For the past three weeks, I’ve been working to the point of exhaustion on marketing my debut novel, Passage of Promise.

Writers, especially introverted ones like me, who have not yet published their works, look upon the upcoming marketing and promoting of their books with some dread. It looms out there, always prodding in the back of your brain, telling you, “You’ll have to work your butt off after you hit the “Distribute” button on your publication date”.

You thought the first draft was a whole lot of sweat and mentally draining. The hundreds of revisions and several edits were drudgery. The last minute tweaks and perfecting before publishing were nerve-wracking.

Well, of course, it is true all of that is hard work, but then you’ve reached the point of promoting and marketing your book. You’ve never marketed yourself so hard since the instances where you’ve interviewed for a job.

It feels awkward at first. Your confidence isn’t quite up to the task. But as people purchase your book, you begin to truly believe your story is worth even more than you originally thought.

Then, as your confidence grows, your promoting, reaching out via social media, local bookstores, online bookstores, libraries, etc. becomes easier.

And it boosts your confidence more so when your book is accepted by a local bookstore and the library includes you in one of their Author Showcases for the year.

No doubt, I’ve had to ramp up massage appointments and drink extra calming tea through this period. But it’s all part of being an author. It comes with the job.

These are the actions I’ve taken to promote my book:

Posting on social media about my book and where my book can be purchased

Contacted local bookstore to carry my book and do a future author event

Contacted local library to participate in their 2020 Authors Showcase event

Contacted online bookstores, as well as a large bookstore in Denver

Contacted my former and current churches

Contacted a good friend who does radio interviews

Made fliers for my book to set in local and church bookstores

Will post a picture when my book is on the shelf of the local bookstore

With all of this in place, I’m taking a little breather for the next several days.

I hope these ideas are helpful to new and first-time published authors.

Happy writing!

 

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Pick up your copy of Passage of Promise  via Amazon or Barnes & Noble!