I also do a bit of photography too – as you can see (!) But my point is that I write books, yeah I edit them too and am very familiar with publishing software, so I know the basics of design and I can lay out and style a book. Fine. But the marketing bit ? well.... Not so great. Or maybe I'm just still learning.
I read an interesting article on the web today and there was a line that made me laugh out loud. 'If you self-publish your book, you are not going to be writing for a living. You are going to be marketing for a living.' I laughed because it is so true. And Ros Barber, who wrote the piece, went on to say that 'Self-published authors should expect to spend only 10% of their time writing and 90% of their time marketing.' Cough, splutter www-what!!????
Hmmm.... he does have a point.
It is easy to get drawn in to the whole 'must push my book in everyone's faces' mode and to feel a kind of desperation around marketing on social media. I hate getting spam - and so I wouldn't like to feel I am inflicting it on anyone!! But I have to speak up a little, or no one will know about my book at all. My answer is to choose a middle way. I'm not going to devote 90% of my time to marketing – no way!! And if that means less books sold, then so be it. My plan is to write, publish, let go. I'll have to plug my books on mantras or kindness (ha ha – couldn't resist!) occasionally so that people know where to get them. But mainly, I need to get on with the next one.
I read an interesting article on the web today and there was a line that made me laugh out loud. 'If you self-publish your book, you are not going to be writing for a living. You are going to be marketing for a living.' I laughed because it is so true. And Ros Barber, who wrote the piece, went on to say that 'Self-published authors should expect to spend only 10% of their time writing and 90% of their time marketing.' Cough, splutter www-what!!????
Hmmm.... he does have a point.
It is easy to get drawn in to the whole 'must push my book in everyone's faces' mode and to feel a kind of desperation around marketing on social media. I hate getting spam - and so I wouldn't like to feel I am inflicting it on anyone!! But I have to speak up a little, or no one will know about my book at all. My answer is to choose a middle way. I'm not going to devote 90% of my time to marketing – no way!! And if that means less books sold, then so be it. My plan is to write, publish, let go. I'll have to plug my books on mantras or kindness (ha ha – couldn't resist!) occasionally so that people know where to get them. But mainly, I need to get on with the next one.
I no longer post on Instagram or Facebook. But you can see videos featuring my photography on my Youtube channel.
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