My blog has not been getting many views lately which is giving me some concern in coming up with a marketing strategy for my finished novel. I have added a little teaser announcement to my Welcome Page, but if no one is visiting my blog, it is not going to be seen. Because of this, I spent most of yesterday afternoon (four to five hours) working on additional artwork and materials to share on social media in order to try and attract viewers to my book, but unfortunately, I had nothing useable by the end of my endeavors.
marketing
Book Cover Considerations
In getting ready to self-publish my novel, there comes the question of what to do about a cover for my book. Many writers I've talked to in the past have said that it's better to hire someone else to do cover art for your novel, leaning on the idea that other people are trained in marketing and graphic design and that most writers have not taken the time to learn such things. However, with the rise in self-publishing options, there has also been a rise in available templates which people can use to make their own book covers. So the question becomes one of preference, costs, and time management; is it better to create your book cover yourself or to hire someone to do it for you?
The Editing is Almost Done; Now What?
So over the past couple of weeks I've had some setbacks in progress with my creative goals. Unfortunately, one of those setbacks involves the possibility of getting that separate personal workspace away from my family. But I am not letting that stop me from achieving my goals. I am still pressing forward with my projects and am still on target to have my novel manuscript self-published by midsummer. It's a bit of a surreal feeling, being this close to having this particular story out there and available for people (complete strangers as well as friends) to read. But the closer that publishing goal comes to being a reality, the more I feel like it's less of a big deal than I have made it over the years.
Dangers of Following a Trend
In any form of expression driven by public participation and desire for an audience, trends will develop. Whether you're talking fashion, artwork, music, slang, marketing, social media, scientific inquiry, or any number of other dynamic human forces, popularity and the desire for approval will affect what direction expression takes. One of the biggest areas of social life where trends can and do take over is in storytelling.
Book Shopping: Festivals
Over the weekend I attended a local book festival that is said to be one of the biggest in the tri-state region. I find that label a bit disappointing, but only because I feel it could have been better organized. The hosting organization had set up two tents in a community park, one for YA and adult literature and the other for children's books, and there were several vendors in between these tents. For as large as the park happens to be, I feel a third tent could have been added rather than packing the authors inside the two tents like feathers on a goose.
Social Media: What Works for You?
There is a lot of advice floating around out there concerning growing your social media followers and how to promote yourself (something every writer wanting an audience needs to do), but the marketing gurus I watch don't seem to receive much interaction from their tens or hundreds of thousands of followers. Maybe their analytics show that their posts are getting a lot of views, but I can't help but notice that they aren't getting very many likes or retweets...
So how effective is their advice if their followers don't seem to believe it's worth sharing?
HLHumbert 