Book Marketing for Dummies: How Do I Start?

By J.A. (Julie) Kazimer

On March 1^st, along with a few other awesome RMFW writers who have upcoming releases this week, I will bear a new book. Now I’m not going to push my NEW NOVEL – BEST WRITTEN ONE EVER, on you. Nope, this post is about something more. It’s about how we choose to market our work, and how we market ourselves.

Writers, by our very nature, usually hate marketing (with a few fabulous exceptions that we all love and secretly hate). We are often introverts, who spend many days killing off ex-lovers or those who we think, maybe, possibly have wronged us, in very painful ways (my personal favorite is staples, lots and lots of staples).

So what is an agoraphobic to do when faced with a new book release?

Crying comes to mind, but alas, I must wipe my tears and start the uphill battle of forcing everyone I know to read, let alone, buy a copy of my book. Did I tell you it’s a great fast-paced romance with twists and turns, plus lots of hot, monkey sex?

The question now becomes, how do I get people, strangers mostly, to shell out five bucks for a book with my name on it?

Since I write in many genres, this latest release happens to be my first romantic suspense, the various ways I promoted my fairy tale humor series aren’t going to work for this book.

So I need a new plan.

Sadly, there are no one-size-fits-all marketing plans or in many ways an ideal publishing platform. What works for me, may not work for you. Many times marketing plans are specific to genres, and audience types. For example, it makes little sense to advertise in a hard copy magazine if your book is only available in ebook format or to spend your energy trying to get booksignings if your book is not mass distributed.

However, there are a few things every writer should do when marketing:

–           Be genuine:

• No matter what marketing platform or media you use make sure you stay true to yourself and your readers. People know when you are phoning it in. If you choose social media, then be social. Don’t spam people.

–          Make a plan:

• Marketing is easy if you have no plan. You just throw everything you have against the wall, and hope something sticks. And then what? Let’s say something sticks, but without a plan, you have no idea what exactly that something might have been.

–          Accept the outcome:

• Very few authors become overnight sensations. Just because you do all the ‘right’ marketing for your book, doesn’t mean it will sell. And if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. Work on your next book. Don’t get trapped by your own marketing.

–          Enjoy the ride:

•  You’ve worked hard on your book. You’ve worked hard marketing your book. Now is the time to appreciate your efforts. If you don’t take time to smell the rosy words, all the sales in the world won’t make you happy. Rich, sure, but satisfaction is what keeps us slopping through revision after revision, keeps us up writing late at night, and, in the end, pushes us to secede through all the rejection.

Any marketing advice you want to share? Or perhaps a book, you’d like to pimp in the comments? Give some links.

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J.A. (Julie) Kazimer lives in Denver, CO. Novels include CURSES! A F***ed-Up Fairy Tale, Holy Socks & Dirtier Demons, Dope Sick: A Love Story and FROGGY STYLE as well as the recently released, The Assassin’s Heart, and the upcoming mystery series, Deadly Ever After from Kensington Books. J.A. spent years spilling drinks as a bartender and then stalked people while working as a private investigator.

Learn more at www.jakazimer.com or on her writerly talk blog More Than a Little F***ed Up. She can also be found (way too much of the time) on Twitter as @jakazimer and on Facebook as Julie Kazimer.