At a recent #IWSG confab, I was whining to online friends about the difficulty of marketing my books. I got a long list of great comments, both on the blog and via emails from writers who have suggestions that worked well for them.
I shared these on my blog and now want to share them with you so we can build the conversation, I chose a Google Spreadsheet for its ease of viewing and curative approach. If you’re familiar with Excel, it’s quite like that, but easier to share out and collaborate on.
Using this method, we can:
- read everyone’s thoughts
- share ideas by clicking the link and adding contributions to the bottom of the spreadsheet (it’s set to share and edit)
- repost the spreadsheet to your blog where you collect ideas from your readers. Those will automatically be updated on this post’s spreadsheet (and Today’s Author readers’ contributions will appear on your blog). If we can repost this to lots of blogs, the list should become a comprehensive litany of what we writers do to get the good word out.
What have you done that’s worked? What are you going to try? Just click this link:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GLOj04FF6OPkgzGInGFK78vExz_Yjto_ECLCfq9EBRg/edit?usp=sharing
…and append your ideas to the bottom row. And, please reshare either by reblogging this post or grabbing the spreadsheet and sharing that way.
I can’t wait to see how much we’ll all learn from each other!
More on marketing:
4 Reasons You Want a PLN and 13 Ways to Build One
Top Ten Marketing Tips for Your Ebook
5 Top Steps to Market Your Books this Summer
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman
Today's Author 
Jacqui, this is a fabulous tool that everyone can use but not everyone is as generous as you. Thank you for creating it. sharing it, and encouraging everyone to use it.
I’m expecting lots of additions from you, Shari. I know for a fact you have great ideas.
Some good ideas there. Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure. Do you have any to add?
Just added one that I didn’t see.
That’s a great one–Goodreads author page. Of course. And your Amazon author page.
wow – there are enough ideas there you keep you busy a long time. I don’t have any new ideas, but getting out in front of an audience is always good. Indie book stores often will have ‘meet the author’ events or you could find local groups who share an interest with your subject and do a talk for them. Both my church and my marquetry group will bring in folks who written books we are interested in to talk with us (we always let them sell copies after the talk). Also I attend a local poetry group that each month features a poet reading from their latest book. Don’t wait for an invite, I’ve found out that authors for a number of these were, “self invited.” That is the found our group and sent an inquiry asking if we’d be interested. Just a thought from me and something I been thinking about doing when my poetry book is ready for marketing.
Good ideas. A lot of authors love the presentation/book signings. Me, I find them frightening. I may have to get over it, though!
I’ve been working for a year on a book about the expat life. A pithy relatable, I can help you type book where each chapter is a page with dilemmas and advise. I think it’s pretty great. Friends think it’s long overdo (we expats have needed support for a while now) and a publisher in the UK loves it and will market it and produce it for 3,000 dollars. I always thought the idea was to make income writing a book….but I don’t know if I have loads of options. My book is in a niche market and Summertime publishing caters to this exact market (has contacts around the world). I’m not sure what to think? Any thoughts on spending money to produce your book?
I mostly think of writing as a hobby. Adults have no qualms about spending money to improve their golf, take cooking classes, meet with kindred souls–why not writing? Most of us, it won’t get beyond hobby but there’s always that carrot that makes a miracle possible.
I’ll be spending money to produce my book. It took me a while to get my head around that, but I’m OK with it now.
That is reassuring to hear. I felt great about writing the book and then disheartened by the reality that I’d need to spend money to get it published. But you’re right, that’s the price of art. It’s worth the investment. I don’t golf;)