Day 4 in Carving Our Own Destiny! Today is another fun-filled educational day. First up is Ms. Courtney Cole, author of Every Last Kiss which is up for grabs in our Prize Pack Giveaway. Our lunch time post today will list all TWELVE books we’re giving away this week, and let me tell you, they rock!
Remember, to enter the contests all you have to do is leave a comment on any post (each comment = one entry), tweet any post (be sure to include me @EndingUnplanned), and if you hop over to any of our author Amazon pages and ‘like’ them, let me know in the comments and you will get two entries. Easy.
Now, let’s learn how to Market those Best Sellers, shall we?
Marketing as an Indie
Marketing as an Indie author is so key to being successful that it actually leaves quite a few Indie writers shaking in their boots, so intimidated by the whole thing that they are afraid to try, well, anything. I am here to tell you that even though it’s super important, it is nothing to be afraid of.
Let’s start out by establishing what marketing actually is. When it boils down to it, marketing is simply getting your product in front of people. And when I say ‘your product’, I mean everything your product entails, which would include you.
One of the most important things you can do as an author is to get out in front of your readers. Set up accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Shelfari and Goodreads and use them. Interact with your fans—although I wouldn’t suggest constantly pushing your book. Instead, just be normal. Talk with them, laugh with them, show off your personality so that they like you. People tend to buy things from people that they like. If there are appropriate times to push your book, do it. But mainly, just make sure you are out there. And this goes without saying, but you should have a blog established already just for this purpose.
After you yourself are out there mingling, you need to think of ways to get your book in front of people. Depending on your audience, advertising can be effective, but as an indie, it might not be in your budget. Facebook and Goodreads both have pay-per-click advertising options. Some have said that they are effective and some have said just the opposite. I would suggest simply trying it for yourself. You can set your own price based on your marketing budget. If it works, awesome! Do it again. If not, abandon that idea.
Something else that has historically been effective for Indie authors is being interviewed by book reviewers/bloggers. It is free, it gets you and your book in front of readers and so that is always a good thing. The problem with this one is that everyone has caught onto it, so the reviewers/bloggers have HUGE to-be-read piles and may or may not have time to review your book or interview you. But you should definitely try. Research which blogs would be a great fit for your book and then contact them. You can even set up a virtual book tour by scheduling a whole list of blogs that you will make an appearance on.
Run contests. People love to win things. Put your book on a Goodreads giveaway, run a contest on your blog and give away a signed copy. Not too long ago, I ran a contest on Twitter—I was at 640 followers and I said that when I reached 700, I would give away a signed book. I reached 700 in two days time. Contests always generate interest. This contest accomplished two things- I gained Twitter followers and a copy of my book found its way into another readers hands. If she likes it, she will probably tell someone and that is great- word-of-mouth is the most effective tool that we have in our arsenal.
On that note, make sure you write good work. If you do, people will talk about it. In a good way. If you don’t, people will also talk about it- but not in the way you are aiming for. Please edit your work. Then edit it around four more times before you release it. As indies, we need to turn around the negative opinions that are floating out there about us. Most of us are indies because we want to be, not because we’re ‘not good enough’ to be traditionally published. We need to show the world that our work is just as good as the big guys- by editing, formatting correctly and taking the time to write awesome work. When we write awesome work, people will notice and word will spread.
Marketing is simply answering this question: How can I get my work in front of my customers? Marketing shouldn’t be thought of as some massive, challenging animal. It’s actually pretty fun. You just have to open your mind up and think of fun things to do to generate interest in you and your book. That’s really all it is.
Courtney Cole is a novelist who, given the choice, would rather write than eat chocolate (although she seriously hopes that she is never forced to choose).
After earning a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Indiana Wesleyan University, she discovered that no amount of working in the corporate world could quell her urge to write. Every Last Kiss is her debut novel, followed closely in January 2012 by the second book in the series.
Courtney lives in Mishawaka, Indiana with her real-life Prince Charming, her ornery kids (there is a small chance that they get their orneriness from their mother) and a small domestic zoo.
