It is time for another blog chain. And man oh man the question is a doozy this time. Heather has thrown a major curve ball with this little question:
What plans do YOU have to market your novel? How will you make sure the public finds your work?
I like the use of the word plans. It brings to mind extensive and detailed lists, or maybe even a blue print drawing that can be used to infilitrate the publishing establishment by slipping in through the boiler room.
Unfortunately, the marketing plans that I have for my novel are nothing anywhere near as substantial as this. In fact, I would say they are more comparable to dust motes that are kind of floating around. They are out there in the air, but not something that you can firmly grab hold of. I have vague ideas about doing many of the usual things that Heather mentioned in her post, like book trailers, promotional bookmarks, building a website, etc. But what exactly any of those things would look like, I honestly can't say.
So, instead of exact ideas for marketing - I am instead going to talk about attitude. Because while the idea of marketing myself kind of fills me with dread, I do know that it is a crucial element in my goal of having a career as a writer. This means that I need not only a can-do, but also a will-do attitude - as in I will do whatever it takes to be a success.
If this means overcoming some of my introvert tendencies and forcing myself to get out there in the world and shmooze (oh dear, I don't know if those shmoozing attempts will be more painful for me, or for the people forced to endure them), or try to convince the local newspaper to give my book a plug, or even sitting at a table in a bookstore with a stack of books beside me while customers refuse to acknowledge my existance - well then that is just what I will have to do. And I will do it because even worse than not getting my book published, would be to having it published only to see it fail because I was too scared to get out there and try to make it a success.
Other than attitude, I also plan to make a point of learning everything I can about effective book marketing strategies, becoming a student of it and learning as much as I can through books, internet, and anyway who will let me pick their brain on the subject. Just like learning the whole process of querying agents, I am sure there will be a steep learning curve, but I also know that there will be a lot of people willing to help me along the way.
Okay, want to hear what other people on the chain have to say about marketing? You are in luck. Jessica Verday was before me on the chain and this is all very real for her since her book, The Hollow (go ahead and click that link to see the gorgeous cover and then also pre-order it from Amazon), is coming out in October of this year! Then head on over to Archetype Writing where I am sure she will have a lot to say about marketing both her non-fiction and fiction projects.
As for me, before I can think about marketing I first need to focus on getting my WIP ready to submit. Join me tomorrow for WIP Wednesday #003 to measure our progress together!
