Marketing For Writers 101

For a lot of writers, marketing is one of those things that everyone hates. We tend to be an introverted lot, and marketing is just something that needs an extroverted mentality. We're good at tasks that require an individual to do things on their own, like researching, world-building, and even writing; we like going down some weird rabbit holes. Introspection and projecting what we find is our bread and butter, but sometimes we need to poke our heads out of the hole and interact with others.

If we want the fruit of our labors to be successful we need to get into a marketing mode, and it's a mode we'd prefer not to get into. This doesn't apply to just self-publishers; those working with a traditional publisher need to help market their books as well. Fortunately, there are some simple ways we can market our books, sometimes even effectively.

Selling Yourself

Readers tend to buy from writers to whom they relate. They just prefer to deal with real people, not mere abstractions; when you think about the great writers, most of them are pretty powerful personalities. Not necessarily people you would trust your kids with, granted, but it's their personalities we fell in love with, usually expressed through their writing, then when we researched them it sometimes caused us to fall even more in love with them, or at least respect them more. Usually.

Today we have social media and personal sites to impress others with our personalities, and this is where you need to start. People want to know what they consider "important details" about their writers; the problem is that what they consider "important" isn't the same as the writer. They want to know how many cats you have, what you think about the latest game, and what kind of movies you like; they want to know YOU, not your resume.

This means that you need to maintain some sort of presence on social media. Participate in groups, friend and follow others, and generally let people know you're a real person. You need to find the balance between obnoxious and invisible, and if you can figure that one out while becoming some sort of source (be it advice, humor, or just being there) you should do okay. Don't just post links, especially not to your own books; you want to post some links to your books, sure, but you need to have some posts that your personality and offer a glimpse into your personal life.

With that in mind, you need to settle on the sites you haunt. Pick two social media sites and go for them (Facebook, TikTok (look up BookTok), and Instagram are the usual favorites, but some presence on Reddit, Twitter, Linkedin, and Youtube are not completely bad ideas). Remember to post reasonably regularly and have some fun doing so; do that and when it's time to sell your book you'll have a crowd to sell to rather than just a few individuals.

Start With Some Sites

First, you should have a personal site if at all possible. This will act as a clearinghouse of news about you and your books, links to where others can buy your books and merchandise, and general information about you. Having a central site makes getting out the news about you that much easier. Past that, while you'll need to decide which sites publish your books, you should think about having accounts on Goodreads, Bookfunnel, Storygraph, Bookly, Bookbub, and NetGalley (if you can afford the price). The idea is to find sites that help you market your books and fit with your needs; remember that and you should do well.

Kicking Up The Visibility

You should also be looking to be interviewed. Start with your local news; send them a press release and they may take an interest in you. You should also work with local bookstores to do some book signings; depending on the book, you may not be limited to just bookstores (a book of drink recipes could do worse than an actual bar). You should also be looking around for podcasts and vidcasts that interview authors, especially when you have a new book coming out. There are even some sites (like PodcastGuests) where you can sign up so others can look for you as a guest.

Don't forget to send books to reviewers. If your book does well, then it should translate into sales. It may be a bit risky, but it can be worth it.

The Obvious Others

Then there are the things that need to be brought up. You're a writer, right? So why not use that to your advantage. Some blogs are always looking for guest writers, and while you're there you can plug your book. While these can be difficult gigs to find, they can work to your advantage. There's always just straight advertising, with numerous sites more than willing to help you find places where you can sell your book. Lastly, don't forget to create a mailing list; this can be an effective way to get news out as well as samples of your work.

There are plenty of ways to get the word out that you've got a book to sell. Pick methods that work for you and have some fun with them.