Okay, this is a topic most writers do not want to hear anything about. The majority of people writing books shun self-promotion the way they shunned leafy green veggies as a kid. Yuck! But, guess what, we have to do it.
So, there’s the rub.
How can we self-promote without turning off everyone we know, from our best friends to our family members? Here are some of my tips.
. Some of the Facebook groups do nothing but allow authors to promote. I’m not sure how much value you get from posting to these groups, but if you want to promote, that’s the place. One such groups is called Book Review and Promotion. Check out others.
Twitter is the best place for some promotion but again, if that’s all you do, you’ll lose followers. So many people on Twitter just self-promote. Writers are not the only ones doing it. I often get auto responders that say: “Thanks for following me. Buy my new software system at this link.” This is very annoying and causes me to unfollow the person. Instead, thank people for following you and then give them a reason to continue to do so.
I put out sixteen tweets a day. Usually no more than three highlight my book. I want to be of value to my followers. I include content from other writers, their tips, book reviews, mine and others, author interviews, funny videos, writer quotes and much more.
If you send one out too often you’ll lose your audience. What should you include in your newsletter? A theme article with some good content. This article could reflect what you’ve learned as a writer or perhaps a synopsis of your recent attendance at a writer’s conference. You can also include a picture of your latest release along with the links to purchase. That information is in a sidebar.
Those articles should include lots of information about what is on your mind as a writer. Share your thoughts, experiences and tips for writing and publishing. Do not talk endlessly about your books.
In other words, plan to tweet at certain days and at certain times. Plan to work Facebook and the various groups at certain times. Schedule your blog posts and your LinkedIn articles. Work Goodreads into your schedule.
Don’t just tweet or post status updates. Share the love by interacting with fellow writers and readers. Tweet the books you’ve enjoyed, not just your own writing. When you interact and become more engaged in the medium, you’ll see the results. Maybe not immediately, but eventually. And eventually is always better than never!
We cannot stay closeted in our office in front of our computers and hope your books will sell.
What are some tips you might share?
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