Over the last couple of months, I’ve used this Wednesday blog slot to talk about a lot of different things. Many of them have been marketing related, and many of them have been inspired by topics that self-publishing authors may find useful before the marketing process begins––for example, my series on e-readers––but I’d like to step back, if you will join me, and refocus on what has traditionally made Wednesdays on Self-Publishing Advisor unique.
I’d like to take us back to the basics of marketing for self-publishing authors. Where does an author new to self-publishing get started? How might an experienced indie author re-infuse a lackluster marketing campaign with new energy and more effective strategies for self-promotion? This is the heart and soul, the real meat, of what I want to get at here.
The first order of business is, of course, to listen:
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What topics would you like me to cover here?
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Where are your marketing methods running into trouble, and …
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Where are they succeeding?
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Where do you turn for advice and resources for self-promotion?
My first instinct is, of course, to launch us back into this subject with a defense of marketing for self-publishing authors, but … let’s face it: we’re already here. We’re already convinced that we need to sell our books, and we’re already fully aware that the heavy lifting falls on us as authors to make that happen. What’s useful––what’s really useful––is information on how to make marketing better, or more effective. Easier. We want, and need, the tips and tricks of the trade, without having to waste time on trial and error in a world (and a market) that waits for no man or woman.
And no, there’s never going to be a day when publishing and selling a book is as easy as clicking a button and sending it into the aether––for indie authors as well as traditionally-published authors––despite what all of the corporate jingles and advertisements would have us believe. There’s never going to be a day where we don’t have to pay for publication, whether we’re talking about sacrificing years of our time before release as well as our rights and royalties (as with traditional publishing), or whether we’re talking about sacrificing years of our time and energy after release to marketing and self-promotion (as with self-publishing), or whether we’re talking about sacrificing money to skip the lines but retain the professional marketing campaign (as with hybrid publishing).
There’s always a cost … but the payoff is worth it. We have to remember that. You have to remember the fact that there’s a book inside of you that needs to be read, that could indeed change someone’s life. And it will change your life, too, to know that your book is out there in the world and exists in a universe outside of your own mind. And that book is worth reading. It’s worth buying.
The trick is in getting the word out there. The trick is to raise awareness. And that is exactly what I’m going to help you do in the coming weeks as we dive back into the deep end of the Marketing Maelstrom that is … your life as a newly minted self-published author!
Thank you for reading! If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or contributions, please use the comment field below or drop us a line at selfpublishingadvice@gmail.com. And remember to check back each Wednesday for your weekly dose of marketing musings from one indie, hybrid, and self-published author to another. ♠
 ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Executive Vice President of Outskirts Press. In addition to her contributions to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com, Kelly and a group of talented marketing experts offer book marketing services, support, and products to not only published Outskirts Press authors, but to all authors and professionals who are interested in marketing their books and/or careers. Learn more about Kelly on her blog, kellyschuknecht.com. |
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