How to Market for Success

Dickens didn’t need a twitter handle. Hemingway had no facebook. Bronte blogging? I don’t think so. The great scribes of previous generations had it easy. Yeah, I said it. They spent a lifetime focused on writing. No distractions from technology. Hello? They were too busy making sure their candles didn’t burn up their hardcopy papers!

Today is different. In many ways, it’s a prime environment for writers. And because of that, instead of being the token writer in your village or maybe even within a hundred miles, you can now instantly connect with hundreds and thousands of other people who have also written a book. Intimidated yet?

Perhaps in the past you would have been published by noble prestige or through a family friend, but now you have work at it. Hard. Either you labor over your query hoping it catches an agent’s eye, or you bypass it all together and brave the turbulent waters of independent or self publishing. Either way, the sea is packed with fish. In a landscape of endless writers, how do you stand out and catch the reader’s eye?

DO’s:

Be Professional: Create a presence that says to others that you are a professional, damnit!  Invest in a website that displays your works or achievements. Not only will this boost your credibility, but it’ll also boost your confidence.

• Join Social Media Sites– A great way to develop this persona is by involving yourself in social media sites. Get on as many as possible that make sense to your specific route of choice. Traditional? Pick and choose based on your goals. Self/Indie? Be where the readers are.
• Have a Blog– This step is in the same vain as being present on the web, but slightly more specific. If your novel’s topic is niche or broad, this creates a location for you to display your talents and expertise.

Remain Active: It’s all well and good to create these profiles across several domains, but if you sign up and drop out, that won’t do any good. To see a return on your investment, you have to be active and present. Create relationships with your readers and other writers. Engage the community and they will respond.

DON’Ts:

Oversell: The worst way to gain attention is to beg for it. Don’t use social media or your blog to force your book down people’s throats with constant hard-sell posts. It’s obnoxious. And it’s the quickest way to be unfollowed, unfriended, unliked and so forth.

Ignore Reviews: Once your product is out there, people will interact and express their feelings. Some may love your work, others may not. Pay careful attention to reviews or comments that are critical. Remember: feedback paves the road to success.

Belittle Yourself: If you doubt yourself or your work, you aren’t giving readers or peers a reason to believe in you. Saying your story won’t appeal to everyone is a given. Highlight its best qualities and promote those.

There’s no surefire way, as if there was, all writers would be enjoying the six-figure return of their hard work. However, if you adhere to these simple do’s and don’ts, your chances of hooking readers will definitely increase.