Editor’s Letter – How To Get The Most Out Of The Table Read Magazine

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On The Table Read Magazine, “the best creativity magazine in the UK“, editor JJ Barnes shares her advice for contributors to The Table Read Magazine for how to get the most out of their appearance.

Written by JJ Barnes

www.jjbarnes.co.uk

Dear Wonderful Creatives

If any of you have been trying to get a spot on The Table Read Magazine over the last 6 months, you’ll be aware of just how busy we are. This is a positive for everybody involved; the busier we are, the more readers we have, the larger the audience your work will have when you feature on the site.

However, this does also mean that demand for placement on the site has grown massively, which means you’ll be waiting longer for your spot.

In my humble (ish) opinion, it’s worth the wait. Our audience are active and engaged, our readership are loyal and keen to find new entertainment, and the community we have grown are supportive, positive, and genuinely lovely humans. So I thought it was a good idea to share my tips for how to get the most out of your appearance on The Table Read Magazine.

I recently wrote on my Ko-Fi my tips for how indie authors can market their books, and some of this info will be harvested from that description, but to speak to all of our creators. For author-specific advice, check out the article here.

Social Media

A lot of creatives I’ve worked with are very wary of social media. If this describes you, and you either do not have any social media accounts, or rarely use them if you do, you should rethink your decision.

It is significantly more challenging to market your music, books, art, podcast etc, when there are no social media platforms. You are one creator in a huge ocean of people who are all screaming for the attention their work deserves, and trust me, they’re all equally deserving of that attention. Therefore, you must do what you can to stand out.

You can connect with your existing audience through social media, and find new people to share your work with. You need a group of people to talk about your work, to share your interviews and articles with. People to excite about your work, and ultimately sell it to. Even if you have super postive real-life friends, they are not your target market. The world is larger and social media is full of people looking for their next entertainment, so connect with them.

Headshots

Having worked with actors and musicians, headshots are fairly common. However, authors and artists seem to be significantly less camera-friendly than the performers with whom I have worked.

When you are being interviewed about your work, you need to come across as someone that readers want to get to know, which means letting them see you (unless there are particular instances of identity protection that obviously need to be circumvented).

You don’t have to go to a studio and spend a lot of money because of this. Put on something that makes you feel good, stand in front of a curtain or wall, and ask a friend or loved one to take a picture of you—ideally several. Attempt some smiling, some looking serious, some looking at the camera and some turning away. Get photos that are clear, in focus, and sufficiently high resolution that it won’t blur on screen.

Although it may feel awkward, I assure you that it makes my job easier and more effective. Articles that feature real people and clear faces typically attract a larger audience, which in turn results in increased sales and attention.

Be Chatty

When you are being interviewed about your work, use that time to sell it. This is not only most reader’s first encounter with you, but also their first introduction to your work.

I’ll use the example of authors, but the same is true for podcasters, songwriters, artists etc. My advice is to expand on your points rather than just give a short answer. For instance, one of the questions I pose to my authors is:

Who or what inspired your protagonist?

This is your chance to pique the interest of your audience in your main character. You could respond, “My friend Colin.” which may be true, but other than your closest loved ones, no one knows who Colin is or what makes him so inspiring. As a result, they won’t really care.

Set aside some time to share who Colin is and what might be said about him inspired you. Then talk about how that affected your Protaognist, the journey they took in your story, and why it’s important. Your readers will want to read your story if you can get them excited about learning more about your protagonist.

Use The Priority Posting Option

As we get busier, the wait for your space is getting longer. We’re a very small team and there is a lot of work that goes into the promotion of every article, as well as everything else that goes on behind the scenes at The Table Read HQ.

We are dedicated to making sure our platform is accessible to all, no matter your budget, which is why we will always have free spots available. But we have to operate on a first come, first serve basis, which means the wait can at times be months. However, this won’t suit everybody, and sometimes you have something you want to promote immediately or to a specific release schedule. This is why we created the Priority Posting opportunity.

For £20, your article/video/interview will go out same day/next day (depending on time of receiving) or will be scheduled for a specific date to suit your release and promotion time. This suits creatives who either work to a schedule, or are just keen to get their promotion out more quickly. Once posted, your work will be shared and promoted across multiple social media platforms, and you’ll be tagged where available so your audience can find you easily.

I hope this has been helpful and I am excited to share your wonderful creations with our world of readers!

JJ Barnes x

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