Confession time: I love marketing. I know, most authors
dread it, but to me it can be as much fun as writing my books. That said,
marketing can become a serious black hole where time and space does not exist…*cue
Twilight Zone music
I’ve
wasted my share of hours on Twitter (actually, that’s X now), Instagram, and
whatever platform is the latest buzz. I had to set limits on the time I spend
on social media, and how much time I spend on marketing in general. It’s very
easy for marketing to take over your life, especially around book launch time.
It
took me a while to get this balance right. Here are a few things that worked
for me:
1.
Set Clear Goals
(try 3 at first)
When my first book came out, I tried everything
I could think of. I sent postcards, attended conventions, and roamed around
social media platforms telling everyone who would listen about my book. Some of
it was effective, but a lot of it was a waste of time. I quickly realized that
if I wanted to write the next book (which I was under contract for), I had to
stop trying to do everything and focus on those marketing activities that were
more effective.
It
helped me to set goals. For instance, I have a goal to write a newsletter once
a week. I put in roughly four speaking proposals to literacy and writers
conventions a year. I post to social media platforms almost daily, but I limit
my time spent there (I use it as my watercooler/coffee break, since I’m a full-time
writer).
Define
what you want to accomplish, so you can use these goals to remain focused.
Extra tip: split your time between in-person and online marketing, roughly
evenly. That way, you’re getting your message out there on multiple platforms
and reaching different audiences. Be realistic about what you’re capable of
doing.
2. Define
Steps to Get You There
Once you’ve identified your (annual or quarterly)
marketing goals, make a checklist of actions that will get you there. For
example, a goal of four speaking engagements a year means you have to create a
presentation to pitch, plus research so you can make a list of events you want
to pitch it to. Those are clear actions you can check off when finished. Try to
estimate the amount of time each task might take, so you can schedule them on
your calendar, just like you would a doctor’s appointment or your kid’s karate
lessons.
If
you have a book launch or other event surrounding your book (say, Earth Day for
a book about the environment), you’ll want to make sure your marketing steps
reflect your outreach goals. Be sure to plan ahead so you don’t miss an opportunity.
If you want to land speaking engagements in 2025 for example, you’ll want to
start planning your pitch and research where you want to put in a proposal now.
Those proposal windows are often small, so you’ll want to be ready.
3. Schedule
Time for Marketing and Walk Away
As a rule of thumb, I make sure that I never spend
more time on marketing than I do writing my next book, unless I have a book
launch happening. I have to protect that writing time, because I want to have a
new book to talk about in a few years. Marketing is fun to me, and I always
have a marketing activity on my calendar. But once I check off the actions on
my to-do list, I walk away.
Accept
that you can’t do everything. You’re not a robot, you know.
Tell me: what do you do to
make sure marketing doesn’t take over your writing life?
Bonus Resources: you can check out my newsletter. I share writing tips just like these posts, plus
inspiration every week.
About
Fleur:
Fleur
Bradley has loved mysteries ever since she first picked up an Agatha Christie
book at the age of eleven. She’s the author of middle-grade mysteries Daybreak
on Raven Island and Midnight at the Barclay Hotel (Viking/PRH), the
Double Vision trilogy (HarperCollins), as well as numerous short stories, one
of which was recently chosen for the annual Best Mystery Stories of the Year
anthology. Fleur’s work has been nominated for the Agatha and Anthony Award and
has won the Colorado Book Award, among others.
A
reluctant reader herself, Fleur is also a literacy advocate and speaks at
events on how to reach reluctant readers. Originally from the Netherlands, she
now lives in a small cottage in the foothills of the Colorado Rockies.
You
can find Fleur online at fleurbradley.com.
