It’s really hard to measure the success of any one type of promo, mostly because the royalties come in from different resellers, at different times. Some pay quarterly, a month after the fact, some pay monthly (isn’t’ that nice?!) Some have a 90-day lag before they cough up my cash
The subject comes up because recently a new author was bemoaning the fact that she has no idea what to do, or how to do it and I remember feeling overwhelmed when I was first published. I didn’t want to put out a lot of money because I had no idea what kind of return I would get. I needed a website and a blog, and again, I didn’t know how to go about getting either of them. It can be really scary. We all want to be authors but not many of us wanted to be marketing experts. And yet, as with any type of business you need one to be a success at the other.
I think the most important thing to do is relax. Get a decent website, and make sure to keep it up-to-date. Set up a blog, or just guest blog for other people. How much time do you want to put into it? Do you enjoy blogging? I do cover ads on various sites, especially when I know I’m going to be too busy to promo personally for a while. They are usually very affordable and if I randomly put them here and there, they just might find some new readers for me.
I participate in multi author parties and blog tours and scavenger hunts. If it tickles my fancy, I tend to try it. There are lots of free promotional opportunities out there. Check out the review and romance sites to find some that appeal to you. That is the key, of course. Do what you enjoy and make sure you don’t burn yourself out.
And, above all, take the time to write the next book! That can be your best promotional tool ever.
Anne Kane
www.AnneKane.com
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