If you’re self-published, you’re probably on the lookout for marketing tips for authors. You might even be desperate for marketing tips for authors.
And if you’ve hit dead end after dead end in this regard, Innovative Editing has two questions for you.
1st Question: Do you follow other writers on social media?
1st Answer: Likely, you do. You have your favorite authors, of course. And you probably have friends who are writers, some of them seemingly successful writers at that.
2nd Question: Do you ever find yourself getting jealous of other writers on social media?
2nd Answer: Likely, you do. It’s hard not to resent other people’s success when you’re struggling to make your own. Struggling and, too often, failing.
So since the likelihood is high that you are now, have been or will be jealous of another writer in the future, let’s talk about it.
Then, after we do, let’s talk about practical, reality-dipped marketing tips for authors like you.
Jealousy is a normal human emotion as old as – well, really old things. Take the biblical story of Cain and Abel, two brothers with different talents and proclivities.
Cain was jealous of Abel’s close relationship with God, and so he killed him.
For that matter, Cain and Abel’s parents, Adam and Eve, suffered from dangerous levels of jealousy as well. Only, in their case, they directed it straight at God himself.
They wanted to be like their Creator. And so they ate the forbidden fruit and got kicked out of paradise for their greed.
Judging by those two examples alone, we can conclude two things about jealousy:
Jealousy is a very human emotion.
Jealousy is a very dangerous emotion.
This isn’t to suggest that you’re going to go out and kill other writers who appear more successful on social media. I’m sure you’re not a complete and total psychopath.
Or at least you have a healthy fear of the justice system and a firm enough grasp on reality to understand that murder won’t bump up your book sales.
In which case, wonderful. That’s a good place to start.
Though, of course, there’s a lot more to go on from there.
Yes, there’s plenty to be jealous of, plain and simple. Not that it’ll do you a single bit of good.
Jealousy might be natural and even understandable. But it’s very rarely useful and never ever healthy. So try to put it aside and study the subjects of your envy instead.
See what they do and how they do it. If at all possible, ask them for help.
Can’t ask them for help? They’re too famous or busy with their burgeoning businesses writing, publishing and marketing books?
Understood. But you still have resources to work with.
As explained in last month’s Genuine Writer Review copy, marketing is a process. It begins with having a wow-inducing front cover and description.
Do you have that?
If you do or once you do, your next step is to spread the word, something that simple social media is only so good for. Hate to break it to you, but you’re going to have to spend money.
It doesn’t have to be thousands of dollars. In fact, it probably shouldn’t be thousands of dollars.
Instead, try testing out ads that look something like the ones halfway down this link. Run them on social media for $5, $15 or $35 for a week and see if they get any traction.
You can also try advertising through e-book lists. This linked list from PaidAuthor.com doesn’t come with guarantees, either from Innovative Editing or from the e-letters it includes… but it does serve as a great place to start looking for advertising outlets.
Bottom-line: Stop being jealous and start being proactive. There are plenty of marketing strategies and marketing tips for authors out there. You just have to know where to look and what to pay.