With an eBook put up on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, I have entered the world of promotion (which should probably have happened before now). And right now, I don’t feel I have entered that world very effectively. I’m thinking I’m one of those writers who writes because he isn’t very good at talking about himself.

I’m sure many of you have come across books with substandard writing and editing, and yet you marveled at the sales the author was able to generate. You shake your head and murmur: how did that happen?

Darn good marketing and self promotion!

Autheteering
Entering the world of the marketer, one can instantly become overwhelmed. It appears to be a viscous circle of people marketing their wares. Indie authors, if you have spent any time at all studying how to market your work, then you know everyone wants to sell you something in an effort to help promote your work. And as an indie author, you probably don’t have a budget to spend on cover design, editors, advertising, and marketing. Now, not only do we have to be good writers, we may have to be even better marketers.

Get with the program
As authors, promoting our books isn’t a new idea. Even a publishing company expects its authors to self-promote. But it is one thing to answer questions about your work, shake hands, and sign books during an organized event. It’s another matter entirely to learn how to effectively use social media, organize your own events, and create the discussion in the first place. It’s not all that easy to learn. I will say this, though, it sure makes the difficulties of plotting and character development seem easier.