Wallowing in obscurity can be frustrating. Well, not so much the obscurity part, but the poverty part that goes with it. I don’t have a big enough following to get Kindle Scout’s attention like Martin Crosbie did. I don’t have the energy or the time to put out a zillion books a year like Lynne Cantwell or Melissa Pearl. But what I do have is a defective, devious brain that can calculate and scheme and come up with an out-of-the-box marketing plan. Yes, I know RJ Crayton recently warned against these kinds of longshots. But really – this one will work – I just know it. Continue reading “My Brilliant Book Marketing Scheme”
Tag: indie book marketing
Book Marketing and Social Media: Do I Have to?
Indies Unlimited recently received a letter from a reader packed full of questions about social media and book marketing. Should I join Twitter? Do I need a newsletter? My book won’t be released for another year; should I start marketing now?
Shawn Inmon wrote a very helpful post covering various marketing strategies he’s found to be useful and that he wishes he’d begun sooner. But as the minions sat around the gruel pot discussing the issue, I brought up the possibility that a “nay” post might be in order to share a different point of view. Continue reading “Book Marketing and Social Media: Do I Have to?”
Know Where You’re Going … Before You Get There
There’s a story from years ago, the truth of which may or may not be factual, that goes like this. Albert Einstein boarded a train and flopped into a seat, his wild hair unmistakable to the other passengers. A conductor worked his way down the aisle, collecting tickets while Einstein fidgeted in his seat checking pocket after pocket. He seemed a bit frantic as the conductor neared, but the ticket taker put a hand on his shoulder, leaned down and said quietly, “That’s okay. I know who you are.” Continue reading “Know Where You’re Going … Before You Get There”
Word of Mouth – An Urban Myth?
Guest Post
by Pedro Barrento
Ever since I’ve become a self-published author, I’ve heard people telling me that the secret to self-publishing success is “word of mouth”. If your book is good enough, and if you can somehow start that magical chain of recommendations, the whole thing will spread like a cascade of dominoes on a Guinness World Record attempt.
I accepted the advice in good faith, and started working hard to kick-start my first book by finding an initial set of sympathetic readers who would then tell their friends about my literary masterpiece. It all seemed rather intuitive and made perfect sense to me: one person likes the book, tells a couple of friends, they like the book, mention it to several other people and so on. You don’t need to be very proficient in math to see the geometric progression potential and to salivate at the promise of chart-topping sales. Continue reading “Word of Mouth – An Urban Myth?”