Marketing fiction
There’s no point in finding the time to craft the most beautiful novel if no one’s going to read it. Now’s the time to get it in front of actual people. This is an outline of what you need to do.
Mission
To get people to know, like and trust you.
Tasks:
- Obliterating obscurity
- To increase the probability of people of your target audience finding and buying the finished book
- To build a personal relationship with your future reader base through an e-mail list and social media
Methodology and Strategy
Utilizing an e-mail centric, open and conversational approach to gaining fanatics to your cause.
Getting permission to speak directly to your fans
You have permission to upload your book onto any platform you choose. This is not the permission we’re talking about here. We’re talking about e-mail lists and social media likes and follows. This is the permission to send people information so that they can engage with you and you with them.
Key skills:
- Setting up an Author Page
- Setting up an e-mail list
- Setting up an autoresponder sequence
- Setting up a funnel with a lead magnet to entice people to join the e-mail list
- Setting up an author page on social media
- Using the platforms (social media and autoresponder sequence) to engage your growing audience and to drive them to your e-mail list
- Using affiliate marketing to show work similar to yours and make a small side income
Give your fans great content
Inbound marketing is effective because it preselects the right type of reader for your books. This is content that they will share on Social Media, and be found through Google. This content is used to get your message out there by being useful, by contributing to the niche that you are joining. Your content is the gateway to your e-mail list, and generates the trust you need to build to have people subscribe to your list.
Key skills
- Web copywriting basics
- Content marketing
- Blogging
- Alternative media, such as Podcasting
- Participation in forums
- Review writing
Building relationships with others in your genre
This is the skill of leveraging other people’s brands and platforms to grow your brand. Reach out to them, and if you do it right, they will share your content with their audience.
Key skills:
Contacting low level influencers in your genre (specifically those a rung above you with regards to internet fame).
Sales
Once your audience knows, likes, and trusts you, it’s now time to sell them your book.
Key skills:
- Cover design
- Blurb writing
- Free launch
Resources are used to inform my marketing strategy
Your First 10 000 Copies by Tim Grahl
Crush it!, The Thank you Economy, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk
Business for Authors and How to Make a Living with your Writing by Joanna Penn