I finally finished my second full length novel and self-published under my own imprint. The hardest part of the whole ordeal was not writing the book though. The hardest part has been marketing and promoting the book. Before publishing the book, I set up a marketing budget, schedule and goals. However, the first week of publication I still heard crickets. Yet since then, the sales have been coming in consistently and I may end up selling at least 25 books (including eBooks) by the end of the quarter. Now, I know, that doesn’t sound like much, but for a new author that is awesome.
So, you may be asking what works and what didn’t work. Well let me tell the truth. Don’t expect your over 500 Facebook friends to buy anything. I put out a call to action on my personal page stating my goal while trying to be transparent and I don’t believe anyone of them actually purchased the book during the first month of sales. I was a bit hurt and disappointed about it, however I learned a valuable lesson. Your friends are not your customers! Let me say that again, Your friends are not your customers.
What did work was hiring and paying for promotion and marketing with reputable companies and persons who are in the business of marketing and promotion for authors. I purchased campaigns for Twitter ($50) Facebook ($60, not including my ad) and I did a blog talk radio interview ($60) all within the first 60 days after publication. I am planning to utilize my contacts again because their methods are working for me. I use social media platforms as well as Amazon ads to keep the book out there and have remained consistent with promotion. Each month this year I have something set up to promote and market my work. I will keep doing this and although I know I may be in the red again come tax time, I know I did my due diligence to get my book into the hands of my readers and fans.
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