The Best Marketing Tool Is You

Every author has their own approach to marketing, and if you sit at any conference, I am sure you will find a lot of them that will sit you down and talk for hours about how "their" approach is really the best and the only way to market your book. And you know what, they are right. It is a perfect approach for them.  The deal is, there is simply no right or wrong way of marketing your book and you have to find the right fit for you.

No, let me correct something there. I said there is no wrong approach. There really is a wrong approach and that would be sitting back and hoping your publisher does all of the work and that  your readers will mysteriously find you on the internet. That, my friends, is not a great approach... But enough of that, let's get back to the "right" approaches.

I did hear one writer talk about marketing once (at least I think it was an author but that doesn't matter). The comment was simple. If your neighbor, the person you meet everyday at the mailbox, doesn't know you are a writer, you are doing a bad job of marketing. In other words, you tell people you write. Don't be afraid of it! Hey, you worked long and hard on that book and you should be darn proud of what you did. Tell everyone. Tell the clerks at the bank when you drop off that advance you got for your first book. Tell the clerks at the grocery store. Tell the people at church! I do have to say, the church one is really funny because it is a riot when the little old lady that you thought would do no harm is reading your hot and sexy romance novel and loving it. Awesome! The point is, start local.

No, look around you. Who else can you tell and who would want to hear about your book. Start talking to those people. This could be the community newspaper, the college radio station, the local book clubs and the library. Start talking!

Now I know what a lot of you are thinking. But what about Social Media. Sure, if that is your cup of tea then go for it, but please remember. The only people who would be reading your stuff are your friends and the people following you already. Yes, it will spread some, but again, you will notice that the sales of your books will start small and grow from there. The same goes for blogs and websites. I am sorry to say this, but readers will not randomly stumble on your book or website accidentally. Someone has to send them your direction. And you know who that is? Again, your close connections.

So where does all of this start? With you. It is up to you to talk to everyone about your books. Scream it loud and make sure everyone knows.

Scott