You may be wondering why marketing is a step that is placed even before writing the first draft. That’s because marketing is a long game. One that a lot of writers hate (including me!), but that is necessary if you are planning on making literature your career. The information below will help you better understand what marketing is all about and how to plan it out. Just remember that plans aren’t set in stone and things change. But having a plan and then adjusting it to fit changing circumstances is much easier to deal with than not having a plan at all!
The Marketing Tree
Marketing to garner sales is kind of like growing a tree from a seed. This can take a long time to bear fruit and grow to the size that you prefer. But you can eventually get to that towering sycamore of word-of-mouth sales in the hundreds of thousands if you just plant that first seed and begin to nurture it appropriately. So be patient. Most artistic ventures are not “get rich quick” schemes by any stretch of the imagination. And even if they were, literature would be the slowest to turn a profit, most likely. I don’t say this to discourage you, just to make sure your expectations are realistic.
Wait. Aren’t Marketing and Promotion the Same?
Though used synonymously, they’re not really exactly the same. Promotion is a subset of marketing. Any marketing plan is going to include promotional strategies. But the term “marketing” encompasses all of the following (and then some):
- Content Research (finding out more about a fictional character’s occupation, studying the life of a biography subject, seeing what kind of poetry is selling best right now, etc.)
- Book Development (the planning, creation, editing, design, and publication of the book)
- Branding (logo style, site color schemes, social media content, etc.)
- Sales (pricing, warehousing, distribution, etc.)
- Promotion (advertising, author connections, reader outreach, etc.)
If you’re going to make writing your career, it’s helpful to have at least some idea of what all of these terms mean and how you can incorporate them into your own marketing strategy.
Content Research
This part isn’t as difficult or boring as it may seem. Technically, you’re already doing it. You came to Writerwerx University to research how to become an independent author. As it relates directly to writing books, an example would be wanting to write a romance series. Chances are, if you want to write one, you’ve read many. That’s your research! Because you are constantly feeding on examples of well-written, engaging, selling literature, you’re more likely to be able to create some for yourself. You’ve read enough of the genre to know what works for you and what doesn’t, so you already know what to avoid and what to incorporate into your own work. It’s that easy! Immerse yourself in whatever genre you want to write so that you get a good feel for what’s already out there, especially what’s selling well.
If you’re writing a nonfiction book, you may already have done research in the fact that you’re an expert in your topic. You’ve got years of experience or education in whatever you’re going to be writing about, so you’re off to a great start.
Memoirists have done most of the research they need simply because they have lived the life they will be writing about. There may be a desire to go back into genealogical records and pinpoint certain details like names, dates, and locations of certain ancestors or events, but other than that, your research is being done every day of your life!
Book Development
This is the process you’re following by using the lessons at Writerwerx University. You have to have a product to sell, but you can start selling it before it’s finished (or even started!), as noted below. Book development entails planning, writing, editing, and designing your book prior to publication. Essentially, that means following most or all of the steps on this site.
Branding
Branding is all about style. It’s how you present yourself and your ideas. The great thing about an indie author brand (versus a spokesperson, actor, model, or musician) is that our brand is really just ourselves! For instance, I chose the colors black and red for my author logo along with a decidedly gothic font for my first initial, ‘T.’ Because most of what I write is dark, suspenseful, or mysterious, this color scheme works for me and my work. As would colors like patina green or gray. This is another place where a bit of research can be helpful. Here are some steps for understanding your personal “brand.”
- Audience. You may know what genre of book you want to write, but who do you want to read it? It’s tempting to say “Everyone, of course!” but that’s not going to benefit you when it comes to focusing your marketing efforts. Describe your ideal reader (don’t hesitate to write this description down!). Where do they shop for books? How old are they? Do they prefer e-books, audiobooks, or paperbacks? Having a solid understanding of who you’re targeting will make later marketing decisions much easier.
- Book Comps. Who is your writing comparable to in the market? Check out the top ten best sellers in your genre (and for your audience) right now. What do they have in common? Take note of things like colors and fonts they use on their covers or the way they organize their book descriptions. You’ll likely notice a general pattern that you can use for your own projects.
- Author Comps. Who is your authorship comparable to in the market? Take a look at the websites and social media profiles of the authors of those best sellers you looked at. What social media sites are they on? What do they post about? How is their website laid out?
For example, a humor author’s page might focus more on comedy or improvisation. For a mystery writer, their profiles might be more focused on crimes or puzzles. That’s not to say you can’t share pictures of your latest culinary delight (I certainly do!), your pets, or your favorite vacation spots. Just try to find a balance that’s authentic to you. People want to know you as an author and a regular human being!
