Okay, okay, maybe that’s a bit harsh, but it can be a grueling task to take on. Marketing can be done a few different ways, either you as the author can go out there and make a spectacle of yourself, you can hire someone to make a spectacle of yourself, or you could wait for someone to stumble upon you and your book.
Personally, I don’t want to wait for someone to hunt and find my great book, I stopped playing hide n’ seek a long time ago. Besides, I’d rather be the one telling them about it in the first place! It’s a cruel fact, but as a writer, you have to let everyone know about your great book on your own, and you have to do it a lot. In other words, you will be the one making a spectacle of yourself. Sure, you can hire that PR guy or gal for a hefty fee– something that might be worth splurging on when you have a bit of money because they can generate quite a buzz for you. But they can only go as far as your dollar will take them.
If you are starting out, try marketing on your own with blogs, advertising, press releases, email signatures, and mailing lists. You can get several ideas from some good books out there. Danny Pointer and Tom and Marilyn Ross have wonderful books on marketing for self-published authors. Another good one, is a general PR book called, “PR On A Budget” by Leonard Saffir . They suggest many of the things that I have mentioned and go into further details, details like, how to create a mailing list or press release kit. I’ll discuss a few of these briefly here:
A blog is a great way to draw attention to yourself and your work. People are blogging all the time and people are reading all the time. So a blog is a great way for readers to see your work. I’d suggest going to a popular site like Facebook or Myspace to get some great exposure. These sites have a lot of users who are either writers themselves, or they are into reading. You can get as personal as you’d like on these sites and let everyone know about you the writer. I tend to get a bit personal, but I use a rule of thumb when it comes to personal topics– it’s a motto my Grandma taught me a long time ago, she said, “Kim, don’t say anything to anyone that you wouldn’t mind hearing repeated.” It’s a motto I live by even today.
Advertising is another avenue for you to try as a writer. There are many sites and groups on the internet that are specifically set up for you to advertise your book. Some are just for authors and some are general ad sites. There can be fees attached to some of these sites, but there are many out there that are free to join. Bookhitch is one of the free sites you can use to advertise your book. You can also try to list your titles in libraries and even literary magazines. Literary magazines, like the CT Muse here, sometimes will list local authors for free so it’s worth checking out your hometown or state for that information. Libraries will also list authors as well.
Press releases are another great way to generate a buzz about you as an author. They can read as long or as short as you’d like them too, but they should contain at least one quote from you as to why you decided to write that particular book. Most writers will send releases to their local rags and stop there, but you don’t have to. There are many sites on the net today that will send your press release all over the world. Most of the sites are reasonable in price. One good site costs around forty dollars and will send your release to just about everyone. As a matter of fact, I saw one place pick up my release from Egypt which is quite a ways away from the USA. That site is called PRWeb. There are also a few others that will put out your release for free. I’ve gotten some decent response from some of these free sites and one to try is SANEPR.
Yet another route that can prove beneficial is your email signature and mailing lists. An email signature can be put on all of your out going mail and it’s free advertising for you, the author. Use that signature to advertise your latest book and to lead your readers to either your personal website, or a website that has the ability to sell your books.
Mailing lists are another powerful marketing tool. You might be saying, yeah Kim, that sounds great, but how do I get a mailing list without paying a hefty price? Well, you could pay for potential customers, but why do that when you have a local phone book with listings of local bookstores and local libraries right at your fingertips. You can also create a mailing list from your address book folder in your email account. It’s a great start for potential customers that you build upon with each person or contact you meet. Your contact list can also be the start of your fan- base emails. Friends and family are the best people to practice on because it’s hard for them to say no to an email from you–just don’t tell them I said so.
These are just a few ideas that you can expand on for yourself. I hope to post a few more along with some other great tips on writing. My coffee is getting a bit cold, so it’s time for a refill. Chat with you all again soon!
Kimberley
