9.
Once Your Book is Live, its Time to Promote
By
A. W. Clarke
It is all fine and dandy
to admire your book sitting there online for sale. But don’t be fooled by
assuming that the general public is aware of your book’s existence. You have to
let them know that it exists and how to buy it.
You
have to promote your book!
I
started off with word of mouth. I let all my friends know that I wrote and
published a book. I believe that often, your most valued friends will be so
excited about your accomplishment, that they may inquire about where to buy it.
That’s when you can tell them where to go online and purchase the book. Now, if
you desire to just get the word out, you can purchase a few copies at your
author price (usually less than the sale price), and tell your friends that
they can buy the book online, or you can get them a copy at your price. Some
friends will hand over the cash just to get their hands on your book faster and
cheaper than online. It’s worth noting at this point, that you likely won’t
strike it rich in the first weeks, so it’s not a big deal if you take a cut in
profits by getting a few people a copy at your discounted price.
At this point, what you want to do is get
it out there! Make people know about you, and your book!
Another trick I have
employed is using Facebook as a promotional tool. I created a Facebook account
and added friends of mine and occasionally posted the link to my book in the
timeline so it appears for all to see. I wouldn’t suggest posting it every day
as it might become more of a burden than a benefit. But every once in a while,
throw up a catch phrase with a link to the book. I’ve also set up a Twitter
account and done the same type of promotion through Twitter. Admittedly, I find
Twitter promotion a lot of work, as it seems less personal. I see Twitter as
large lobby full of people talking to anyone and everyone. But if you market
your identity and get people to like you, then they will be interested in what
you have to say, or sell!
One more trick I’ve tried
is publishing the first few chapters of my book online through a blog site and
linking it to my Twitter feed and Facebook. It is my hope that if timed right,
a timed release of each chapter will create a following and stir interest in
one’s book. Then, when the time is right, suggest that people buy your book to
find out what happens next.
There are so many ways of
promoting one’s work. Authors can even apply for interview time on the radio,
create commercials on Youtube, or make new author appearances at their local
bookstore to meet with potential readers.
The bottom line is, after
you have created your book, you must put effort into promoting it. I used to
believe that the big wig publishers could do all the promotion for you. But it
has come to my knowledge that many publishing companies request that new
authors already have a following to help promote their book to the world. I
say, in that regard, give it a good shot yourself, and use any or all of the
promotional tools above to get the word out. Even if you have to give a few
books or ebook copies away, once the word gets around, the demand will grow.
Create the demand, and you will become the supply!
10.
Don’t Stop Now, Write Your Next Book
By
A. W. Clarke
While wrapping up my
book, I had ideas from time to time about a new story. Here I am a first time
writer and I already have plans for a second book! It’s a great idea to jot
down ideas on paper or on a voice recorder when you have them so that you might
be able to begin new literary works in the future. After all, why stop at one
book, when you have the talents and ideas to share new stories with the world!
So
after uploading my romance novel, I tried to stay in the frame of mind where I
set aside a bit of time to continue writing, be it small ideas or several
pages. I gathered any ideas I had for a new story and put together a broad
timeline for my next book. By putting together these new ideas into a timeline,
I now have a rough draft for another novel.
To be
honest, I did not create my first novel in this fashion-of following a rough
timeline. But I did find that creating this new story “skeleton”, it not only
urges me to continue writing my book, but also divides up the whole story into
smaller manageable chunks. Splitting a larger goal into smaller ones makes
achieving the goal less daunting, especially if you plan to put together
something several hundred pages in length.
So in
conclusion, I urge any new writer to set a final goal, divided into smaller
goals along the way. You may wish to make a check list for your literary
project. Oh, and tell people what you are doing (not what you eventually intend
to do). This way, the pressure is gently on you to be driven to accomplish your
goals.
Writing that book and being published is easier than
ever. See it as a bridge you plan to cross towards the reward at the end. The
bridge exists, providing the path to the tangible end result. Once you tell
someone you are going to cross that bridge, they will expect you to do it.
Finally, all left that is required, is your desire to cross! Do it step by step
and don’t rush. As long as you keep moving forward, at whatever speed, you will
reach the end!
Just
picture yourself holding that book in your hands and smiling! It worked for me,
and it can work for you too. Now stare down that bridge, and start walkin’!
Feel free to leave a comment or email me with some of your own questions and experiences in the book writing realm.
For more of my articles, just click on the tabs at the sides of my site page at awclarkenovels.com
In a world where millions of books are published yearly, self-promotion is necessary. But you're right, writing the next book is the most important aspect to your marketing plan.
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