Sales
Selling your book to people starts as early as you want it to. And, in virtually all cases, the earlier you start, the better. If you wait until launch day to start telling people to go buy your book, you’re not likely to have much success. Sure, a few family members or friends might take you up on the offer, but that’s about it. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a few hundred people eagerly awaiting midnight of your release day so they can go buy your book? Not only does that mean you have vested, engaged readers, but it’s essentially guaranteed sales whenever you release a new piece. But you can’t build that kind of relationship with someone overnight. Especially a stranger who might live on the other side of the country, or even the planet.
So, start today. That way, by the time your book does come out, you’re more likely to have a crowd waiting to devour it rather than a handful of people who are just trying to be superficially supportive.
Start at Home
That being said, it’s perfectly fine to start at home. Tell your family, friends, roommates, co-workers, bus driver, postal worker, coaches, doctors, barber, or anyone else you see on a regular basis and already have a relationship with. No need to badger them, but keep them up to date on your progress. When they ask how you’re doing, just weave the book into your response:
- “I’m really excited, actually. I just had this great idea for my (next) book and I’m getting started on developing the premise tonight.”
- “Feeling a little nervous. I’m behind on my weekly word count and not sure if I’ll be able to catch up by tomorrow. I’m gonna try my best though!”
- “I’m exasperated AF! My editor sent me a manuscript evaluation that essentially says my manuscript is a giant, flaming, possum turd. * sigh * But my job is to polish it, so that’s what I’ve got on tap for this weekend.”
Author Email
Setting up an author email helps me keep my author communication separate from my other contacts. My author email is just for people who want to hire, interview, or collaborate with me as a writer. Not my mortgage company or my dog walker or my lawyer. While my email is an @TeneshaLCurtis.com email, you don’t have to start there if you’re low on funds or still not very comfortable with how to create a custom domain email. You can create an author email on Google, Yahoo, or wherever else you like. Just be sure to keep the name simple and easy to remember. So, AuthorJayneDo@gmail.com would be much better than TheWriteR2Die4_1986@yahoo.com. Remember to keep your brand in mind. You don’t want an email address that looks like a middle schooler came up with it. Keep it relevant, simple, and professional. Don’t want to manage two email addresses? Set up email forwarding. This allows the forwarding of your author emails to your personal email address so that you always know what’s coming into your author mailbox. You’ll still have to log in to the author email to respond to an interviewer, editor, beta reader, or whoever. But, it will keep you from having to log into a separate account each day. Unfortunately, the steps to do this will be slightly different for each email provider. But, in general, the steps are:
- Open your email account.
- Click your gear icon or a link that says “Settings.”
- Click the ‘Forwarding’ option.
- Enter the email address you want all your messages forwarded to (your personal email address, in this case).
- Click the ‘Confirm’ (‘Submit,’ ‘Verify,’ etc.) option.
- Look for a confirmation email in your personal email account.
- If prompted, enter the verification code or click the verification link that was sent in the email.
Author Site
Using your author email, you can set up a basic, free website just about anywhere online. WordPress is a popular one and the one I use for this site, TeneshaLCurtis.com, and ReadLuv.com. Needless to say, it’s the way I’d recommend you go. However, there are many other options available, though I couldn’t vouch for their ease of use, cost, or customer service if you ever need help: Google Sites, Blogger, Wix, Squarespace, etc. In general, the process is:
- Go to the platform you want to use to start or host your site. I recommend WordPress via Bluehost.
- Choose the option to ‘Sign Up,’ ‘Create an Account,’ or ‘Build a Site.’
- Follow all prompts and answer all the questions asked. You may sometimes be asked if you’d like to purchase a domain name from your platform. These should be no more than $20 per year. It’s also helpful to keep the site name, like your email address, simple and easy to remember. KatieJones.com, CliffRandon.com, AkiaNova.com, and so on. If you have a relatively common name, just add a word like ‘author,’ ‘books,’ or ‘writes’ to help differentiate (AuthorKatieJones.com, CliffRandonBooks.com, AkiaNovaWrites.com).
- Select a theme, which is just the general style and layout of the website. You can play around with colors, plugins, logos, and photos later. Just pick something to start working with so you can move forward.
