Marketing--I Don't Want to Hear About It (But That's Not an Option)

            It’s the
anguished cry of both new and multi-published authors: I wrote the book! You mean I have to sell it, too? Yes, you (we)
do. It’s Writing 101—write/promote/sell—it’s a package deal.

            The March
2012 issue of The Writer has one of
the best articles I’ve read so far on the subject of marketing our work.
“Market with What You’ve Got” by Michele Howe, author of 11 books and more than
1,300 articles and reviews, actually makes the task look, well, doable.

            She begins with a piece of great
advice about making comparisons: Don’t do it. From the bare bones of writing to
the selling of that writing, it’s strictly personal. What someone else does or
doesn’t do shouldn’t make you feel less adequate.

            I
particularly liked her advice about the time spent on social media, which can
quickly get out of hand and become overwhelming—in my opinion. I know I could
do better in this area, and maybe doing it three times a day for half an hour
at a time (her prescription) will work for me, too.

            She goes on
to detail the necessity and/or benefits of such tools as Facebook, Twitter,
LinkedIn, a blog, a website, and an e-newsletter. Then she suggests taking a
look at ways to make yourself more visible: providing information on the web,
writing columns for online magazines, writing articles about what your know,
reviewing, searching the web for areas that mesh with your subject matter,
asking for help from family and friends, radio and television, and YouTube.

            Her advice
on good use of your time—developing daily habits for checking your sites and
promoting your work—is valuable. Of course, you need to read the whole article
to get the full picture.

            I’m
beginning to get into a routine much like she recommends, but I still found her
suggestions helpful. You can find her on the web at michelehowe.wordpress.com.

~~~~~~~

So now for a little marketing of my own...





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