Saturday, March 17, 2012

Savvy Sensation: Talli Roland

You know what's a great way to spend a Saturday morning? Reading some chick lit. And if you don't have time for chick lit, the next best thing is to read about a savvy chick lit writer. 

That makes today extra special since that's exactly who today's Savvy Sensation is: Author Talli Roland. Welcome, Talli!

Who are you (what do you write, what are your personal stats)?
I ask myself that every day! Seriously! Since I have a pen name, it often gets a bit confusing. I write chick lit (commercial women’s fiction) as Talli Roland, and non-fiction as Marsha Moore – my real name. I have two travel guides published and three novels, with the fourth novel scheduled for release in May. Hmm, what else? Apart from that, I love coffee. And wine. I live in London and I’m now a British citizen, although my heart will always belong to my Canadian homeland.

Where can we find you online (blog, twitter, facebook, etc.)?
Where can’t you find me online? I love the community of writers and people I’ve met through online interaction. Many have become great friends in real life! I’m on Twitter as @TalliRoland, Facebook (www.facebook.com/TalliRoland), Blogger (http://talliroland.blogspot.com), Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/talliroland/) and my author website, (http://www.talliroland.com). I’ll give anything a whirl and see if it works!

When did you begin your online platform building?
One downside of a pen name is that you need to build everything from scratch under that identity. I already blogged and tweeted under my real name, but with Talli Roland as my pen name for fiction, I was addressing a whole new market. As soon as I got the fiction book deal with my publisher, I began building up my platform. It was about eight months before my release date.

What is your message, if any (is your blog about anything specific, for example)?
My blog tag-line is ‘I drink coffee. I write. Then I have wine’. That pretty much sums it up! I blog about books and writing, but I try to keep it light and not too technical; to talk about the funny side of writing. I’m conscious of appealing to the readers of my books, so the tone of my blog posts mirrors the style of my novels.

How have you built your followers? What have you done that has been the most successful?
I’ve built my followers through a lot of hard work: by consistently interacting with people, every day. I think the key to success is using social media regularly and making sure not to treat it like a one-way megaphone, but like a conversation. No one wants to be around people who only talk about themselves. The same holds true in social media.

What have you done that has failed?
While some things have been more successful than others, I wouldn’t label anything I’ve done as ‘failed’. With social media, I think it’s often a cumulative effect rather than one big push. Each little thing you do counts, even though it may not be wildly successful at the time.

How much time do you spend blogging? Reading blogs? Commenting on blogs?
When I first started building up my blog, I’d post every day and spend at least three hours commenting. Now I’ve reduced it to posting three times a week and commenting one to two hours. It’s still quite a bit of time, but I really enjoy the interaction and I feel like I’m checking in on my friends.

Any additional advice for our readers?
If you’re using social media, people want to know you first -- then your books or products as an extension of that. With so many people publishing now, Twitter and the blogosphere sometimes seem like they’re drowning in advertisements. Keep YOU first and foremost, and be careful not to overdo the promotion. It’s a very fine line.

What makes you unique?
Yikes! Er, um… where’s my wine when I need it? I guess it depends on what perspective you’re taking! From a reader’s standpoint, I’d like to think I’m unique because I have strong female leads who fix their own problems without needing a man to swoop in and carry them off . . . and because my plotlines and concepts are quite original. Hope that answers the question!

Thanks for coming by, Talli! You've made this Saturday truly savvy!

For the rest of you, if you haven't already, check out Talli's acclaimed novels such as Build a Man or it's upcoming sequel, Construct a Couple.

27 comments:

Talli Roland said...

Thank you so much for hosting me today, Laura. It's a pleasure to be here!

Jaye Robin Brown said...

Fun interview!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Talli is awesome!
I wasn't even online when I signed my publishing contract. I had less than a year to establish myself.

Talli Roland said...

Alex, you've done an incredible job! We can all learn from you.

Talli Roland said...

Thank you, Jaye!

D.J.Kirkby said...

I am still in awe over how much time you dedicate to commenting on blogs and using social networking but it is nice that you view it as checking in on friends.

Pj Schott said...

Terrific interview with one of my all-time favorite authors/people. THANKS!!

Rebecca Emin said...

Wise words from Talli, as always! Thanks for a great interview.

Talli Roland said...

Thanks for popping by, DJ! I don't spend nearly as much time as I used to, but the blogging community is important to me and I like to keep in touch. They're super supportive, too.

Talli Roland said...

Thank you, PJ. You're such a great support.

Talli Roland said...

Thanks for dropping in, Rebecca!

mithrilwisdom said...

Whoo! Great interview, Talli :) Spot on about author promotion being an extension of the person. Great advice :)

Talli Roland said...

Thank you, Jamie! Hope you're having a great weekend.

Sarah Pearson said...

I love Talli, she was one of the first people to support me when I started my blog (although she probably doesn't know that!), and she's a great writer too. What more can you ask for?

Susanna Leonard Hill said...

Thanks for a great interview, Laura and Talli! I am a chick lit fan :)

Laura Barnes said...

The pleasure was all mine. ;)

Laura Barnes said...

Thanks, Jaye!

Laura Barnes said...

Every time I hear that, Alex, I'm amazed. You did a great job post pub offer. :)

Laura Barnes said...

You're welcome!

Laura Barnes said...

My pleasure :)

Laura Barnes said...

What a great comment! I'm glad to host such a savvy woman as Talli. :)

Laura Barnes said...

You're welcome, Susanna!

Talli Roland said...

Thank you, Susanna!

Talli Roland said...

Aw! Sarah! I didn't know that - yay! I'm pleased to have been one of the first ones.

Thank you for your kind words and for all your support, too.

Brooke R. Busse said...

I've been away all week so I just got to reading this. I recently read The Hating Game and oh, how I loved it! -sigh- It makes me wish I hadn't read it so I could read it anew all over again. Now, I have to figure out how to get my hands on the rest of Talli's books. I do have a giftcard for Amazon...

Laura Barnes said...

Don't you love it when you get to remember how wonderful a book was? I need to put The Hating Game on my reserve list right now from the library. Thanks for the recommend. :)

Laura Barnes said...

Doh! It's an e-book. Purchasing now!

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