By Mark Antony Rossi
The sad reality is most writers do not possess the marketing know-how or even the people skills necessary to promote their projects. Gone are the days where you can hammer a typewriter half naked in a robe and expect a publishing company to practically cradle to grave your manuscript.
The democratization of publishing has produced a flood of writing through electronic books, print on demand and interactive blogging. The high castles of print who reigned supreme over the land of literary pursuits are mostly in retreat. Vanquished by nepotism and elitism the publishing houses held back generations of writers seeking to add their voice to a changing society.
The current DIY environment is exactly that: Do It Yourself. After the final edit of your manuscript it’s time to put forth a marketing plan. The choice you make, self publish or traditional publishing, has little impact on the urgency of getting the word out. You will be required to market your book frequently, creatively and aggressively for the next six months to a year.
The following are but a few methods to market your work:
Internet:
Book reviews and interviews carried by literary publications.
Guest blog on blogging sites that allow you to plug your book.
Get internet book clubs to talk about your book ( usually a few idea to give them a few free copies)
Social Media:
Facebook — create an author page to start build a following. Release a chapter or create a contest to give a few copies of boom away.
Create a book page and send some time explaining the book, providing links to publishers, book reviews and interviews. Facebook also has a $5 boost which sends your page to 1,000 Members. I know Writers who swear by this marketing program and literally sell hundreds of books for only a few dollars.
Join Facebook groups that focus on books, genre, reading, ebooks etc. Learn to submit your cover art, a short description and publishing link. Also befriend fans, future friends and other writers who may also spread the word.
Join other social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram and Linked In. There are dozens of others but building a network of places to showcase your work is critical to sales.
Radio Shows:
Many radio shows are internet based and use Skype to conduct video and/or audio interviews with writers. Trick is to align your book to their general themes like romance, crime drama, paranormal or science fiction. You may be get 30 to 60 minutes to talk about their genre and how that links with your book. These shows always promote books even after the interview is over by displaying the book cover and publishing link. You will receive a link to the interview afterwards which you can use in the next few months to publicize your book.
Podcasts are becoming all the rage on the internet and they are often more diverse in topic than radio shows. There are a few that will exclusively focus on books. And like radio the link can be used to promote your work into the months ahead.
A simple Google research effort will reveal what radio and podcasts are available for you to explore. Examine each show and pay particular attention to when it appears during the week. There are shows scheduled at midnight or unusual times or time zones. Consider some shows tape live and others tape and play at another day and time. It might seem like I’m stating the obvious but the show’s schedule is important to ensure you will be available for the interview.
Writing is more than writing in the digital age. You must be willing to put yourself to the emotional hazard if you are to be even a modest success. For those of us compelled to compose thoughts and feelings on a blank page — marketing is but another vital journey on the road to literary accomplishment.
About the Author: Mark Antony Rossi is a poet, playwright and author of the bioethics volume “Dark Tech” now available from Amazon. His most recent plays have been produced in Liverpool and New York.
http://ethical-stranger.webnode.com/
http://arielchart.blogspot.com
Indian Periodical
Indian Periodical
