and recommend, and perhaps tempt them into buying the whole book.
Randy’s Snowflake article is aimed at writers – who are a huge presence on the internet, and also a big reading and book buying market. What kind of Super Article could you write that would appeal to writers?
I had a couple of ideas:
Is it possible to teach writers how to draw or create a composite of their fictional characters?
Can you have an series of online articles for writers like:
“So you want a hero who is a forensic artist, huh?” or “A Day/Week in the life of a forensic artist”
and list the kind of info and links a writer might need in portraying that character in an factual way. From the contacts you have I imagine you’d have plenty of information to profile a lot of different roles in law enforcement. Perhaps you could incorporate snippets from your fictional characters that would make readers want to buy the book and read more about them?
Though, if you go to all that effort, maybe you should plan a series of books about forensic artists rather than just one? Once you get those readers hooked and waiting in line for that novel …
Wow, thank you Rachel! Much to think about.
I’ve presented my topic on deception to Sisters in Crime Mystery writers conference in Boise and will be doing so to the Idaho Writers League. Maybe something like that????
As I was reading this discussion I kept asking one question. ML and Rachel and maybe someone else touched on it. Who is your audience? Are you marketing to law enforcement? Or ordinary folks? How are you going to reach them? If you want to market to law enforcement there are plenty of avenues for that–organizations, publications, law enforcement agencies…
But for us ordinary folks (a much wider market)…I find what you’re doing very interesting, but before this discussion I would never have gone looking for a forensic artist–not through google or anywhere else–because I didn’t know the term and didn’t know I might be interested in that. So how are you going to reach people like me? What do you have to offer that would catch my attention and draw me to your web site or blog? Where and how would you market to get my attention?
Who is it you want to reach? And then how are you going to reach us?
These are the same questions/problems I’m trying to answer for my own book-in-progress so I hope that helps.