Writing a book takes a lot of creativity. Who says business is any different! Here are some tips for Indie Authors, and some ideas about why they shouldn’t fear self-promotion!
You spent months crafting your manuscript into its final shape. You spent weeks, if not more months, polishing it into a beautiful print-ready work of art! The creativity doesn’t stop right there, and nor should the patience.
That isn’t the end of the “fun part”. In fact, I would argue that it is only the beginning!
Marketing your own work is exciting! Can it be challenging? Sure. Can it take a while? Yes. But, let that get your adrenaline going, just like opening a fresh new empty word document.
See you get to make all the decisions about how this goes. And you get to use the creative side of your brain to do it!
You don’t want to pay a fortune to market, GET CREATIVE and figure out some ways to market for free! See, we’re on to something here!
Audience
Marketing is basically just interactions you have with your target audience. You’re, likely, already doing this. So by getting creative, you can come up with a few ways to be more intentional and effective, and BAM you’re marketing your book all on your own.
Example:
Say you write YA fiction. So you need to have some intentional conversations with some young adults about your book. Try donating a copy of your book to the high school libraries in the towns near by and offer to speak to English classes, or creative writing classes about writing, publishing, etc… Chances are the English departments are going to be super excited about having a local author come and talk to the kids, and the kids will hear about your book, but also get more invested in you as a person, so BAM- fans.
They will go and tell their friends about the awesome speaker they had in class, maybe go and buy your book because you got them excited about it, or they just thought that you were cool, and just like that your word of mouth marketing takes off. Not a JK Rowling experience, but hey, it’s a start!
Side note: this is a great way to get local book stores to carry your book on their shelves because it is just about guaranteed business! Just tell them you’re going to be speaking in a few local schools, and you think it would be great if they had somewhere locally they could buy the book instead of ordering it off Amazon.
Example:
Say you don’t write YA fiction, but you write romance novels. So your target audience is less the teenager, and more the mom. Host a book club, or get involved with groups in your community that already exist, like a crafting club, or a group of women entrepreneurs in your community! Find out where your audience is already spending their time, and join them!
Example:
Say you write non-fiction or informative literature. Find an organization in your community that is related, and form a partnership. Volunteer or promote their organization with your work, and see if they will help you out in return! Mutually beneficial relationships are the goal of networking, so GET CREATIVE!
Platform
Get your name out there. Give people the opportunity to start associating your name with your book, or you as a writer. Instagram, Twitter, Snap Chat, Facebook… Depending on who your audience is, local papers or magazines are great, or if your audience is a little younger, go for a youtube channel or podcast.
You want to constantly remind people you exist, and you have a great book. It might take them a while to buy. People are busy, and their time is precious. Keep reminding them that you’re there. It takes someone and average eight times hearing something before it truly clicks and registers. So if you talked to someone about your book and they didn’t immediately buy it, that doesn’t mean they aren’t interested. It means they left that conversation and got distracted by life, and forgot. The more you remind people, the higher your chances are of them purchasing your book. That being said, don’t be spammy or obnoxious about it! 😉
Also, start an email list. Just do it. You can thank me later. Mail Chimp makes it stupid easy.
Creative Marketing Thrives
See the fact is, you have to be a creative person to market, so as a writer, you might actually be the perfect person to market your own book.
A lot of business minded people copy what everyone else is doing, because it seems to work.
BUT marketers who think outside the box are the ones who rise above all the noise and the constant clutter of ads that pass before people on a daily basis. Creative marketers not only grab people’s attention, but they produce memorable ads that make people think, get them engaged, and call them into action.
So go and be a brave, creative marketer! Who knows, maybe you were actually made for this!
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