Do you consider
yourself an introvert?
yourself an introvert?
If so, you’re
definitely not alone. Over
eighty percent of writers (myself included!) belong to that group. In the
world at large, however, we’re outnumbered three-to-one by our extroverted
brethren.
definitely not alone. Over
eighty percent of writers (myself included!) belong to that group. In the
world at large, however, we’re outnumbered three-to-one by our extroverted
brethren.
When it comes to
writing, this works out perfectly. Crafting your story is, after all, a
solitary task. Lots of time alone to think, plan, get creative – all things we
introverts excel at!
writing, this works out perfectly. Crafting your story is, after all, a
solitary task. Lots of time alone to think, plan, get creative – all things we
introverts excel at!
But what the task
that comes after you type that final sentence? What happens when the time comes
(shudder) to promote your work?
that comes after you type that final sentence? What happens when the time comes
(shudder) to promote your work?
I can see your recoil through the screen!
I completely
understand your hesitation. The vast majority of marketing advice seems to be
written for the more extroverted among us, those who don’t mind sharing their
work and expounding on its virtues.
understand your hesitation. The vast majority of marketing advice seems to be
written for the more extroverted among us, those who don’t mind sharing their
work and expounding on its virtues.
I don’t know about
you, but that concept makes me feel a little bit queasy. I’ll never feel
comfortable with the “here’s my awesome book, check it out!” mindset.
you, but that concept makes me feel a little bit queasy. I’ll never feel
comfortable with the “here’s my awesome book, check it out!” mindset.
I’m willing to bet
that you feel the same way.
that you feel the same way.
And that’s a big problem.
Because, when you
start out with a negative perception of book promotion, you’ll have a hard time
forcing yourself to work at it. And if you don’t promote your work at all, the
odds of your having the writing career of your dreams are (sadly) slim to none.
start out with a negative perception of book promotion, you’ll have a hard time
forcing yourself to work at it. And if you don’t promote your work at all, the
odds of your having the writing career of your dreams are (sadly) slim to none.
Luckily for us
introverts, there is a way we can promote our work with confidence AND actually
have a little bit of (*gasp*) fun at the same time!
introverts, there is a way we can promote our work with confidence AND actually
have a little bit of (*gasp*) fun at the same time!
Sounds pretty good,
huh?
huh?
Icky Feeling, Begone!
Using the
self-promotion secrets I outline below, you’ll build a book marketing habit you
can stick with, all while working with (instead of against) your introverted
nature.
self-promotion secrets I outline below, you’ll build a book marketing habit you
can stick with, all while working with (instead of against) your introverted
nature.
Ready to get
started?
started?
Secret #1: Change Your Marketing Definition
Before we can get
into real promotional tactics, we must first be on the same page about what
book marketing really is. If you’re anything like me, the word “marketing”
brings to mind either (1) sleazy used car salesman or (2) manipulative Mad
Men-esque advertising execs. Neither one a positive image, right?
into real promotional tactics, we must first be on the same page about what
book marketing really is. If you’re anything like me, the word “marketing”
brings to mind either (1) sleazy used car salesman or (2) manipulative Mad
Men-esque advertising execs. Neither one a positive image, right?
Just for a moment,
erase those sketchy tactics and flashy hype out from your mind. Let’s redefine
what self-promotion really means.
erase those sketchy tactics and flashy hype out from your mind. Let’s redefine
what self-promotion really means.
When you promote
your book, all you’re doing is sharing your work with folks who will
(hopefully!) love it. That’s it! No coercion, hype or pressure required.
your book, all you’re doing is sharing your work with folks who will
(hopefully!) love it. That’s it! No coercion, hype or pressure required.
Thinking of it that
way takes much of the “scary” out of book marketing, doesn’t it?
way takes much of the “scary” out of book marketing, doesn’t it?
Secret #2: See Your Readers as People
Trying to figure out
how to reach a nameless, faceless blob of 18-34 year-old women (or whoever
makes up your target market) can be, at the very least, a bit
overwhelming.
how to reach a nameless, faceless blob of 18-34 year-old women (or whoever
makes up your target market) can be, at the very least, a bit
overwhelming.
How do you what
appeals to them? How do you even find them? The task feels so insurmountable
that turning to those “me me me!” self-promotion tactics seems your only
option.
appeals to them? How do you even find them? The task feels so insurmountable
that turning to those “me me me!” self-promotion tactics seems your only
option.
Luckily, your
results can be just as effective when, instead of trying to figure out a huge
segment of readers, you narrow your focus to individual members of your target
market. A great way to do this is by creating
profiles of individual readers, almost like characters in your book.
results can be just as effective when, instead of trying to figure out a huge
segment of readers, you narrow your focus to individual members of your target
market. A great way to do this is by creating
profiles of individual readers, almost like characters in your book.
