|
One
topic that an author, self-published or not, can hardly avoid thinking
about is marketing. I’ve touched on this big issue in the past, but
more can always be said on this subject.
One of the tools you might want
to add to your arsenal in the warfare against sluggish or nonexistent
book sales is BlogTalk radio. Kathleen Gage, billed as the street
smarts marketer, recently wrote a blog post and created a YouTube video
on how to use BlogTalkRadio to promote the sale of books
(http://www.themarketingmindset.com/page/2/).
Kathleen is a real mover
and shaker and often offers free webinars on marketing. You might learn
some valuable information from her.
You can host your own show or
find people who already have shows and are searching for guests. I have
hosted my own Blogtalk show (Wielding the Sword of the Spirit)
for over a year now. If you are a talkative person and have a wide
range of interests, this is a perfect vehicle for you not only to get
some exposure for yourself but also to meet some fascinating people and
learn many new things. I’ve had a blast. I’ve interviewed several
prominent people in the world of Christian fiction, including Eric
Wilson, Kathi Macias, Michelle Sutton, Bonnie Calhoun, Tosca Lee, and
Julie Lessman. I’ve also interviewed several people who had never done
an interview before. All of them have a story to tell, both in their
books and on the air. You get thirty minutes a day (if you want that
much) of live airtime. The archived broadcast will continue for another
fifteen minutes beyond that.
Speaking of archives, they are
semipermanent. That means the programs remain in the archives until the
owners may have to purge old shows to make room to store new ones.
To start your own show, browse
to www.blogtalkradio.com and sign up to be a radio host, then schedule
your show, call in a few minutes before your show starts, and click a
button when your guests or listeners call in (yes, you can allow people
to call in, ask questions, and make comments). And this is all free,
except for your long-distance phone call (I have unlimited long
distance, so it’s cool for me).
Of course, if all self-published
authors had their own Blogtalk shows, the impact of such a marketing
tool would be watered down. This is a fact of life that marketers have
to deal with. There is no surefire way to draw attention to your work
that will grab the attention of the masses.
I’ve pondered how someone might
do that. The YouTube video of the homeless man with the golden voice
who became a television icon for a few days seems to be a poster child.
If that man had a well-written book available for sale, say, on Amazon,
he might have made a splash.
I’d
like to introduce you to a couple of people. One is a multifaceted
talented person who writes, edits, and promotes. Her rates are
reasonable, so if you’re looking for some editing help or have already
published your book and you want to hire marketing help, Pamela
Thibodeaux is someone you’d like to get to know (http://www.pamelathibodeaux.com/).
|
The
second person is an
interesting author (his path parallels mine in several ways) Eddie
Snipes (aka G. Edward Snipes). He has written a fiction book entitled I
Called Him Dancer. Eddie has also written many sermons. His
passion for writing is not to etch a place in history for himself but
to promote his Lord. When we get down to brass tacks, those are the
writers who will be remembered in heaven. To hear the interview I did
with Eddie on Blogtalk, browse to http://bit.ly/fbmr0I.
At the beginning of the year, I
wrote that I don’t have time to compose a monthly column, and that I
would begin relying on submissions from other authors to provide
material to scintillate readers of this column. This was a golden
opportunity for people to market their books. I have seen the
piranha-like frenzy of authors given a chance for free publicity. The
fact that I have received zippo communications from readers of this
column begging me to mention their books makes me wonder if any
published authors read this column. In any case, I’ve long maintained
that a human has only so much original material in them, and when
that’s used up they become repetitious. In order to make time to
concentrate on more pressing projects and to avoid becoming redundant
(any further than I already have), I’m afraid I’m going to have to
relinquish the honor of hosting this column every month. I have enough
material for two more columns. I’m leaving the door open to remaining
on board if some of you step up to the plate and send me some material
during the month of May to include in future articles.
|
