Marketing is hard work... no really it takes effort. Those who have celebrity status may not have the same difficulty with marketing their work but little old me who has only a handful publishing credits doesn't fair so well. It can downright make me grumble. Here is what I have learned, my own marketing 101 if you will.
1. Marketing is a full time gig. Whether you are giving a 20 second statement to a peer about what you do for a living or you are meeting with your printer to do a flier on your new book you must think about how, when, and where you can market your newest work and also yourself with every contact you make.
2. Marketing can take up so much time that you don't get enough writing time. It may take up so much time that you actually feel resentful because between websites, blogs, and networking you don't feel like a writer anymore but more like a PR spokesperson. And the truth is, you are.
3. Marketing one published work will continue well into the next project promotion if you want that published work to keep selling. You also must start marketing the newest project well before it is published to continue building your writing platform. It feels like a continuous motion similar to the endless moving sidewalks in those huge airports. One leads to the next and finally you get to your terminal.
4. You need to set marketing boundaries and as an author, you need to rest and refresh. Realistically decide what percent of your day should be writing and what should be marketing and networking. Design your day and your work week with those boundaries in mind and include a portion for rest and rejuvenation.
Marketing can be fun but it is also time sucking hard work. Seek advice from experts in the field of marketing the written word and some of those experts are right here at our fingertips. Soak up the information in their books and on their websites and sign up for their newsletters. Join a critique group that will help steer you to the right contacts or who will write reviews of your work or share your name with those who might need your services. And the most important part of marketing is to believe in yourself and your work. That is not being arrogant but confident, and that will make the marketing of yourself a tad bit easier.
5 comments:
So true Terri! I'm doing a whole rethink of this topic at the moment. It is SO time consuming--and yet 100% necessary. But there has to be a balance.
Terri, great advice and insight. I'm constantly struggling with finding a balance between writing and book marketing. It does take discipline.
Well said, Terri. Very true.
Good post, Terri. I agree - especially on the need to set boundaries (after all, the best way to market your old books is by promoting a new one), Marketing smart is one thing I've learned - automating, pre-posts, using checksheets, limiting time-consuming and low value marketing (so easy to get lost in those), and marketing in places where readers keep coming all helps.
Great advice!
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