Today’s post is part of Indie Life, a blog hop for independent authors hosted by the Indelibles. Click here to see a list of participating blogs.
* * *
Very soon, I’ll have my first indie book published, but I don’t want to become one of those people. You know who I’m talking about. The people who go on the Internet, log into Facebook or Twitter, and start screaming at the top of their virtual lungs, “BUY MY BOOK! BUY MY BOOK! PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD BUY MY BOOK!!!”
First of all, those people are annoying. Second, the “BUY MY BOOK!” marketing strategy doesn’t seem to work. I’ve gotten plenty of advice on how to market an indie book, and it sounds like the only truly effective method is to trust word of mouth. If you’ve written something that is really good, people will tell their friends, who then tell their friends, and so forth until suddenly you start making lots of money.
It sounds to me kind of like the chain reaction that takes place inside nuclear bombs. One neutron collides with a single uranium atom, which causes the uranium atom to release more neutrons, which then collide with more uranium atoms, until you get a massive explosion complete with a mushroom cloud.
So my question to all you indie authors participating in Indie Life today is this: how do you get that first neutron to hit that first uranium atom?
Planet Pailly 
I couldn’t agree more. I hate people who constantly post ‘marketing’ type posts. It doesn’t inspire me to go buy their books at all.
But you’re right, the trick is to start off that chain. For me, what’s helped is free promotions through Amazon. It’s helped get me reviews, started people talking, and helped me make a lot of sales on the second novel in my series when it came out last month. It helps that it’s first in a series, so people get to the end and want to read the next book. I don’t intend to make any other novels in the series free at any point, but I figure having the first one free helps readers take a chance on an unknown author.
Paid advertising and running sales seems to help as well, though I can’t really afford anything major at the moment. Getting together with others of your genre, and running promos together (posting about each other on blogs, twitter, etc, running competitions.)
All that, and I reckon part of it is luck. I just keep putting out books, and hope one eventually just catches on!
Good luck on your release. That first one is so exciting!
LikeLike
Thanks for the ideas. Since I’m not at a point in my life where I’m desperate for money, perhaps a free promotion would work well for me. It’s definitely worth trying.
LikeLike
A blog tour is a good way to spread word. I used Xpresso TTours but there are a bunch of good ones you can hire. Make the publicity fun. Trade blog features. Good luck with your first book!
LikeLike
Thanks. I’ll look int that.
LikeLike
I have a ‘friend’ who informed me if I were a GOOD Christian, I would allow him to post unlimited amounts of book-spam on a forum of which I am the admin. It’s sad when people get so caught up in buy-my-book spamming they can’t sit back and think what impression they are giving people. One thing I’ve read that they say helps— think more of what you can do for other people than of what they can do for you as in buying and reviewing your book. Make friends of people instead of trying to be a hard-sell salesman. What got me to like certain authors is that I met them online and they were nice to me, acted like friends, and didn’t push buy-my-book. So when I tried a book and liked it, I started recommending it to others without being pushed.
LikeLike
Wow, your “friend” sounds super manipulative. I actually feel really sorry for this person.
I recently read a new definition of networking on another blog. It said, “It’s not who you know; it’s who you help.” Sounds like you’re saying much the same thing, and I really like that philosophy. Perhaps as “good Christians” that really is the way forward not just in writing but in life.
LikeLike