I am a small-press author. While I would
love to be able to share with you the secret to selling thousands of books and
gaining hundreds of readers in a week’s time, I can’t do that. I can only share
what I know as I go about building a foundation for what I hope will be a long
and productive writing career.
I know about the grass roots effort. I know
about face-to-face marketing. I know how to sell one book to one reader at a
time. That may not sound very impressive, but it works, in time. I promise.
I operate on a basis I feel is imperative
to my success: I am the person I present to you. I don’t go to great lengths to
cultivate a sleek image I will never be able to maintain.
I’m awkward. I’m a geek. I have weird
hobbies. On Facebook or Twitter, I don’t share sexy images of scantily-clad men
as I link to my romance novel on Amazon. If I’m going to link to pretty
half-dressed men, it will probably be Joe Manganiello, and it will be
because…well, because it’s Joe.
Have I lost you yet?
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I hope not, because I really believe that
being yourself is a great way to connect with your readers. Now, I don’t mean
you should log on to your Facebook and expose every bit of yourself, and every
unedited thought. I simply think one shouldn’t be afraid to be vulnerable, on
some levels.
I live in a terrible apartment complex.
Half my posts are my (hopefully) amusing adventures of just trying to get to my
parking spot without something bizarre happening. Without going off the deep
end, I can share work stress, writing stress, single-and-still-looking stress,
and it gets a response. People connect because of shared experiences. Seeing
that someone else, even a recently discovered author, understands the
day-to-day struggles can truly make a difference in earning a reader’s future loyalty.
And I find myself drawn to people who chime in and make me realize I’m not
alone in it all.
Another sure-fire way of connecting? Being
appreciative, and meaning it. When I get a great review, it really does thrill
me. I try to make a point of sending a general public ‘thank you’ out into the
internet ether, in case that reader visits my website or my social networking
pages. It doesn’t have to single out the reviewer and, in fact, I’d advise
against that. But a brief, general show of gratitude certainly can’t hurt.
Taking the time to do so has opened the door to, not just new readers, but new
friendships.
Don’t forget your hometown, when it comes
to networking and promoting your work, no matter how small. The people you grew
up with, teachers, doctors, high school friends…they’re all potential buyers,
and they’re all potential marketing help. Some examples of what I consider my
own special brand of guerilla marketing:
My
mother.
Never underestimate the power of Mom. I
have an octogenarian armed with business cards. No doctor’s exam, shopping
trip, or grocery run goes without her leaving cards or talking up my books.
Maybe it’s guilt, maybe they think her exuberance is adorable. Either way, I
see traffic increase on my website when she puts a fresh batch of cards in her
purse.
The
lady who cut my hair when I was in high school.
There’s an awful lot of traffic through her
salon, and a lot of that traffic, including some in book clubs, have heard
about my stories.
Friends
and family.
They namedrop. They corner people they know
are avid readers and they recommend you. They are first in line to buy your
book and share links with all their friends. These people are as important as
any blog tour you can book for yourself when you have a new release. Utilize them,
and never forget their value as promoters and as people you are incredibly
lucky to have in your life.
Most importantly, if you want to gain a
foothold in the marketing game, step outside of your comfort zone. I am an
extreme introvert, but I have participated in radio interviews, and was a
faculty member at the South Carolina Writers Workshop Conference. Never say no
when the only reason to decline is your own fear. Experiment. Try new things.
Take risks. Five years ago, if someone would have told me that I’d be a
published author, I’d have laughed until
I cried. Swallowing my fear and opening a blank Word document and typing the
first sentence of my own story led me to this incredible journey I’m on now. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Take the time to connect, one reader at a
time. You’ll never have a stronger foundation for your own writing journey.
J.M.
Kelley is the author of Drew in Blue, Daddy’s Girl, and the soon to be released Almost Magic. A fourth novel, She Let Herself Go will be released in early 2014. For more information, please visit www.jmkelleywrites.com.
