– Marketing

Marketing is not one of the things most authors look forward to doing…after all, if they really enjoyed marketing, then they’d probably be doing that instead of writing. Everyone says that the first thing a new author needs is a website, but creating a good one can be a daunting task. Once you’ve started on that task, is there anything else you can be doing? Of course, but be warned…it’s going to take some time…expect to work on marketing your book for a few months before it is released…at least four to six months ahead, so don’t wait too long to start.

It’s also going to take time away from your writing, so you have a choice…either write another book or publicise the one you have out. Both are important, so we recommend that you split your time, devoting equal amounts to writing and marketing. It has been said that the best way to get your book to sell is to write another one, so don’t stop writing.

Mailing Lists

We’ll go into more detail about to create and work with Mailing Lists in a later post, but what you need to know now is that they are an important part of your marketing strategy. Collecting contact info from loyal fans gives you opportunities to let the faithful know about your doings, whether it be a new book being released soon, a signing, or just a visit to another town. They want to know these things.

What you need to know now is that it takes time to build up a proper list, so you should start working on it as soon as possible…even if your book isn’t quite finished yet. The best way is to include a Sign Up button in whatever marketing plan you use. Give readers an opportunity…but don’t make it bigger than the message. You can include some kind of gift for signing up…such as an unpublished short story that ties into your next novel or a worksheet for your non-fiction book. Include the links in a variety of places, so readers can easily sign up: your About the Author pages, your business cards and bookmarks, any fliers you’ve created, etc. The more you spread it around, the better.

Once you have a decent list built up, use it only a few times a year. You want to keep your Target Readers active and interested…not annoyed. These folks have an exclusive connection with you, so use it to share exclusive deals, such as specials on your books (a temporary low price on a new release or a boxed set). You can even share with them new short stories related to your next upcoming novel.

Author Profiles

An easy option is to create profiles on multiple sites. You create them, then ignore them, updating them only when a new book is about to be released. Besides Amazon and Goodreads, author pages are available on a variety of sites such as Smashwords, Author’s Den, Authorsdb, and Poets&Writers.

Be certain to use a professional-looking photo…no outdoor pictures with your dog…unless your books are about dogs, of course! Fill in your bio with relevant info that will attract readers. Including references to other authors that you admire in your genre will make connections for the readers. You can also use LinkedIn to connect to those other authors.

Once your profiles are set up, move on. Advertising on these sites isn’t often worth the effort (or money), so just get your name out there…then wait. Revisit them occasionally to respond to comments, but don’t waste too much of your writing time there.

Many of these sites will allow you to link your blog (from your personal website), so when you make a new posting, it will be automatically posted there, too. Trying to maintain multiple sites separately will drain too much of your writing time, so don’t spend too much time figuring it out. It’s fine if you’re not certain how to link your blog…you’re an author, not an IT geek. Just as you would seek the expertise of an editor, find a techie who will work with you to automate your postings. Don’t forget to mention (and link) to your various profiles from your personal website for more exposure.

Most authors dread marketing…because they want to write, not stand on the corner waving signs. Fortunately, they don’t have to really do that, but the whole idea of marketing is new to them. Yes, there are folks out there who are natural marketers…they can sell ice to Eskimos and coal to Newcastle—they become Diamonds or Emeralds in certain Multi-Level Marketing schemes, but for the other 99.7% of us, marketing is generally incomprehensible. How do you get anyone to look at your book…much less actually buy it? Well, we can’t compel anyone to put out good money for your book, but we do have some thoughts on how to let them know it’s out there…and that’s the first step—they can’t buy it if they don’t know it exists.

Let the World Know

Almost everyone is involved in social networking. (Though, we know a few folks who’d rather eat sand than waste time doing that.) So, if you post pictures of your book…along with an extract or description…your friends may send it on to others. I’m certain they’ll be impressed that you’ve actually finished writing a book, so that’s a good place to start. (Don’t worry about preaching to the choir—that’s what you’re supposed to do…let the choir preach to the rest of the world!)

If you’ve considered the marketing aspect well before you wrote anything, you may already have a following…even a Mailing List! That would be wonderful, so now you can tell all of them in one quick email. Be certain to include a link to where your book exists (for example: Amazon for print, Smashwords for ebook).

Another way to avoid costs is to allow your ebook to be available exclusively via Amazon for 90 days. Then you can use KDP Select to do a variety of price promotions to get more visibility.

Not Free

If you’re ready to invest a little of your hard earned money, there are a few fairly inexpensive ways to get the word out there. Adverts on Facebook can be targeted to specific categories, helping your investment go where it will do the most good, but if you’re not careful, the costs can escalate out of control.

Another option is to find Book Reviewers and Promotional Services. They already have the connections, so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but because you don’t control the release of info, you may not see that their effort has any direct effect for the cost. When you pay someone else to do the job, you lose some control, but it may be worth the trade-off.

So When Should You Start Marketing?

Right now is a good time to start your marketing efforts. You already have in mind who your Target Reader is, so just use that information to start a mailing list. If you are savvy enough to run your own distribution list, that’s good, but automating it can save you a lot of time and effort. Free accounts are available at MailChimp…until you have more than 2000 addresses, but by the time your list grows that much, your sales should cover the upgrade just fine.