If you are going to self-publish, one thing you need to think about is how, once your book is written and available, you are going to market yourself.
Although I’ve wished and wishes, there are no magic fairies popping up to do the marketing for me, so I’ve got to tackle it myself.
I know I have an advantage because marketing and pr are what I’ve done for a day job for almost 10 years.
But let me be perfectly clear, even with experience, it is a challenge. Especially if you are on a shoe string budget and that string is about a half-inch long.
So, if you’ve never had to market anything, start with this: the number one thing you are marketing is you. That’s right. Not your books, not your ideas, not your clever prose… you.
One book I found really helpful on this topic is called You, Inc. You can find it at Amazon or other book retailers. It really gives you some basic direction in how to market yourself.
For a broader sense of marketing, I recommend checking out Smashwords Marketing Guide. It is free and full of great tips and step-by-step instructions. If you read it from front to back, you really will have some good ideas on how to go about this whole adventure of marketing.
It isn’t rocket science, but marketing yourself and your books is going to take some time, effort , a lot of persistence, patience (can you hear me sighing) and good old-fashioned hard work.
I keep reminding myself that which we labor for the hardest can bring us the greatest rewards.
