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Marketing

Is it ever too early to market your book? This question is retroactive to pre-publishing, too. I know very little about marketing. In fact, I guess I know nothing at all. My plan has always been, from the beginning, to get my story out there. To have people read it - that's the point to all of this. That's why this blog exists.

And yet now I find myself searching for new, constructive ways to market this book. So far, I've been searching for an artist for the cover. I have it completely planned out, but I could screw up a stick figure, so I'll leave this to the pros. I'm wondering if it's too soon to design a website. Would a website even work for an unpublished work? I don't know. These are things I am looking into to help market my first novel.

I've never had much use for an ego, but is self-promotion really egotistical? Or will it only hasten my prospect for publishing? Hmm.

Comments

  1. C. Michael CookNovember 17, 2008 at 9:30 PM

    Write first, ask marketing questions later.

    If you're like me, all this stuff is a wonderful diversion from actually getting the work done. Why, sometimes, it's almost as if the story or book already exists, and I can almost picture it on the shelf, and all the accolades it will earn me...

    And even though that's positive thinking -- which a writer needs, sometimes desperately -- it doesn't get the job done. So I return to the keyboard.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Annie WickingNovember 21, 2008 at 1:01 PM

    I'm with CMichael here, Elton. Write your book first then worry about the rest.

    You may even find that it isn't your first book you need to worry about, but your second. I have heard it said by published writers that it was the second book that sold the first.

    Just something else for you to worry about... Sorry, lol

    Best wishes, Annie

    ReplyDelete
  3. Luke DodgeNovember 21, 2008 at 2:34 PM

    Excellent advice, but the book has been done for some time. Other than trying to chop about 10,000 words, that is.

    But excellent advice.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jane SmithNovember 21, 2008 at 4:34 PM

    If you're aiming at commercial publication, do nothing for the cover: your publisher will take care of all of that for you.

    If you're considering self-publishing, remember you'll have to spend all your time promoting this book and so won't have time to write the next one.

    Meanwhile, best of luck to you--submission time is hard on us all.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Luke DodgeNovember 21, 2008 at 9:44 PM

    Hi Jane, I sometimes toss the idea around of self-publishing, but I haven't done enough research yet or sent enough queries to think about it.

    I have heard things about the industry that makes me think it's a bit like bankruptcy. Once you do it, there's this stigma that follows you for a while.

    I hope I'm wrong. I think writing is about so much more than a nice advance...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Jane SmithNovember 22, 2008 at 2:54 AM

    I think the stigma depends entirely on how you behave, Elton.

    Lynn Price over at the Behler Publishing blog has discussed this in the last month or two, I think: you could try searching her blog for a mention of PublishAmerica.

    ReplyDelete

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