Should you wait until a book is finished and sold before you
try to market it? No. Here's why.
When a new movie comes out, do studios wait until the day it
opens to begin telling people about it? No. How many months did people see info
about the last Star Wars movie before it came out? Star Wars is a brand stamped
across everything associated with the series of films.
Likewise, your brand is something you should always be
marketing. What is your brand? Your name. Readers should get to know you by
name and associate you with good things. You can't get that by remaining in the
shadows.
Overnight success takes a long time.
It's never too early to market a book because the best
marketing is developing relationships. Look online for people who have
interests similar to yours. For example, I love the Hobbit films, especially
the Elven King, Thranduil. I discovered a group on Twitter who regularly share
fanart and fanfiction around this character. I've gotten to know them and have
added my own fanart to the group. One of the group who features fanart on her
site showcased my DeviantArt account where I have the art. That means people
can also see my other work, including book covers, banners, and other art
related to my story world. You might not have artwork that you can share, but
do you have research images? Create a board on your Pinterest account to share
them.
Did you ever bookmark articles that helped you make your
story more realistic? Did you
read any books that helped you write better? What
was the thinking behind the plot of your books? Who are your characters? What
is the theme of the story? Blog about the above.
I get thousands of views on my site because I blog. I use
the topics above plus others. I don't talk writing on my blog very often,
because I'm trying to pull in readers as well as authors (who are also readers,
btw). Blog posts are fresh content that keep readers interested in you and your
story world. I discovered recently that the largest views of my site are on my blog
posts. Only about 8% of visitors go to the other pages. You can bet I changed
my blogging strategy!
Do you have a blurb and tagline? If not, write them now. You
will use them endlessly. Likewise with your bio. Write it in 4 sizes: twitter
bio (160 characters) to use on blog posts, 200 words for your official website
and author bio, and one that's about 75-80 to share in interviews. You want a
short one (30 words or less) that captures your writing style or tag (I use the
one below). You want to say who you are, what you write, a fact about yourself
as a person, and optionally, a general idea of your whereabouts (I say the
Atlanta GA area). This helps people place you, not pinpoint you. Reuse your
basic wording in each version.
Here's my short bio:
Kayelle Allen is a best-selling American author. Her
unstoppable heroes and heroines include contemporary every day folk,
role-playing immortal gamers, futuristic covert agents, and warriors who purr.
Longer bio:
Science Fiction and Fantasy author Kayelle Allen is the
winner of the 2010 EPIC award for Science Fiction, and the 2008 Honorable
Mention for Science Fiction Fantasy. Her unstoppable heroes and heroines
include contemporary every day folk, role-playing immortal gamers, futuristic
covert agents, and warriors who purr. Kayelle is the founder of Marketing for
Romance Writers, a peer-mentoring group, and the owner of The Author's Secret,
a support company for writers. She is married, has three grown children, and
five grandchildren. She and her husband met and married while they were both on
active duty in US Navy.
Marketing isn't saying "buy my book" over and
over.
The best marketing is sharing, talking, listening. Pick some social media sites you love
and get good at them. I love Twitter and do ok on Facebook, and spend lots of
time on Pinterest. Build a following now. When you release your book it will be
to people who are following because they already like you.
It's never too early to make friends.
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This post began as a discussion on
Marketing
for Romance Writers. I invite you to join us. Was this helpful to you? If
so, please leave a note in the comments.
Kayelle Allen Social Media
