On Wednesday, we talked about how I stumbled upon the realization of what marketing means to a traditional publisher.

Money. (I’m sure that maybe there is more to it. This is what I see.)

Money goes a long way when it pays for television and social media adds, arcs, floor displays, book tours…etc. But there is also the back money or money the publisher has invested in their brand. They have FB fans, email subscriptions, author and reader sites for teens…etc.

Most indie and self-publishers don’t have that kind of access to such immediate broad exposure.

So what are we to do?

Traditional ways

Yes there is blogging and all other social media networks you choose to participate in like FB, Google+, Triberr, Goodreads, LibraryThing, forums, and newsletters. And don’t forget blog tours.

Branding. (Such a huge topic that I’m not going to get into it here. I’m still learning.)

SEO Optimization.

Please just Google it. All I know is that it has to do with incorporating your keywords in social media so your site shows up on the first page with Google searches.

Networking and forming your tribe to help you get the word out.

Short stories and novellas that help promote your novel.

Anthologies.

Blurbs. (Not sure how effective this is.)

Arcs/reviews.

As a self-published author this is a huge advantage. Use the coupons at Smashwords to garner reviews and exposure before your release.

Querying book bloggers. (Those that accept self published novels.)

Non-traditional ways

Wattpad.

A place where anyone can post their work, chapter by chapter. (It might gain you fans but I’m not sure if this actually translates to sales.)

Tagging and meta-data.

This is all about choosing smart tags to describe your novel, choosing narrow categories on Amazon so your novel gets seen.

Pixel of Ink and paid advertising sites.

Expensive but has lots of potential, for these sites have lots of followers.

What some authors might not think about.

If you only have one book out, it seems smarter to write more and promote less. Wait until your whole trilogy is out to pay for the ads or go free or do the 2 month blog tour.

The only proven effective marketing:

• An excellent story and good writing. Your story has to have a market and readers.
• Writing and getting the next story out there.

All the other items are icing on the cake.

(This is info I’ve decided upon after reading many blogs by more experienced authors. I’m sure after I publish and market and promote my first novel, I’ll have a better understanding of what works for me and how to do these things! Writers are creative and need to tap that to find ways to market and promote. And ask fellow authors what they did!)

Have you seen any cool marketing ideas?