Lessons Learned About Marketing

While I was at Balticon, one of my favorite panel discussions was about promoting your books without being obnoxious about it!

Here is a list of things I captured in my notes.

Social Media Self Promotion:

• The best marketing is to write a book that doesn’t suck.
• The worst marketing is to constantly scream “buy my book” on every social network available.
• Keep writing. Your next book is a great marketing tool for your other works. 
• Have a great cover, blurb, and first chapter that hooks the reader.
• Be present on social media: Facebook, twitter, blogs, and others like Instagram.
• Consider podcasting or a Youtube channel.
• Do book signing events and advertise them online.
• Have a great author page on Amazon.
• Find your own voice. Your own topics. Your own fan base.
• Tell followers about new releases and special offers when they happen.
• An energized fan base is a great word of mouth marketing channel.
• Share your life as you feel comfortable about sharing. Be sincere.
• Reach out and engage readers and fans.
• Offer free kindle edition weekends now and then.
• Use an email list. But use it sparingly. Like new release announcements.
• Have fun. Enjoy interactions. Keep writing.
• Join the writer community, online, in writers groups, in lit conferences, in meetups.
• Help other authors.
• Write short stories for anthologies.

What not to do:

• Do not just post “buy my book” all day every day.
• Do not send an auto reply to twitter follows that says “buy my book”.
• Do not spam the hell out of people.
• Don’t be an asshole on line.

Where opinions differ:

• Don’t discuss politics on social media. 
• Don’t discuss religion, gender, gun control, capital punishment or abortion.
• Some say don’t lose half your readers by pissing them off.
• Others say discuss it all to find your tribe.