Quote:
Originally Posted by jrrada
Lizardbeast, I've been self-publishing since 2000. Before that, I had a couple books published with mid-size publishers. One of the reasons I decided to self-publish is that I realized authors could do everything on their own and keep the part of the purchase price that goes to the publisher, agent, press agent, etc. That said, marketing has been one of the hardest things for me to do.
A couple of general observations that I've seen over the years. 1) Try anything once or twice. I have been at book festivals where no one sold a book and other events that wouldn't seem like a match for me where I sold well. It's a continuous culling process. Keep what works and throw out what doesn't. 2) The more you put yourself out there, the more opportunities will come your way. For instance, when I do events, I do it for more than selling books. I meet fans. I get ideas. I network with other writers who can become future editors and beta readers for me. I get invitations to other events. Plus, I tend to see my sales spike for a couple days afterwards from people who saw my books but decided to try and buy them cheaper elsewhere. 3) You've got to develop a habit to do a little bit every day. I tends to add up and you'll see the results start to build.
Those are just some of my observations. Other people may have their two cents to add in.
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Thanks, Jrrada! Sounds like great advice. My biggest problem is not knowing where to start. There's a fine line between spamming and getting your name/work out there. I went to a writing conference once to meet an agent. She wouldn't have anything to do with my book because it's in the horror genre.
Plus, my being an introvert, a recluse and a social anxietic doesn't help matters either lol. It's ironic... I became a writer partly because I'm not good at speaking or communicating; but in this day and age, that's what a writer has to do to get anywhere.
I do get your advice! I'm going to try harder (and smarter) from now on :)