Book marketing. Author platforms. Websites. Facebook advertising. Blogging. Twitter. Instagram. Target audience. Book reviews. Brain fry.
This is not the first time I have written about the perils of book marketing. So often I feel as if I am groping around in the dark. This is the next level. If this is the direction in which I want to go as an author, this is what I need to do.
In marketing and publicity workshops they will tell you that you will likely spend more time working on book promotion than on your actual writing, and I have certainly found this to be true.
This week I sat down to work on a new novel manuscript, and after I started, I couldn’t stop. The ideas were flowing, the energy was pumping. I felt an enthusiasm that I did not feel during the book promotion process. I felt more excited about my writing overall, and because of that I felt that I was in a better place mentally when working on book promotion.
It is so easy to get overwhelmed by the marketing and publicity process, and as an author those skills aren’t necessarily in line with your greatest strengths. But they are necessarily if you want to get your books out there. It may cause you to drift away from the act of writing, and I have realized just how important it is to keep writing in amongst all the business. To have a piece that does not have a deadline, maybe not even a purpose, just something that allows you to express your love for the written word, and have fun. To stay in touch with the reason why you are doing all the other stuff in the first place.
Kate Kelsen 