Jason Howell
asked
Shannon L. Peel:
If you're a writer, chances are you're also your own marketing & promotional team. Do you find conflict there? Between the creative work and the hustle? Or do the two mostly merge for you? Without going into the nuts and bolts of your approach too much, can you talk about how you view these things?
Shannon L. Peel
As a marketing professional I enjoy book promo. The best advice I can give any author is to have a marketing plan. Budget. Invest. And understand that the goal you need to be going towards is not sales but credibility and authenticity. Recognition from the traditional publishing industry will come once you have both. Sales are nice. However, if it's your first book, profits should not be your goal.
It's not a hustle or a hassle for me to promote my book it's a game.
Marketing is storytelling. It's about telling your book's story to the world and getting them to take an interest. To get them to engage and be apart of your journey as an author. It's like a game. If I do this how many people will engage in my message? How many people will follow me? How does this marketing technique work and what is the ROI of this one? I love it.
It's a time consuming game.
I worked for an online review site so I believe in the power of online reviews. It's not easy for authors to obtain reviews as they first have to find people who will write a review to read it.
The biggest challenge I have is finding time to work on the next book while still promoting the 1st and working a more than full time job (now looking for a job) while meeting the needs of 2 teenagers full time. I am hoping to hit the tipping point soon where I don't have to push on the promo of book 1 so hard.
Don't forget to promote yourself in the real world too.
I was surprised to find out that when it came to real world marketing I was a deer in the headlights. It was so unlike me to be frozen in fear and unwilling to tell my story in the real world. This fear and insecurity told me that I need to believe in myself more. I need to have a better real world marketing plan and push through the insecurity and fear to get my books into stores, libraries, and schools.
Promoting one's own book is not easy, it's terrifying. It's terrifying because you're marketing yourself. If someone doesn't respond to the work I do for a company I work for, not a big deal. It's not me they are rejecting. It's just business. My work though. My book. That's personal. That's my baby. That's me.
Rejection is the hardest thing to come to terms with. Rejection letters from agents and publishing houses is one thing - rejection from the reading public quite another. Bad reviews, or mediocre ones are hard to swallow, however, like I told my clients - it's just one persons opinion, thank them and move on. Use the bad review to authenticate your good ones, respond in a professional manner thanking them for their opinion and insights.
I am passionate about marketing. I love it. I understand that not everyone has the same skill set or passion for it. I've worked in sales, advertising, and marketing most of my career so I have a huge advantage over most authors.
It's not a hustle or a hassle for me to promote my book it's a game.
Marketing is storytelling. It's about telling your book's story to the world and getting them to take an interest. To get them to engage and be apart of your journey as an author. It's like a game. If I do this how many people will engage in my message? How many people will follow me? How does this marketing technique work and what is the ROI of this one? I love it.
It's a time consuming game.
I worked for an online review site so I believe in the power of online reviews. It's not easy for authors to obtain reviews as they first have to find people who will write a review to read it.
The biggest challenge I have is finding time to work on the next book while still promoting the 1st and working a more than full time job (now looking for a job) while meeting the needs of 2 teenagers full time. I am hoping to hit the tipping point soon where I don't have to push on the promo of book 1 so hard.
Don't forget to promote yourself in the real world too.
I was surprised to find out that when it came to real world marketing I was a deer in the headlights. It was so unlike me to be frozen in fear and unwilling to tell my story in the real world. This fear and insecurity told me that I need to believe in myself more. I need to have a better real world marketing plan and push through the insecurity and fear to get my books into stores, libraries, and schools.
Promoting one's own book is not easy, it's terrifying. It's terrifying because you're marketing yourself. If someone doesn't respond to the work I do for a company I work for, not a big deal. It's not me they are rejecting. It's just business. My work though. My book. That's personal. That's my baby. That's me.
Rejection is the hardest thing to come to terms with. Rejection letters from agents and publishing houses is one thing - rejection from the reading public quite another. Bad reviews, or mediocre ones are hard to swallow, however, like I told my clients - it's just one persons opinion, thank them and move on. Use the bad review to authenticate your good ones, respond in a professional manner thanking them for their opinion and insights.
I am passionate about marketing. I love it. I understand that not everyone has the same skill set or passion for it. I've worked in sales, advertising, and marketing most of my career so I have a huge advantage over most authors.
More Answered Questions
A Goodreads user
asked
Shannon L. Peel:
how do you market your books? what is your favourite tool to get your books "out there"?
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