Then, when you try
to figure out how to reach your readers, you can have a mental conversation
with a single reader, which is way easier than trying to figure out thousands
at once!
to figure out how to reach your readers, you can have a mental conversation
with a single reader, which is way easier than trying to figure out thousands
at once!
Secret #3: Slow Down
While I know you’re
eager to see your sales start climbing as soon as possible, don’t let that
panic make you rush into uncomfortable book marketing territory.
eager to see your sales start climbing as soon as possible, don’t let that
panic make you rush into uncomfortable book marketing territory.
Instead, slow
down.
down.
Build up your
comfort level with marketing one day at a time.
comfort level with marketing one day at a time.
Focus on a single
task (such as building a mailing list or creating an author blog) for a bit
and, only when you feel comfortable, move onto the next.
task (such as building a mailing list or creating an author blog) for a bit
and, only when you feel comfortable, move onto the next.
Book promotion isn’t
a race. There are (and will be) many winners. By slowing down, you build your
fanbase naturally and prevent burnout. Which is important because…
a race. There are (and will be) many winners. By slowing down, you build your
fanbase naturally and prevent burnout. Which is important because…
Secret #4: Be Consistent
When it comes to
building your readership, consistency is far more important than
intensity.
building your readership, consistency is far more important than
intensity.
Far too often,
authors feel the need to take on the gamut of book promotion possibilities at
once; that if they can’t build a website, Facebook fan page, GoodReads page,
mailing list and Twitter following all at the same time, they are doomed to
certain failure.
authors feel the need to take on the gamut of book promotion possibilities at
once; that if they can’t build a website, Facebook fan page, GoodReads page,
mailing list and Twitter following all at the same time, they are doomed to
certain failure.
As a result, they
feel obligated to spend hours every single day working on book marketing
(because how else would you ever be able to fit all of that stuff in?)
feel obligated to spend hours every single day working on book marketing
(because how else would you ever be able to fit all of that stuff in?)
It’s no wonder so
many of us end up suffering from book promotion burnout!
many of us end up suffering from book promotion burnout!
I hereby give you
permission to stop that madness. Just slowing down and focusing your efforts
will get you to the same end result, so will being consistent.
permission to stop that madness. Just slowing down and focusing your efforts
will get you to the same end result, so will being consistent.
I’d much rather you
find a promotion schedule you can stick with for the long term (even if it’s
only 15 or 30 minutes at a time, a few days a week) than throw yourself into
something unsustainable.
find a promotion schedule you can stick with for the long term (even if it’s
only 15 or 30 minutes at a time, a few days a week) than throw yourself into
something unsustainable.
If you’re wondering
how you can get anything done in such short bursts, check out my Bowflex Method (silly name, but a popular
post)!
how you can get anything done in such short bursts, check out my Bowflex Method (silly name, but a popular
post)!
Secret #5: Find Your Motivation
Love her or hate
her, fitness celebrity Jillian
Michaels certainly is popular here in America, and she has this piece of
advice that I absolutely love: “Find your Why. Because when you have a
significant Why, you can tolerate any How.”
her, fitness celebrity Jillian
Michaels certainly is popular here in America, and she has this piece of
advice that I absolutely love: “Find your Why. Because when you have a
significant Why, you can tolerate any How.”
I know she’s not the
first person to come up with this concept, but I think it’s a really important
point for authors as well.
first person to come up with this concept, but I think it’s a really important
point for authors as well.
Ask yourself: Why
are you publishing your work? Why are you building your fanbase? What ideal
outcome do you want to achieve?
are you publishing your work? Why are you building your fanbase? What ideal
outcome do you want to achieve?
With the right
motivation, book promotion becomes just another step in the writing process,
moving you toward the success you desire.
motivation, book promotion becomes just another step in the writing process,
moving you toward the success you desire.
Secret #6: Step Back and Observe
Book promotion feels
very action-oriented, but for us introverts, it’s important to have time to
chill out. To reflect. To recharge.
very action-oriented, but for us introverts, it’s important to have time to
chill out. To reflect. To recharge.
Even when you need
to step back from marketing, you can still make that time away useful.
to step back from marketing, you can still make that time away useful.
Use the time to
reflect on the promotional tactics you’ve been working on and make some
observations: what’s working? What isn’t? How much
progress have you made?
reflect on the promotional tactics you’ve been working on and make some
observations: what’s working? What isn’t? How much
progress have you made?
As an added bonus,
seeing how far you’ve come is another great motivator!
seeing how far you’ve come is another great motivator!