- Add some content. Generally, your name and a small bio of a few sentences is all you need to get started. If you’ve already got a stand-in cover for your book, feel free to add that and a picture of yourself if you’re ready. If you want to take a few minutes to create a preliminary author logo or grab some beautiful stock photos for your site, check out my secret weapon: Adobe Express! It’s like a version of Photoshop that a five-year-old could use. ♥♥♥
- Publish the site. Remember, it’s okay if you’re still working with an AkiaNova.wordpress.com starter site. You’ve got plenty of time to make changes later. But at least now you have somewhere to send people who want to keep up with your work as a writer.
- Create a post (optional). Some author websites are static. Others are dynamic. I have a static site. This means that I only update it when I have some new project that I’ve started or completed to notify my audience about. If I help someone design a book cover, I’ll add that to my portfolio. If I option a screenplay, I’ll put that up. But (so that I have less to manage) I don’t regularly maintain a blog on my author website. Someone with a dynamic site would have a blog or some other kind of regular (daily, weekly, etc.) updates to post. If you have the time and desire to maintain a dynamic site, go for it! If not, don’t worry about it. You’ll use your social media profiles anyway, so the regular interactions with your followers can still take place.
- Tell people! Let your social circle know about the site so they can start following you and telling other people about you!
Author Social Media Page
Now, use your author email to create a social media page for your authorship. This will be where people who like your books, or just know you as an author, can follow you. You can choose any social media platform you like. My recommendation is to start wherever you’re most comfortable. For example, if you spend most of your time on Instagram, create an Instagram author profile. If you spend most of your time on Facebook, create an author Facebook page. Starting the process of accumulating followers can be rough, so starting with a platform you’re already familiar with can be a big help. You may realize later on that the majority of your target audience can be found on another platform, such as Twitter or Tumblr. At that point, if you’re comfortable, branch over to that other site. The one thing I stress that you avoid doing is spreading yourself too thin. You don’t necessarily need ten different social media profiles. You may even see authors who seem like they have a profile on every social media site. But it’s helpful to remember that these are often more established, seasoned, commercially successful authors who can afford to hire a dedicated social media manager. If you have the money to hire someone in that role, go for it, since it won’t take any time away from your other author responsibilities. Otherwise, stick to between one and three social media profiles. Focus on quality, not quantity. It’s often more helpful to have 300 engaged followers on one social media platform than it is to have 30 on 10 different sites or even 3,000 followers who don’t actually pay any attention to you.
Add a link to your social media profile to your website and your email signature.
On your author website, add a link to your social media profile(s).
Payment Platforms
At the very least, have a PayPal account (using your author email) that people can use to pay you for books. I have set myself up to be able to receive deposits via CashApp, PayPal, Stripe, Venmo, Zelle, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, and Facebook Pay. I don’t want not accepting a certain form of payment to be the reason I don’t make a sale. But that’s just me. Generally speaking, you could get accounts with CashApp, Venmo, and PayPal and you’ve covered the vast majority of people that you’ll ever come across in the world. If you wish, you can even get an EIN (discussed below) and go set up a dedicated bank account for your authorship expenses and earnings. This makes things easier come tax time and can help you manage your spending appropriately.
Open an author CashApp account.
Open an author Venmo account.
Open an author PayPal account.
Publishing Platforms
There are a lot of authors who only publish on Amazon. Since Amazon sells more than half of the nation’s printed books and about 75% of e-books, that’s not a bad idea. You’ll cover a lot of ground and you only have to manage a single account. Great! However, Amazon has some limitations when it comes to getting your book into physical bookstores (yes, they still exist!), libraries, and other sites like BarnesAndNoble.com (yes, they’re still in business! 😀 #fornow). If you want this extended reach, or “expanded distribution,” Amazon does offer an option to do so. However, you can also add one or two more accounts and make more money from each of these non-Amazon connections.
A major secondary account to add would be IngramSpark. They offer a lot more sophisticated and better-looking books than Amazon in most cases. And their books are often purchased by bookstores, including Barnes & Noble. While there’s no guarantee that you will sell your book in bulk to these places, you’ll have a much better chance of doing so with Ingram than you will with Amazon only. But, IngramSpark also allows you to sell your book on Amazon through their platform. Unfortunately, Ingram and Amazon don’t always play nice together. For example, Amazon regularly estimates crazy long (weeks, in some cases) shipping times for books they know are published through Ingram. To an extent, this makes sense. They don’t know if or when Ingram is going to ship your book to a customer once an order is received. But, this is just one reason why authors choose to publish their book on Ingram and Amazon separately instead of trying to integrate. But, you don’t have to worry about any of this just yet! You’re just going to pick one or two platforms where you’d like to publish and set the account up. You’ll be asked a series of questions to confirm your identity and set up where you want your payments to go (one of your author accounts I talked about in the last section!).
