You’ve done it. You’ve finally gotten that novel out of your head and onto paper. You’ve gone over the manuscript with a fine-toothed comb no less than half a dozen times, your editor has done the same. You have your cover art and you’ve run the book by a carefully selected test audience. You’re ready to go to print.

The hard part’s over, right?

Wrong.

Wait a minute. What?

Back in the day this may have been the end – or the beginning. Your agent or publisher would take care of getting your book distributed and out into the world and hands of hungry readers. But today with the advent of self-publishing and more and more authors doing all the work themselves this is just another step in the process.

Today, it’s not enough to be a good writer with a good story to tell. You have to be more. You have to be production manager, editor, layout artist and marketer. Even if you don’t have the skills for any of those extra hats, you still have to have a good understanding of how each of those areas work if you’re going to choose the right people to do that work for you.

Marketing and self-promotion are frequently overlooked and this is what can make the difference between success and landing in the “where are they now?” file.

Be A Social Butterfly – For Free

A promotional campaign for a new novel is like any other. If you’ve been around the blogosphere for a while you may have launched a few projects already. You may have had an instructional ebook or launched a new business or site. When you did that, what did you do?

You told your friends and family first, right? You started with the one list of people you knew best and got the ball rolling. You probably used Twitter and Facebook to make your initial announcement, too. Maybe you hit the niche circuit and started commenting on pertinent blogs to garner some attention and cast a wider net to get your name out there.

Social networking is more than posting what you had for breakfast or telling the world you’re shopping at WalMart. When used correctly and with a plan social networking is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to advertise your new novel. Word of mouth is a very powerful concept and a single Tweet is the modern day equivalent of the shot heard ’round the world.

Another free resource is Facebook fanpages. Don’t have the funds yet to go all out on your own personal website? Build a fan page and post your updates there.

The Author’s Website

Which brings me to the next point; the website. A few years ago I was doing some research on the fiction writing community. I came across a lot of sites that had excellent information and good books on them, but the websites failed miserably.

This wasn’t just for new writers, either. I saw a few well known sites belonging to authors and just had to shake my head and ask “How could they?”

Many of the sites then (and now) look like they’re stuck in the 90s. Narrow pages with terrible fonts, no thought at all to design or to how visitors would navigate those sites to find the information they needed. Some were so bad I didn’t bother reading what the latest novel was about because I couldn’t stand to look at the page.

As both an author and a designer my own goal is to have everything associated with our novel, or any project for that matter, to look as professional and up to date as possible. Think about it; you’ve poured your whole heart into creating this book, why would you stop short at your website?

In many cases it seems like the website was nothing more than an afterthought.

At one time perhaps a website was a luxury and not really necessary. Today, your website is your storefront, your face to the world. So like my Mom says, “Put your makeup on before you go out. You never know when you’ll be discovered.”

Book Trailers

I’m not sure when this phenomenon started, but recently I’ve discovered authors using book trailers. These are  video clips similar to what you’d see for a movie.

And like their websites, a lot of them are pretty bad.

Having done animation, I look at these with the same critical eye as a website. And I’ve had the same “What were they thinking?” reaction.

A video clip, even just a few minutes long, takes hours to create. And they’re expensive. They’re a big investment and if you’re going to spend that much money on one it better be done well or else you and your book will come off like a joke.

Click here to view a few of the best…and worst.

A word of caution; always remember THE BOOK is what counts in the end. A good video can kill your sales just as much as a bad one. You need a solid call to action. Don’t let any of your PR get in the way of the real message.

Forums and Blogs

Many of us are familiar with forums. Both Wendi and I got our start on role playing writing forums. Fan sites built on a forum platform are a great way to stir up some interest. Face it, once you tell people you’re publishing a book you gain instant celebrity status. You have more of a fan base than you realize and more and more people start to come out of the woodwork.

Readers love to interact with authors. Nearly everyone wants to reach out and touch greatness. Some of my favorite authors, like Christine Feehan and Neil Gaiman, stay close to their roots and interact with their fans as much as possible. This interaction, in my opinion, is worth more than anything else in the world. Your fans are what make you successful. Treat them well and they’ll treat you well. Never forget them, no matter how crazy things get.

You’d be surprised how many times I’ll pick up a book just because the author is a “nice guy”. Forums and blogs add that personal touch.

ePub

Love it or hate it, the reality is that digital publications are here to stay. Don’t have enough capital to get that first book printed? Try going the digital route first.

Platforms like Kindle and other forms of ebooks are excellent ways to test the waters and get your name out there. Start by selling a digital format on Amazon. Before you know it, people will be clamoring for an actual physical book.

I know, I can hear many of you saying “But digital doesn’t count! No one takes you seriously unless you’re in print!”

Oh really?

The publishing industry has reached a tipping point. More and more established authors are moving towards digital and self-publishing. I think that strikes a nice little blow for legitimacy if you ask me.

Ready, Set…GO!

So, while your novel is in the hands of your editor or designer, take that time to get your marketing campaign together. Start with what and who you know, and if budget allows, take it a step further and put your PR into the hands of a professional. At the very least, just get word out there. The more people you tell or talk to, the more connections you’ll make. All those small baby steps add up.

If you have a novel about to be released, what steps are you taking, or have taken already? What worked for you and what didn’t? Is there anything you wished you had known then that you know now – or still don’t know and wished you did?

On a Side Note

Over the last several months we’ve had a lot of people asking us to share our experience with writing Bonds of Blood & Spirit: Loyalties. We’d like to hear your questions and share what we know first hand. What are the important issues as a budding novelist that you’d like to know about? Drop us a line and tell us. We’ll put them up in future posts or *gasp* even ask you to do a guest post!

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• Adventures in ePublishing
• The Price of Inspiration
• (Self) Publish or (Self) Perish?
• An Interview with NY Times Best Selling Author Christine Feehan
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