This week I finished the first draft of my next book, which is the good and bad news.
It’s good news because I’m one step closer to publishing my next book, but it’s bad news because now I have to edit and market my own work.
Now, listen, I edit and market my work all the time. I write for a newspaper for a living, so it’s a pretty regular part of what I do. But reading a book I wrote and editing it feels like staring at myself in front of a mirror and picking my appearance apart. It can be hard to have to be that critical of something you wrote, and then turn around and sell it to others. Plus, since I’m self-published, I’m a one-woman show.
This was something I talked about when I did a self-publishing workshop with local author Jordan Schwartz back in March at the Brandon Township Public Library. Marketing something so personal to you can be very difficult, because you’re essentially marketing yourself.
I’ve had years of practice with the confidence it takes to do that, and I’ve had people recently ask how to market themselves. A friend of mine is looking for a job in technology, and she turned to me for tips and tricks to market herself to others. She and I are in similar situations of having to market ourselves, her for a job and me for my next book, so I thought I’d share those tips for others.
Branding: For many more tips on branding, I highly recommend checking out Building Brands, the column by our brand manager Emily Caswell. But, as a general tip, having a professional brand for business cards, websites, and book covers can go a long way. Using the same one or two fonts, the same color scheme, and the same photo can add a lot to your brand and make your more recognizable and memorable.
True story, I use the same photo for this column as I do when I sell books at events, and I have people stop and chat with me because they recognize my picture. It’s part of my brand as a writer.
Dress to fit the situation: I attend a lot of different events as an author: farmers markets, vendor fairs, library talks, and school career days. When you go to a job fair, dressing professionally is important. But if you’re marketing like I do in a lot of different environments, it might be better to fit the environment. You’re a lot more approachable at a summer farmers market in a pair of shorts and a nice t-shirt than in a suit or fancy dress.
You can even fit your attire to your brand by matching the colors, which is something I do when marketing my books on social media. I try and match my clothes to the book I’m talking about.
Fake it until you make it: As much as I would like to just tell my friends to have confidence, it’s easier said than done. So my advice is always to fake your confidence, because, eventually, you will build actual confidence.
For more of these tips, and a full look at the process of self-publishing, keep an eye out next year for another self-publishing workshop from Schwartz and myself. Marketing your own work isn’t easy, but luckily, you’re not alone. We can all support each other in our endeavors.