If you're busy like I am, and find that time to write and/or market is about as difficult to grasp as a rocket in flight, you'll want to read this post, because, truth be told, none of us who are writers have any time.
We're always cramming in the writing and marketing time, doing dishes and the bathroom toilet on the side; we're at our full-time job and come home only with the desire to put our feet up and veg in front of the television screen.
We hardly have time to write, let alone market what we write.
Or do we?
Perhaps we're thinking of big-time television spots, or long-winded radio opportunities. We may even think that if our book is good enough we won't need to market.
I hope not. I hope, instead, that we think of our marketing as a grand adventure, one not to be taken lightly, one in which we put one foot in front of the other until we reach our final destination; book sales, happy readers.
Knowing what our goal is, is only half the battle. We need to know how we're going to get there.
Start early.
Make sure your book cover is finished early (3 - 6 months before your book is released). You can use this cover every time you do an interview, ask for a review, put together a book trailer, etc.
Plan your day.
Don't spend an entire day marketing or an entire day writing if you can help it. Balance out the two pursuits so you won't feel overloaded in one direction or the other.
Stick to your plan.
It's easy, very easy for writers to get distracted. The phone rings. The dog poops on the carpet. We remember that we've signed up to help our local PTA. Honestly, so many writers (myself included) often forget that their writing is their career, not some last minute thing they do (like a hobby) when there's nothing else to fill their time.
If the distraction happens, and it will, take care of it, knowing at the back of your mind your marketing is waiting.
Do the easy stuff first.
Forget the spot on the Phil Donahue show. Think of the small (and realistic) things you can do NOW to get the word out about your book. Get online. See who is out there who offers author interviews, free advertising spots on their blogs, free book trailer templates (and yes, I have done all of these things for free). See what you can do in 15 minutes. Can you set up a book signing at your local grocery store? Can you write a short guest post? (At least the first draft?)
Keep going even when the going gets tough.
And it will. If someone tells you 'no' go on to the next someone, and keep going even when that negative review comes, or someone won't host you on their site (for whatever reason). Thank them and move on.
You are frantically busy, after all, right?
About the Author:
A River of Stones
Conquering Your Goliaths: A Parable of the Five Stones
Conquering Your Goliaths: Guidebook
The Feast: A Parable of the Ring
Scrambled: A Susan Cramer Mystery
Marketing Your Book on a Budget
website * publisher
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