A to Z - All Things Writing: Marketing

Welcome to the Blogging A to Z Challenge, where, this month, I'll be focusing on all things writing. This may be a random jumping around of topics within my theme, but hopefully something somewhere will be useful to someone. (V is for vague - see that last sentence.) Check out all the participants here . Now, lets get on with today's letter.

M is for Marketing

You might be one of those rare outgoing writers who loves marketing, but most of us would rather bang out words in the quiet comfort of our writing caves. We're not always super fond of talking to people in, you know...person. Not to mention having to put ourselves out there online, where we can pretend to be social from the comfort of our computers. Some days it feels like the only way to get your book seen is by spamming every soul you know with posts about your book. No one likes to spam people.

So how do you get your book out into the world where it might actually sell? Again, I wish I had all the answers here, but I'm struggling through it all just like most of us are.

There's book boast, instafreebie, reading deals, freebooksy, and countless other sites out there. Some will cost you, others are free. 

Those Facebook groups are a good go to for marketing as well. Find some group giveaways or sale groups for your genre. Most are free and only require you to send the sale out to your mailing list.

Get a mailing list. Easier said than done, but yes, work at it. 

Establish a web presence somewhere that you're comfortable and will actually use. You don't have to be everywhere, but do be somewhere that people can find you, be that a Facebook page, website, blog, twitter, or whatever else. Post there now and then so people know you're alive and will be more inclined to click when you have something to promote.

Connect with other authors in your area, be that your city or region or state. This is another place that those Facebook groups come in handy. Network with those authors, and see what they're doing that is successful. Do events with them and watch them in action. Discover what works best for you.

Get out there and sell your book. Attend author events. You can set up your own signing, and that's a great thing for a book launch, but also attend events with other authors. If you have twenty authors of various genres all bringing in book lovers to shop, you are greatly widening your prospective audience. Don't have one in your area? Organize one. Work with a local bookstore or venue that already has foot traffic coming in. I've done events in a retail store, library, theatre, farmers market, workshops, and at cons. If there are people who read going to be there, it's a good place to set up shop.

Find a few blogs and Facebook book loving people who will feature your book. 

Find local bookstores who will take your book to sell. 

There are radio, newspapers and tv for the more outgoing and ambitious.

Know what your book is about in a quick sentence or two. Be able to speak about your book without tripping over your own tongue. It does get easier the more you do it. 

What marketing strategies have worked for you?

Would you like a free e-book? This April, I'm giving away free copies of my new anthology, Destiny Pills & Space Wizards. Claim your copy here: https://claims.instafreebie.com/free/vhJFWpLL Enter code atozpromo

Prefer paperback? The print book goes live on April 20. Reviews are always appreciated.