These articles are about the nitty-gritty of how an author can use the Internet to promote their book. They are based on the lesson I learn as I work out how I promote my book on the Internet. I am a business analyst with a background in distribution, sales, and marketing, as well as an author, so I should be able to make this work – it’s not rocket science.
My research has thrown up a reasonable amount of information on the theory of how I promote my book on the Internet, but precious little detail. So this exercise is all about the detail. The day to day journey is recorded in my blog, Nick Travers On Writing. The lessons, pitfalls, and opportunities I discover form the basis of the articles linked to this page. Let’s start with a few facts.
The facts:
Whether you are a published of self-published author you will be expected to undertake your own book promotion. But surely that is the job of the publisher and the agent, you say, otherwise, why pay them commission? Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that.
True, a publisher will provide a marketing budget, but if it is your first book don’t expect much. You and your book have to prove you’ve got legs before receiving a decent marketing budget – your great novel has to prove it is marketable before they will market it. Absurd? Maybe. If your first book does sell well make sure you negotiate a decent marketing budget for your next book. Don’t be afraid to ask for details of how the publisher intends to use your marketing budget.
Even if your novel does get a budget, within six months the publisher will be pursuing the next big thing and you will be on your own. The majority of books sell most of their copies in the first six week after launch, so that may be the extent of your budget. Fair? Not at all, but that is the nature of the industry to which we submit our precious work.
No need to panic though, because in the present age the majority of books are actually sold via direct mail and promoted through word of mouth, and there is a wonderful tool you can use to influence these – the Internet. The other good news is that it’s a cheap form of promotion. It just requires your time and persistence.
In fact, putting a website address on your submission letter and showing you already have some idea of how to promote your book can go a long way to getting you out of the slush pile. So an essential skill for any author is learning how to market their book and themselves (which amounts to the same thing). First, like any good business venture, you need a plan.
