The Journey Continues

So I’m a published author. (I have to keep reminding myself, because I still can’t believe it!). If I’m honest I’m not sure what I expected, I knew, with no marketing budget, I was going to have to work hard to push the word of my book out, but it didn’t cross my mind that getting ‘Eleanor’ in front of people, into their awareness would be as hard, if not harder than writing the book itself. After all, writing comes naturally, marketing…? Not so much.

I’ve done a bit of research and one point stood out loud and clear. Publishing a book in any way, be that with a traditional publisher or self publishing required the author to at least get to grips with the basics of marketing and self-promotion.

Hugh Howey (my guru in such matters) says that he didn’t market ‘Wool’, that it ‘just happened’, but his talent is quite a bit more prodigious than mine, so I’m thinking a little marketing would be a good idea.

I’ve got some good ratings on Amazon, which is brilliant and as of this moment 69 people liking my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/mydren), but on zero budget I wasn’t too sure where to go next.

Then my amazing husband once again came to the rescue and suggested Goodreads (http://www.goodreads.com/). I’d never heard of this website, and I have to admit to feeling VERY foolish when I went on the site and realised how cool it was. I had great fun ticking off books I’d read. Then I added my own book and put a ‘giveaway’ on for a month. I offered three signed books (with bookmarks) and made the giveaway available to as many countries as possible. So far I’ve had 234 people enter the giveaway, so I’m hopeful a few of them will also read the book and post reviews. If nothing else it’s putting my book in front of hundreds of people ☺ so a good result.

I know my journey is only just beginning, but I’m fairly sure I’m heading in the right direction.

Useful Research:

How to Market a Book – Joanna Penn
APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur – How to Publish a Book – Guy Kawasaki and Shawn Welsh

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