The basic setup for a first-time author can be a KDP account only, in my opinion. If you feel more comfortable adding a couple more platforms to your list, I’d recommend Draft2Digital and IngramSpark.
Other Administrative Things
There are other administrative things you can get / set up now just to get it out of the way, though you don’t need to use them just yet.
- Visit Bowker.com and set up a profile so that you can purchase ISBNs for your books when you’re ready to publish.
- Go to Copyright.gov and set up an account so you can submit your copyright when you get to that point.
- Go to the Library of Congress website to set up an account if (this is completely optional) you would like a free Library of Congress Control Number.
- Go to IRS.gov to request an Employer Identification Number for your authorship.
- Set up a profile with your local Secretary of State so you can complete whatever requirements they have related to running a business in your area.
- Another optional thing is to sign up for point-of-sale (POS) services to help you keep track of and process your sales when you’re at conferences or festivals. My favorite is Square because they are consistently updating their software and adding features. Being a well-established, popular, and trusted payment processer doesn’t hurt either! They own CashApp and give you a similar card that you can use to access funds immediately after receiving them. For example, if someone at a conference buys five books from you, you can instantly get access to those funds and go use your Square card at a food stand or the booth of a fellow author without having to wait hours or days to get access to your money. You also have the option of instantly sending the money to your bank account, just like you can with CashApp for a small fee. You can send the money to your bank the free way, but it will take a day or two to post to your bank account. This level of flexibility is a breath of fresh air when it comes to running a business!
Bring Your Audience With You
All throughout the process of developing your work, you can bring your audience along for the ride. Whenever you are starting or finishing a step along your process, post about it.
“First draft done! That was a HUGE effort. Time for a nice break!”
“Developmental editing is my least favorite part of creating a book. Glad I have @WriterwerxUniversity to help, though!”
“Cover artist: Hired! Theo Kazama is so talented. I can’t wait for you to see the finished product. EEEEK!”
And it doesn’t always have to be happy news. If you’re dissatisfied with an illustration job or your printing gets pushed back due to a power outage, let your audience know. Vent your frustrations to them. This kind of post serves multiple purposes.
First, it gives you a way to vent. This helps with your mental health and stress levels.
Second, it shows your human vulnerabilities which makes you more relatable to the average person, even if they aren’t a writer.
Third, it gives your followers information they need regarding when the book is coming out.
Promote Often
In the beginning, you may only make enough progress to promote a few times each month. That’s fine. Do what you can. As the snowball of progress picks up speed, you’ll have more and more milestones you can share with your audience more frequently.
- Every 5,000 words you write.
- Every self-revision pass you do.
- Every editing pass you have done for you.
- Cover options.
- When you open pre-orders for a book.
- When you hire your audiobook producer, illustrator, editor, etc.
- Comments from alpha readers or beta readers (be careful not to give any spoilers to your audience!).
Don’t overwhelm yourself. Regular posting doesn’t only have to be about the book. Posts also don’t have to be long. A couple of sentences and an image, GIF, or video are all that’s needed.
Hold Off on Shows
It’s tempting to jump straight into looking for fairs, shows, and conferences to sell your book at as soon as your first draft is completed. But, it’s usually best to hold off until you have at least finished your copy editing. And, even then, any show you have your eye on should be at least four months out. This gives you time to wrap up the design phase, prep your publication (ISBNs, platform accounts, etc.), get your proofreading done, order proof copies to review, and then order author copies to sell. Even after copy editing, all of these steps (sometimes more) still need to be completed. Don’t get ahead of yourself. Relax and take things one step at a time. Get a finished product first, then worry about where you’re going to sell that product in person (if you even want to do so).
Shows Aren’t Strictly Necessary
There are many authors who have never sold at any kind of physical event, yet they still make six figures each year selling their books. Again, for them, this is because they have thoroughly nurtured and grown their marketing trees. They didn’t rely on quick-fix gimmicks or “magic wand” tactics. They did the work and then reaped the benefits.
If you’re a staunch introvert, don’t do well with public speaking, or just don’t have the funds to pay hundreds of dollars to get a booth somewhere, don’t worry. That doesn’t have to stop you from using cost-effective methods to sell your books.
Set Up and Move Forward
Now that you’ve got your marketing planned (and understand it helps to be flexible with that plan as time goes on!), and your site / profile / page set up, you can move on with the rest of the book development process. Remember to post about your progress as you go.