Marketing

To many people marketing is a dirty word. It used to be something that authors wouldn’t stoop to do. Their publisher was in charge of marketing until they figured out that only the top percentage of books get any marketing budget at all. And, marketing is actually a good thing. It’s how we all discover books and other products that we want to try. We see the title in the grocery or bookstore. We see it in a magazine. Most importantly we hear about it from our friends.

Many people say they find out about books on Good Reads or BookBub. Online sales have skyrocketing. People are reading electronic books. They can store a lot of books online. There’s almost no limit to the number of books you can have. They don’t take up space in your house on bookcases that fall apart under the weight. I have a basement lined with books. I have discovered many of my books through word-of-mouth recommendations. Others were found browsing a bookstore. Only a few were found in a magazine or news article. Some were given to me as gifts.

So marketing is a good thing for writers and readers. It brings them together. One way of marketing is through banners and headers on social media sites. Through blogs like this one. Through paid ads that come to your email or appear on social media like Facebook. Offering free products, free books or chances to enter a contest.

A smart author will want to make sure that his/her intended audience knows the book is available. They will pick an attractive cover that says what the book is about, like this is a historical mystery involving Abraham Lincoln, so that readers who might like that sort of thing can try it. They might offer a free chapter or short story so the reader can try it and see it is the kind of story they would like.

I have not only my own stories to advertise and get the word out about but my mentor and friend Edward Bryant. I need to make sure readers know they can still find his work and introduce new readers to his work. It’s a challenge. Keep reading.