by Carole Brown
Photo by Corinne Kutz on Unsplash

It’s important for any writer to develop a strategy to not only write productively but to learn to market. Yuck, you say? Not really. It can be time-consuming and sometimes discouraging, but also rewarding. You can write all you want, but normally, if you don’t market, you’ll limit your ability to sell and get your book(s) noticed by very many readers.

I’d like to give you an idea of some things that may help a writer to market. Here are five basic ideas that I consider important to dedicated authors:

• Study keywords. These are MAIN words you want to rank in search engines. Study what other authors use then develop your own keywords.

• Create a compelling BRAND IDENTITY.  It’s like a promise to readers. It’s words, images, and emotional resonances that people have when they hear your name or your series/book titles/characters.

• Gift books to those who are faithful to not only read your books but who share news about your books. The more your name is out there, the better others will begin to recognize and remember you/your books.

• It’s a given to grow your social media sites, but let me encourage you to choose wisely. Just because one author is successful at a certain site, doesn’t mean you have to use it. Decide what works for you, experiment, and give it time. I’d like to encourage you also, to not neglect a newsletter. This is not only a backup plan, but a worthy one. And remember, don’t use it as just an avenue to coax your readers to buy your books, but a way to interact with your subscribers. Make it fun, interesting and something short that readers will look forward to reading.

• Do promotions and giveaways. Use your imagination to create them. There are numerous places where you can pay an inexpensive fee to have them promoted, but there’s also ways to do it FREE, except for the cost of a Kindle or print book. Goodreads, Facebook, BookBub, and many other social media places are possibilities. But there are other methods too. Your newsletter where you possibly hide a contest clue, perhaps about your book, Or join some places that do tours—just make sure you check their performance, their reliability, their results, and, of course, their prices.

It may seem like a daunting task, but don’t stress over it. Go slow, research, ask other authors their opinion about things, and study, study, study. If one place doesn’t seem to be working for you, move on and try a different avenue.

When I began, I tried many, many, MANY avenues to promote my debut novel. Some I didn’t like, some were failures at the time, and some I still use. I’ve grown in my marketing, I’ve become wiser and more picky with what and who I use, but it took time for me to arrive where I am today. I couldn’t, and didn’t learn it all in one day, and most authors won’t. Just don’t give up.

ღ(¯`v´¯)ღ About Carrie Cotten ღ(¯`v´¯)ღ¸

Besides being a member and active participant of many writing groups, Carole Brown enjoys mentoring beginning writers. An author of ten books, she loves to weave suspense and tough topics into her books, along with a touch of romance and whimsy, and is always on the lookout for outstanding titles and catchy ideas. She and her husband reside in SE Ohio but have ministered and counseled nationally and internationally. Together, they enjoy their grandsons, traveling, gardening, good food, the simple life, and did she mention their grandsons?

ღ Connect with Carole ღ

Personal blog: http://sunnebnkwrtr.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CaroleBrown.author
FB Fan Page:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/183457429657732/
Amazon Author Page:  https://amzn.to/38Ukljnhttps://amzn.to/38Ukljn
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/browncarole212
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/carole-brown
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/browncarole212/?hl=en
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sunnywrtr/boards/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5237997-carole-brown
Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/carole-brown-79b6951a/

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