The Final Secret: Don’t Take it Too Seriously
While everything
I’ve said above is solid advice, this might just be the best of all: don’t take
this whole book marketing thing too
seriously.
I’ve said above is solid advice, this might just be the best of all: don’t take
this whole book marketing thing too
seriously.
I won’t argue that
promotion is extremely important (I love me some book marketing, y’all), but
it’s also important to see it for what it really is: fun!
promotion is extremely important (I love me some book marketing, y’all), but
it’s also important to see it for what it really is: fun!
Book marketing is a
celebration of the finished product you spent months, years, decades of your
life creating. You’re connecting with people who will fall in love with the
story you created, the characters you dreamed up, the worlds you’ve described.
What could be more fun than that?
celebration of the finished product you spent months, years, decades of your
life creating. You’re connecting with people who will fall in love with the
story you created, the characters you dreamed up, the worlds you’ve described.
What could be more fun than that?
Talk Back
Do you consider
yourself an introvert? Does the idea of book promotion give you the
heebie-jeebies? Did any of the advice above make you excited to build your
fanbase? Let’s chat in the comments!
yourself an introvert? Does the idea of book promotion give you the
heebie-jeebies? Did any of the advice above make you excited to build your
fanbase? Let’s chat in the comments!
Toni Tesori is one half of Duolit, two gals who help passionate fiction authors sell
more books by building their crazy-dedicated fanbase. If you’re ready to stop
dreading and start loving the process of book promotion, check out their FREE Weekend Book Marketing
Makeover, a guided workbook that jumpstarts
your fanbase-building efforts in just two days!
more books by building their crazy-dedicated fanbase. If you’re ready to stop
dreading and start loving the process of book promotion, check out their FREE Weekend Book Marketing
Makeover, a guided workbook that jumpstarts
your fanbase-building efforts in just two days!
Hi Toni! Thanks so much for posting today.
Great post with some nice tips for approaching a tough task. And I have read your Bowflex method! :) I like the way you’ve broken down promo into something actionable. Thanks again!
Some excellent tips. I think the consistency one matters a lot. I see a lot of authors go all out when the book is released and then burn down to nothing.
Thank you, Elizabeth and Alex! Even though it can be hard to pump yourself up for promotion day after day, consistency is incredibly important, you’re right Alex. What I really like about the Bowflex Method, too, is that, even if you don’t follow it exactly, it gives you an idea of just how much you can accomplish in half an hour. Thank you so much for having me on, Elizabeth!
These are great tips, Toni. I think Elizabeth is a great role model of patience and consistency as a writer. She definitely cares about her readers.
I’ll check out the Bowflex Method.
Its great to meet Toni and thanks for.the tips. I am a bit of an introvert but I do love the promotional aspects of being a writer. I still.sell hard copies.on the street to passerbys.
A great post. This made me feel much less nervy about the thought of promoting; I always feel like I’m haranguing people, but this seems like a much better way of tackling it.
Thanks for sharing such great tips here. I agree about consistency being the key. It’s really easy for the whole marketing thing to get overwhelming.
Hi, Elizabeth!
This really is a great post. I get nervous about promotion, myself. I hate salesmen and I try not to have too many blog posts talking about my books.
Wonderful advice and I plan to take it all to heart. Very much the introvert in the middle of promotion and going around in circles, I shall calm myself and apply your rules.
Thank you!
Toni, we obviously think a lot alike. This is the list I give my clients and friends. This post is going out in my newsletter on the first. Great summary of some counter-intuitive thinking for writers.
For folks who want to dig deeper, here are some books that are each a deep dive into one of your points:
“To Sell is Human” by Dan Pink
“Start with Why” by Simon Sinek
“Permission Marketing” by Seth Godin (read everything Seth has ever written, and you’ll know more about marketing than the so-called expert you were considering hiring.)
“Find your Why.” I love that! I don’t watch her show, so I’d never heard that before. Thanks for these great tips.
I just discovered your blog and love, love it! Here are my thoughts on writing:
http://lasagnolove.blogspot.de…
I’d love to know what you think!
Have a great weekend,
Bamb
Hi Toni!
Great post! Love what you said about slowing down and picking one thing at a time to work on. Wish I knew that before my book was published. :-)
It’s only now that I’m enjoying marketing my book. I decided to focus on building relationships (I love meeting people) and it worked, and is much more fun!
We let ourselves get crazy when we see other writers doing such a great job with it while we are in the corner turning our wheels and going nowhere. We have to remember to do what we enjoy and feel comfortable with.
I’m going to checkout your workbook as I love checking out new marketing strategies to see if I like them and if they fit with my plan.