When I was in high school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to be a psychologist, a marketing executive, a journalist, a fashion designer. . . Yes, and the list went on. Because I couldn’t make up my mind, I got into waitressing, hoping that eventually I will be able to decide. However, one by one those dreams flew away and a new one took center stage; Author. Now that “Intimate Healing” is under contract, I see another dream coming back; Marketing.
The other day, SBP send me a bunch of information regarding what’s next (line edits, copy edits, cover. . . ) and marketing. They promote the book by sending it to a bunch of review sites, but the rest is up to me.
I also found a blog where there was a discussion about book marketing. They talked about what different authors have done to get their book out there. Some people like book trailers, other’s like exerts, while many like websites, others prefer just a good blurb and a good cover. With so many books out there, the competition to get noticed is stiff.
Another idea that crossed my mind is before or after. Some author’s don’t really start marketing their books until the day it’s released while others start the hype early and then stop marketing after the release. Both seem to work in their own way, and both have their flaws too.
A few years ago, I saw one author who promised to donate a percentage of her royalties from her newest book to Hurricane Katrina victims. That made me buy the book, and that book went rather high on all the bestsellers lists so I wasn’t the only one who bought it. Would you buy a book if you knew part of your money was going to a good cause?
I think I will employ many of the marketing tactics I’ve seen being used. The blog I found about marketing stated that most people check out an author’s website constantly, but hate flashy uninformative sites. So I plan to start with a simple website, a twitter account, and (dreading the thought) a facebook page.
What are your views on marketing? What works and doesn’t work for you? And how do you feel about saving a life by buying a book in the form of a percentage of it being a donation?
I think donating to a charity is a brilliant idea. It's good all around, really.
ReplyDeleteCharity donations are a great idea and work well ... so long as you can fix it with your publisher.
ReplyDeleteI think the compromise with the before/after problem is to do lots of behind the scenes work before - like sending out review copies, booking places on blogs, etc - and make sure all reviews, blog posts and suchlike are published in release week if possible.
Some people love the marketing and are good at it. Others - like me - hate it and would much prefer to just write the books. :)
I would advise you do what you are comfortable with and dont be an insensitive badger (which I already know u are not)
ReplyDeleteStart participating in blogfests if you can and look out for the authors hop too.
The charity Idea is a very good gesture too.
I agree that you have to start sooner rather than later. I would also suggest that you get involved with sites like Goodreads, Shelfari, and Library Thing. Get your accounts set up and start to network--join online book groups, etc. You're already ahead of the game because you're already starting to think about it and plan.
ReplyDeleteThere are reams of information out there on marketing and the mileage is different for everyone. Just remember two things:
ReplyDelete1. Do only what you are comfortable doing. Play up your strengths.
2. Keep yourself visible, or at the very least consistent. Comment often at places where you'll have the largest audience. Forums, blogs with a lot of followers, Facebook. Make people remember you.
Everyone has given good advice. There's not much for me to add, lol. Congrats on becoming a fellow SBP author! Good luck on your release!
ReplyDelete