Well, make that marketING. That necessary evil. That bane of every contemporary author’s existence. Gotta be done. Might as well make the best of it. For those of you unaware of the types of marketing practices we part-time authors, full-time hawkers get into, here’s just a tasty snip of what I’ve done in the past few weeks:
Solicited 17 on-line and print reviews
Blogged, Facebooked and Tweeted my heart out
Traveled to Chicago to sell books
Had t-shirt, bookmarks, pens, etc. made
Targeted (that sounds bad, it wasn’t!) on-line lighthouse enthusiasts
Toured lighthouses with promo materials
Set up a “blog tour” for September
Set up not one but two book launch parties here in town
Convinced the Lighthouse Inn to display my promo
On Line book launch party at the Romance Studio (TODAY – JOIN US!)
Connected with a lovely lady on Squidoo that will link my book to her lens about a lighthouse (THE lighthouse that figures prominently in CAPE SEDUCTION!)
(Getting more creative as I go)
Like I said, that’s just a bit of it. I have contests in the works (you’ll be hearing about them) and another important author’s endorsement coming. I’m in conversation with a lighthouse preservation society (not sure yet how it will tie, but it WILL.)
The main thing is, I do something every day to promote my books. Because if I don’t care enough to do that, who will care enough to buy them? And my efforts encourage my publisher to match them. ‘Nuff said!
You are an inspiration!
See this is the other side of being an author that doesn’t seem as romantic as writing your heart out. It has to be exhausting. Well, I’m excited that I will get a jump on the blog tours…my review will publish next Thursday!
Boy, you are certainly a go getter, Pam. Talk to Jackie Vick about being interviewed on the subject of marketing your book for Writers in Residence. That’s so cool that you have lighthouses as a connection between your book and the real world.