So this is a journey for me, as it is for many authors. I'm not new to this, and learning from my mistakes will help authors in the future, whether you've been published for years or for a few days, but especially if you're planning to publish in the future.
Whatever you're trying to create or sell, it is always important to create and establish a brand.
Asking yourself what you want from this will help.
If you're in it for the fun of it and don't really care about selling many books, then chill out. This is something you can read, but put your energy into writing.
If you've already published but you're in a rut, not knowing if you should carry on or not, then keep reading. More writers are always needed and you are vital to that.
Are you ready to start your publishing journey and just want to read more about what mistakes you can avoid? Read on.
You're a multi-million dollar author and you laugh at the peasants before you? Read on. We need more like you in our circles.
The important part of the writing process is always the writing part. Getting your editing done and creating the best book cover possible is always at the top of the list, but what then? Your book will sit on a virtual shelf gathering virtual dust for years. Building a brand takes the book forwards and helps put it in the hands of dedicated readers, it doesn't always come cheap, but starting out as an author often means you don't have the funds to organise a full launch campaign, so what next?
Start with this.
Website ~
Having a floating website will help massively increase your online presence. I use Wix for mine but I've heard good things about places such as WordPress, Ionos, and many more places that offer free website-building tools. Wix has been a lifesaver for me. I don't have my domain personalised, because I optimise my SEO settings so I don't need to. But when do you start a website? The short answer is NOW! You can start a website with a small bit about yourself and what you plan to do in the future. If you plan on sticking with a single sales platform, using a link on your website can take potential customers to a landing page where they can find all of your books.
As an Amazon author, I have a sales landing page provided by Amazon.
Logos ~
Below is the first logo I made. Why?
This was hoping people could recognise my brand at a glance, and I got it wrong many times, but that's okay. Being wrong creates something, not only learning, but now people recognise me for several images I use. I'm not concerned about Logos, to be honest, but it can make things easier. In short, I wouldn't worry about Logos, just a nice banner using Canva would be more than enough.
Social media ~
The pain that is social media can be a distraction, but that's often something we need, plus it can help us connect with other authors and readers. When using social media as a marketing tool that is without doubt important, however using it for branding can be a huge help. But how to go about this?
Another mistake I made was not engaging enough with other authors, so now I'm stuck going to the lonely route, which can still work if you're an introvert and the very thought of engaging someone in a conversation about your books sends you running, but a quicker way of selling is to engage like-minded people, joining groups that match your genre, whether it's fiction or otherwise can help with sales before your book is even published. I learnt my lesson long ago and now some of the best friends I have are authors from all over the world. Not only do we talk about our work, but we promote each other as well and help build each other's brands. Your strongest tool in selling your brand is other authors and readers.
Some platforms you can try are as follows ~
X formerly Twitter ~ is great for author interaction, a big writing community.
Facebook ~ I've heard the ads are hit and miss but a great place to meet new authors
LinkedIn ~ another opportunity to meet and collaborate with authors
TikTok ~ is so much fun and a big reader community
Discord ~ Find a good one by asking other authors.
Merchandise ~
An alternative way to help develop your brand comes after publication, but I suppose it can be done before using reader magnets, which will be mentioned soon as well. Merchandise is limited, so don't get carried away, simple things such as bookmarks and mugs can be a brand winner with your book cover art or even a full cover with a superb line from your book, has sold well in the past, but it also goes towards advertising it on a small scale. For larger-scale advertising, things that will work in a public setting can work better, such as beer mats or coasters and bookmarks. These can be placed in most public venues, but always have a way that people can find what it is you're trying to sell, a QR code helps with this and you can create a free one online, I use QR code Monkey but I am sure there are other options as well.
Mailing list ~
This is always a must and it will be mentioned in every forum, group, and party you're involved with. Don't panic though, building a mailing list is easier than it seems. I built my first 2k list in the worst way possible, that was by giving away my first book, The Hangman's Turn, completely free! Not a chapter or a magnet, but the whole book. Don't be me, yes I built my list, but it was full of people who just wanted free books, and not one of those actually bought anything from me, so I stopped with that, and later on in the year, I will work on my list once again to help weed out those free seekers.
Building your list can come from many websites, searching 'reader magnet websites,' or 'build my mailing list' will bring up plenty of sites for you to use. But where to store your e-mails? That has to be done in the safest way possible. Don't forget, you're being trusted with people's personal data, so having somewhere secure to store them is a must. I used to use MailChimp, which is great for those just starting out, who don't have many to add yet, but as it grows so will the price to store those e-mails. I moved my list to Wix because that's where my website is and it just made sense, oh, and I'm not in the generation of kids who grew up with computers, we learnt in school from one of those with a black screen and green flashing letters, the kid with a laptop was amongst the gods to us, so technology isn't my thing, so if I can do it, I'm sure you'll figure it out.
Building you ~
This is the one that unsuccessful authors often forget. I say unsuccessful because you'll see them on Facebook and Twitter constantly but they haven't released a book in years. All the above may seem like it will take forever to maintain, but when you do it properly, it takes a day out of your month, leaving the rest of the month to write. Having a schedule set in place will help massively, even using a proper calendar. Ooh, aren't we professional?
The way I do mine is easy, I have monthly schedules to post to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter, TikTok is where I showcase my new releases, cover reveals and some favourite quotes I make using Canva, I also use it for author advice I may have come across that week. I spend around an hour a day, usually when I have a break, going through Facebook, Twitter and replying to any messages or comments. I also have 1 or 2 days a week when I will set aside a day for marketing fun. This is when I make the posters or graphics I'll be using the next month. I also have one day a week when I'll do my Amazon ads, this is something I learnt in ad school.
Once a month is also set aside for learning, no matter what it is, even if I have nothing planned, I will still set aside one day to go through some of the ad school courses or do something productive that doesn't mean writing.
Then there's the mailing list, which sits gathering dust until I have something worthy to tell people, so a new release. Sending monthly e-mails can become tedious for your list so I leave it for releases. Some of those on my list are on other social media platforms as well so they get updates there. And honestly, that's it. The weekends are free. Of course, yours don't have to be, but having 3 children, 2 under 10 and one who is disabled, I don't have weekends or school holidays.
The most important part is one at a time, don't make my mistake and try to do everything together. One month create your website, the next month go with Twitter, explore the different places on there, people to follow, hashtags to use, then go with building a mailing list, after that start your Facebook, the point is, it doesn't all have to be done at once. The biggest mistake authors make, both new and veteran, is taking on everything at once and not focusing on any of them fully.
That's the marketing side and remember, they say the marketing part is the hardest part, but taking small steps can make it easy. Choosing the right platforms to have a presence comes later on. Your brand will grow like an oak tree, small shoots will become large trunks, and the flaws add to the texture and character of the tree, but too many flaws can weaken the structure. Take your time and build your brand.
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