It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. I encourage everyone to visit at least a dozen new blogs and leave a comment. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs.
Every month, the organisers announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. Remember, the question is optional!!!
April IWSG Day Question: Have you taken advantage of the annual A to Z Challenge in terms of marketing, networking, publicity for your book? What were the results?
Answer: No.
Truth is, I suck at marketing. I remember scoffing a few years back over a writer’s comment on LinkedIn, when he said he wouldn’t be doing any of his own marketing, he was ‘the talent.’ But, since then, I’ve barely done any marketing myself, so who am I to talk? It’s a big failing so I am outing myself, right here.
The reality for all of us as writers in today’s world is that more people are writing and publishing books than ever before in history, and fewer people are reading them. This from John Sargent, CEO of Macmillan: “There are fewer and fewer newspapers out there, and their audiences are shrinking. Discovery is an ever-growing problem. Big titles get bigger, and everything else gets harder and harder to find and sells fewer and fewer copies.”
Every writer, actor, model, artist, dancer, and musician in the current environment has to sell themselves through social media. We understand how it works and we do our bit to tweet things and share for our friends. Yet, I still have a visceral reaction when someone I’ve been talking to on sm for a while turns around and asks me to buy their book. Just this week, a friend I’ve been talking to and liking posts with, etc, for a year sent me a private message on Facebook asking me to buy her book, and help her book get off the ground by participating in a thunderclap campaign. There’s a part of me that wants to help her as a good person should, and there’s a part of me that’s pissed off with her now. It’s like; she’s betrayed my trust, so I won’t view her connection with me the same way again. I can’t quite get over that feeling of betrayal, and I don’t want to do it to other people.
It’s not that I haven’t tried to tackle marketing.
Five years ago, I read books on how to market myself as a new author. I started the blog. Tick. I set up my own website. Tick. I joined a bunch of social media sites and started chatting. Tick. I started compiling an email list and writing a regular newsletter. Tick. I made friends with everyone I met and traded details. Tick.
Yet, when my first book, ‘The Or’in of Tane Mahuta’ came out in 2015, not only did I not ask my friends to buy my book, I actually bought sixty copies and gave the books away. I posted packages to the really special friends I’d made on the net, all around the world. I thought I’m not going to make a penny out of this. And, I didn’t.
*This is not something I would advocate for those writers starting out, who are hoping to make a living out of their work, by the way.
This trait means I can’t quite seem to get over the hump between me as the writer and the speed bump of selling my book to my friends. Lucky for me, profit is not as high on my list of priorities. I go by the adage, when you realize you have enough there’s always plenty. I run a tight ship and I have enough so I don’t need more. I like to measure my success by my personal growth and the good friendships I have made along the way. The online writers community is amazing. My friends are so sustaining and caring. Right now, that’s more important.
I love this life of being a writer, and creating books. I’m editing my second book, ‘The Sasori Empire,’ and the message that comes through towards the end is how important his friendships are becoming to the hero, Aden. Interesting how life and one’s fiction often parallels, isn’t it?
How about you, what marketing do you do?
Talk to you later.
Keep on Creating!
Yvette K. Carol
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“If you don’t make mistakes you won’t make anything.” ~ Anon
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Yvette Carol, Author 
I think marketing for authors is way harder than for artists because ost art is bought by strangers apparently. You still habe to get it out there but knowing what to chat about on Twitter for authors must be tough. I think a consistent prescence is important but also can be exhausting and sometimes irritating. Do you know what really successful indies do. Do they tweet every day. I don’t know. What are you really into? Find hashtags of things that interest you on Twitter. I almost sold a painting to a Leafs fan the other day. Keep trying new things. Good luck!
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Wow, that’s great. You’re quite adventurous with new things, Catherine. You’re definitely doing something right.
I agree, self-promotion is a tough nut.
However, never fear, I shall carry on experimenting with the right approach 🙂
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Just remembered something effective and subtle. Changing your avatar to your book then you can talk about anything else you like and people still see your book.
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I hadn’t heard of that. Thanks! I’ll think about doing that when the next book comes out…
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Marketing is not my friend, but when going with an indie publisher I was never facing it alone. That helped so much. 🙂
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Yes, I guess that sounds like it has its perks, too. I like being an Indie at the moment, and haven’t submitted anything in about a year. I like being in control of everything, I’m a bit of a control freak, in that way 🙂
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