Why I Market My Books

Something I've noticed (especially in the self-published community) is that sometimes people self-publish a book ... and that's it. They talk about their writing, it hits the shelves. Done deal. I would argue that should not be the case for several reasons we're going to talk about.

In last week's post, I wrote about Why Self-Publishing Shouldn't Equal DIY. I asked why after so much work writing would we sell ourselves short with a half-decent book. Today I'm asking why after so much work publishing would we sell ourselves short by letting our nice book die on the shelf.

Publication is just the beginning in so many ways. I don't say that to discourage you. Publication (indie or not) is a huge feat.

However, just like I talked about last week, I think we owe ourselves some more hard work. If you're someone who publishes for just your family or friends, then my approach won't apply to you as much. But if you're someone who publishes because you enjoy utilizing your God-given talent of writing then, again, don't leave your book to die on the shelf! It's downright disrespectful of your own hard work thus far.

It's for this same reason that I can't fathom being a writer who never publishes. It's not all about making money and believing every human, puppy, and goldfish should read what you write. But if it's a talent, we should be sharing it and using it for the glory of God.

When I say we shouldn't leave our books to die, I don't mean we have to be pushy salespeople (heaven forbid) or marketing pros. I know I'm certainly not well-versed in marketing tactics and strategies.

All I mean is, we should put some energy into spreading the word. It's that simple. Just like I said last week, simple doesn't necessarily mean easy. It will take time.

I think it's worth it to sit next to a stranger and have them ask if you're the local writer. It's worth it to have an older woman at your church ask you for a signed book every time a new family member is in town. It's worth it to make new friends who have similar experiences. And it is definitely worth it to have people say your book has made a difference in their life.

All of those above examples have happened to me recently. Let me remind you that it's been two years since I published the book in those examples. Those events are only possible because I do some basic marketing. Things like run giveaways and sales, share blog posts, and use social media.

Every little bit counts. There's nothing wrong with being content with where you're at, but I'd encourage you to make sure there's no fear holding you back, either.

Share things about your books on social media at least every once in a while. That way, when you announce a sale, you have several dozen people hurry to get it! Do blog tours for new releases and birthdays. Exposure is the key. 

If our ultimate goal is to bring glory to God, we want a quality product. That's what last week's post was all about. Once we make it that far, reaching as many people as possible is part of doing our best for Him. So make those connections, write those posts, and have those book signings. Tell people what you're up to in the writing world when they ask what's new.

As someone who'd like to be traditionally published one day, I've heard from the Harper-Collins acquisitions editor herself that people are impressed when they see how much hard work self-published authors put into selling copies. They know it's hard work, but the time is well spent because it also shows that they care about their book.

 Why be a storyteller if you have no one to tell a story to?

Marketing is largely outside of my comfort zone, you guys, but I view it as a necessary part of publishing! What ways do you like to market? Have you ever given thought to why you market?

Why Self-Publishing Shouldn't Equal DIY

As someone who has self-published, I've seen a vast variety of self-published products on the market. Some are brilliant and could easily pass for traditional in both popularity and quality. (Hello, some are being made into movies now?!) Others sit in a dusty corner of Amazon and looking at them makes me think rightly so. That second category is part of why I would argue that self-publishing should not equal a DIY project.

The very things that drew me to self-publishing were the control, speed, and low cost. What better way to have even more control, efficiency, and savings than by doing everything myself? No. No no no. That thought never even entered my head!

I didn't set out to self-publish because I was a cover designer, editor, and interior formatter (all of which I paid for by the way). I set out to self-publish because I was a writer. Not just that, but a writer hoping to make her name for herself as an author.

In order to make a name for yourself, you have to make a good impression. As materialistic as that may sound, it's a reality. And to one degree, it makes sense because quality talks. I mean, Mary Poppins can sing "a cover is not the book" all she wants, but I'm here to tell ya that people are hardwired to think otherwise. Myself included.

I find it unfortunate that self-publishing often turns people into a jack-of-all-trades, because that often sacrifices quality. If you have true talent as a cover designer, then I think the argument can be made that you're worthy to do your own cover. Other than that, stick to writing and writing only.

I think everyone who publishes can say professionalism is the goal. (If it's not then you can disregard everything else I say here today.) This quite simply means that you should be paying the professionals. I don't mean spending $5,000 on a single book. There are talented people out there with reasonable prices if you look hard enough!

I die a little bit on the inside every time I see a new book with a pencil drawing cover. Or maybe it has a beautiful watercolor cover and the grammar rules have hit the fan. Maybe it's simply ugly to look at on the page. Whatever the issue is, it will have an impression on all your readers! I die a little bit not because it's so bad, but because it could have been so much better. Instead, it's wasted potential.

Even though I know it can be hard to consider having to pay for so much when the return may not be great, think about it like this. How much we value our book should show. I would argue that means we should shell out some money to make it look professional. You've worked hard on the words inside, so don't sell yourself short of the whole package.

As overwhelming as that may be to some of you new writers, have no fear! There's such a community to be found of people willing to give you a helping hand. Farming out jobs doesn't even always mean you're paying. I used my uncle who had tech/photo skills to do the font design on my cover. In future, I'll probably have photography friends help me put together a book trailer. By all means, use what resources you have. But please don't use resources you don't have.

After all, this self-publishing thing is a great opportunity, don't you think? As such, we should bring  a good name to it. Let's be honest, the bad rap exists because bad self-published books exist. But let's not do the snobs any favors by contributing the pile of "meh" self-published books.

Don't we want to give our hard the work the best leg up possible? Of course! To me, that means doing a stellar job on all fronts, even if it costs a little more time and money.

If that's not enough for you, I think we can all agree that writing is a gift from God. Don't we want to do our best to bring Him glory? Yes of course! It's simply the nature of the world that people will be more inclined to listen to your message if it comes in a pretty package. And it's simply the nature of God to expect nothing but our very, very best.

Now simple doesn't mean easy, so it's fine if this sounds like a lot to you. But, trust me as someone who's come out on the other side twice now, no one has ever regretted making their work the best it could be.

I hope that didn't come off condescending and instead gave you a perspective for why self-publishing can be so good! What are your thoughts on why quality matters? Does this seem obvious or was something new to you here?