Monday Marketing: Let's Talk Promotion

Let's talk promotion, before and after publication. Promoting yourself before you are published is only going to help you find your readership when you are published. Many of the ideas we cover here might have already been covered in previous posts. However, I do believe they are just as important.

Let's look at the alliances that we have built. By being in an association you're going to make friends or allies out of like-minded people. These people are going to benefit you while you're trying to build your name. Some of these associates are going to be published already or in the process of being published. Likewise, some of them will just be starting out just like you and it's always good to someone on your side.

How can a published author help a new author promote themselves? Published authors are going to have connections that an aspiring author does not have. The benefit of having these allies is that they can make introductions that will come in handy in the future. Also working with published authors while you are still aspiring to be an author, gives you insight  as to what is to come.

Take a look at a published author's website, blog, Facebook, and Twitter. Get a good feel of how they interact with their readers. If an author he has a good following that interacts with them well go look at their sales totals. You might find they go hand-in-hand. Imagine applying that knowledge before you're published. Take the time to engage future readers on your blog specifically. Start interviewing authors, industry professionals, and other aspiring authors. Twitter is a great place to find other authors who would like to promote themselves on your blog. Published authors are always looking for either reviews, interviews, or even a place to guests post to show off their work. Trust me, there are plenty of readers out there for everyone. Sharing a day of your blog is not going to harm your chances any. What people remember is that you are willing to help others and they will be willing to help you. This is going to be a great point why you're trying to find a publisher.

Basically, being interactive with the general public and other professionals in the industry is only going to help your promoting yourself before you are published. Getting your name out there, getting your work out there, and helping others is going to help you make a name for yourself prior to publication. 

Once you are published you will find whether self published, small house published, or traditionally published you will need to do a lot of promotion on your own. Having already done some of the footwork you will find this a much easier process. If you already have a website, Facebook, Twitter, and an active blog you will be able to dive in and begin to promote your work.

How to promote your work you might ask, very carefully. Twitter is it great place for very brief advertisements, if you will. This is a fast paced place where people can see your work very quickly and follow it if they feel drawn to it. Do your homework, find out which hashtags best suit your certain publicity. Are you releasing? Are you on sale? Think about how you want your readers to find you. Cruise  through Twitter and see how other authors whom you have followed have used their tweets to their benefit.

Remember those authors that you made alliances with, well now's the time to see if they can help you. Many times authors will have to set up their own booksignings at bookstores. Bookstores like to sell more books. How do they do that? The more authors that are in their store promoting their books the more books they sell. By having a published author introduce you around and help you get signings you already have one foot in the door.

Again social media is going to be one of your friends during this time. Engage your readers with trivia, contest, and daily intriguing banter. Pushing your book all the time is actually not going to help your promotion. If they think they will just be seeing "ads" for your books they aren't going to want to hang around. Be personable.

Why do I push social media? First this is where the world comes together. Second...it's free! There are a million places to spend your money. Bookbub is going to be one of your greatest dollars spent, but you have to be discounted, and you have to have a certain number of reviews, AND its expensive! BUT you get what you pay for! However, a well managed social media campaign, for free, or even online blog tours is not that expensive. Look for reputable sites who offer a good deal of stops for a good prince. Make sure to check out their list of blogs who host. An erotic site hosting a christian author is not a good use of your money. Social media is worldwide...eBooks are worldwide. Passing out flyers, that's only going to get your neighbors. (That has its place.)

Truly, get your name out there now. People like to be on the forefront so that when you are published they can say, "I knew them when..."

Happy Promoting!
Bernadette Marie