A Refresher on Marketing For Authors!

Marketing should be every author’s good dream but for most, it is the opposite.

Writers just want to do what they love best, write forget about the rest. Marketing is a necessity to get notice by your target audience and contributes to product sales.

I believe it is not that writers don’t want to market, but some don’t have the confidence. They believe they will not do it effectively, and lack the knowledge. Even if you define yourself as having an introverted personality, you can still market.

It is also important to have belief in you and your product in order to be effective. Don’t allow other people’s perceptions of your creativity to put you off, know with God all things are possible.

Here are the main marketing tips to help you get started in the right direction.

Learn about your target audience. Where do they mostly socialise especially on social media. Learning about your target audience could help you structure your marketing plan in the right direction, and help you to focus and pinpoint where to introduce your product effectively.

Learn about the subject. There is nothing wrong in gaining knowledge on a subject that you might not be familiar with. There could be valuable pointers that you could pick up along the way, or redirect you constructively with your plans. They are marketing courses online, or you could even ask fellow writers for advice. Don’t be afraid to expand your knowledge in this area.

Have a marketing expenditure. Most authors do not want to spend money, especially if they are self-published. But if you can find someone or a company that can help you further your product then there is nothing wrong in paying for that service. You can’t do everything by yourself; sometimes you need that extra push to help you along the way. Yes do your research especially if you’re looking into book publicists, and what you feel is value or comfortable to pay, but don’t always go it alone or do it for free, sometimes the free stuff won’t always give you the extra boost you need. 

Collaborate with others. The great news is that writers are starting to collaborate with each other, and doing multi-author projects. Before it did not use to be like this, but I believe writers are starting to see the importance of unity and supporting each other, no longer looking at the other as competition. Everyone has their own unique way of doing things, and success is there for everyone for the taking. Collaborating with others can also help grow your creditability and your brand.  

Have fun, fun, fun. This is very important. Don’t see marketing as a chore, enjoy the experience. You may make some mistakes along the way but see it as a lesson, not as something to beat yourself up or get frustrated about. If you see it as a chore, you will make it an unpleasant experience and it doesn’t need to be.

Happy writing.  

Written by: Vanessa of The Authors’ Care