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.