Some Christmas Book Marketing Advice

None of your German markets and Gluhwein here, just the hard slog, with the help of Mardibooks, of marketing your book. Marketing is a time consuming business, especially if you don’t have a physical product for signings and other events.

An e-book is digital, obviously, so the greatest part of your marketing will also be digital, on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin as well as Goodreads and any other outlet you can find. Look for Twitter lists that contain people who match the genre of your book and follow, follow, follow. Some will follow back and others will not – you can drop those later. Engage with the rest and build up relationships. Plug your book when you can but not exclusively. Be friendly and interested in your new follower/followees. Mark events such as good reviews, positions in Amazon rankings, progress with your next book. Your friends will RT. Use hashtags such as #amwriting #crimefiction andalways thank them: for following, retweeting or even liking.

It is also incredibly useful to write a blog (in your spare time. You do have plenty of that don’t you?) More on blogs another day but in the meantime perhaps you could take a look at the blogs of other writers. You might also seek out those who interview authors on their blogs, there are quite a few who do that.

And so it is Christmas, and what have you done? You have built a host of friends who have money to burn. Now is the time to hit them with your Christmas marketing. Maybe a new cover, a special offer, the suggestion that your book will make the perfect gift for their murderous client, or their romantic wife. Write a Christmas blog – witty, pithy with some subject pertinent to your book. Mine is a crime novel so I could make reference to wanting to murder my husband for insisting that the in-laws come and stay over the festive season.

Whatever you decide to do, you can bet your bottom dollar that by Christmas Day you will be ready to collapse into a chair with a large glass of something spiritual and uplifting. The fruits of your marketing labour will not be known for several weeks so stop worrying and enjoy the festivities.

Merry Christmas.

Sue Nicholls