The best way to sell something – don’t sell anything. Earn the awareness, respect, & trust of those who might buy.
Rand Fishkin
When you start writing the last thing you think about is how you're going to market your books. Leaving a lot of writers in fear and trepidation as to what's involved, and how much time it will take.
The best way to conquer your marketing fear is by changing your mindset.
Here are five points to put your brain into marketing mode:
1. Marketing Is All About Finding Like-Minded Readers Who Will Appreciate Your Books
When the internet started it gave writers a chance to connect with their readers through social media, and paved the way for a new kind of marketing.
Today marketing is all about connecting with your audience, not just sell sell sell all of the time.
At the end of the day people prefer authenticity to falseness.
Ultimately you need to be on the same page as your reader before they'll buy your book, and people will start to buy when they start trusting the author.
2. If You're a Self-Published Author The Amount of Success You Get is Solely On Your Shoulders
Even if you've signed on the dotted line to be published by a well-known publishing house you still need to show up for book signings and events. It's even more important for a self-published author who markets their own work.
Once your book has been published the marketing starts, and you need to make sure you stand-out from the crowd. If you don't start making it now you never will.
3. Marketing Doesn't Need To Be Dull, It Can Be an Inspirational Experience
As I said earlier, in today's digital world you can make your marketing more personal. Authors have lots of different ways of connecting with their audience.
Some people take pictures, others make videos, some people share pictures of their pets. All of these things show a more human side to the author.
There are so many platforms online that use different ways to share an author's work.
Platforms like Wattpad, where you can share extracts from fiction and nonfiction books. Goodreads where you can share your love of reading.
Marketing Is The Key To Making Money From Your Books
These days writers need to be a jack of all trades to make money, and writing is just a part of that formula.
You need marketing to:
- Grow your audience and build your brand.
- Adapt your writing to suit your audience.
- Sell, sell, sell.
4. Writing and Marketing Work Hand in Hand
Both writing and marketing are about understanding what your audience wants. A really good writer will be able to resonate with readers, just like a good marketer.
5. Never Stop Learning
If you have a thirst for learning like me, you'll understand the whole process of self-publishing is an experience that can take a long time to master.
Marketing is just one of the skills a self-publisher requires when they start out writing. Over the years I've made lots and lots of mistakes, but once you start to get to grips with what's required and needed things start falling into place.
There are hundreds of successful authors online, and people who have made it, and you can look to for help. The internet is a library of information that's there for the taking.
One person's success model doesn't equal someone else's. You have to tailor your efforts to suit your business.
Here are three points to think about when you're marketing:
1. Don't think about the hard sell, think about how you can serve your audience.
2. Think about how you can give make your readers lives' better.
3. Get feedback from your audience by asking them what they would like to see in blog posts and books.
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