I can hear it already, the classic Author Whine. “I have no time for this marketing thing! When am I supposed to write my next book? It takes too long to create correct, targeted platforms, much less use them effectively. Why can’t I just write, let my book be wonderful and people will buy it? Wah, wah, wah!”
It’s like listening to a broken record. We all know the truth of the matter, don’t we?
- We’re afraid to try.
- We forgot the real reason for marketing (because no one else is doing it for us)
- We didn’t remember the golden rules of time management – schedule, implement and get back to writing.
Resisting the fact that you must market will only hurt you and your book in the end, so toss that concept right out the window and just dig in and start.
Good time management is vital for success in any industry, so why is it so hard for authors to grasp the reasoning and practicality of it? We are creative minds and it’s difficult to put that into a box while being business minds, but it has to happen in order to have … well … it all. Fans. Great book sales. Demand for more books.
Managing your time so that you can write AND promote isn’t as tricky as one might think. It just requires planning and strict attention to your daily goals. Before we get into the meat of managing your marketing time, let’s talk about two elements that will set the stage for everything you do.
Research – Yes, research. Too many authors have a ton of other author friends, fans and followers, but once their book is released, they discover that they have a very small genre reader following. Yes, you do need other authors to keep your creativity and energy up during the writing phase of the project, but facts are facts – other authors aren’t exactly your best sales target. Research is a big, important task you must take on NOW, no matter where you are in your writing/publishing process. In fact, the earlier the better. Know where the readers of your genre
- Learn about their favorite kinds of books
- Buy their books, and
- Talk about their favorite books.
With these contacts clearly defined, you can add them to your regular social marketing strategies. How much time should you commit to research? Take a solid 30 minutes every day to seek out and spear those prospective readers. Do it every day, even after your book is out and getting sales you should continue to build your audience.
Resources – Budgeting your time is as important as budgeting your marketing resources. Keep it tight and succinct. Make a daily chart and refer to it often. Be strict with yourself. I understand that this concept might be all new to you, but is it? Really? You put a deadline on writing, word counts, finishing a manuscript, editing and pitching, right? So why can’t you take those fantastic management skills and use them for your marketing?
Time Management Tips
- Twitter – Love it or hate it you gotta twitter. The real key to Twitter time management is so simple you may not even believe it. For example, I get on twitter for 15-20 minutes twice each day, once in the morning and once in the late afternoon (this accommodates time zones pretty much all over the world). My TweetDeck has a column following me and whenever I get on, I respond to people who’ve talked to me (@rileymagnus) while I wasn’t there. I keep my focus for that day extremely clear – am I promoting a blog post? Asking questions for research? Socializing (and yes, occasionally you must smile and socialize)? My total is 30-40 minutes a day, Monday through Friday. No more and no less and guess what? My Twitter followers think I’m there ALL THE TIME. I’m so committed to this plan, I actually use a timer, log on to twitter and off 20 minutes later, that way I’m not tempted to play too long or get too involved.
- Facebook –The same rules apply here. If you use Facebook for personal activity, you’ll need a separate Facebook page or account for your author business. As with twitter, make a plan. I post my “Author Survey Question of the Day” in the morning and just pop my head in every now and then. I love the responses and especially love when the responders begin to chat with each other. My platform is about author success and there’s nothing more intriguing than 20-50 authors shaking things up and sharing techniques, ideas and humor about being a writer. I visit my Facebook wall four or five times each day. I don’t stay, I don’t post more than one question each day, I don’t even go to Facebook on the weekends, and I always find a good time to post my own answer to the question or respond to comments made there.
- Email Lists – Did you really think we wouldn’t talk about email lists? Of course you need one, a strong, targeted list you build slowly. Building your email list is one of those projects that go on in the background. It really doesn’t require time scheduling. Just keep your ears and eyes perked for a good person to contact or a good place to invite people to join your mailing list.
- Group Memberships – What’s your book about? Is there a major gardening theme in it? A medical theme? Legal theme? Coffee or tea lovers theme? Knowing your book’s unique “hook” is how you find the right groups to join. Notice I said “hook”, not genre. That “hook” represents a possible Cross Market! Finding entire groups of people interested in your “hook” makes group memberships a powerful social marketing tool. Join several groups, sit back and watch as the emails came in (I always go for daily digest, just to keep things neat in my inbox), then determine which groups have real value for you based on how their subjects and dialogue presents. Settled on three groups and simply exited from all the others I never spend more than a few moments a day looking through the group emails, and I usually contribute at least once a day on a subject that interests me. My email “tag” is clearly a subtle book pitch with buy link.
- Face-to-Face Networking – Remember people? Living, breathing people? The kind you look right at and can touch when you shake hands or give a casual hug? Social networking isn’t just internet networking. Granted the internet makes our world wider, we still can’t let it limit us in the process. Authors need face-to-face networking too. Schedule everything you want to do in this “real life venue” because every moment you’re doing your face-to-face reach, you’re not at your keyboard. Work smart and strategically. Keep a few nicely designed flyers about your book in your car so that you can take one with you every time you run an errand. Trust me, the perfect bulletin board is waiting for it and a wonderful conversation can be had that leads to books sales!
I know these strategies will help expand your fan base, readership and sales and not eat up all your writing time. I always tell my consulting clients that if they spend five hours a day writing, they need to spend at least one a day hour marketing. Easy ratio, 5/1. Remember … Author Success is in your hands and you have the tools to make it all work for you and your book!
OH … here’s another tip … I’m teaching an online workshop on Marketing Time Management for Authors at The Author Success Coach website, February 6 – 11. Only $15 for a week of info, coaching and fun. Sign up today, I’d love to see you there!
Questions on Time Management? I’m here and I’d love to answer them.
Next time we’ll be talking about the Author’s Image (my pet peave)!
Deborah Riley-Magnus, Author Success Coach
Author Bio
Deborah Riley-Magnus is an author and an Author Success Coach. She has a twenty-seven year professional background in marketing, advertising and public relations as a writer for print, television and radio. She writes fiction in several genres as well as non-fiction. Her non-fiction, Finding Author Success: Discovering and Uncovering the Power Within Your Manuscript was on November 5, 2011. “Finding Author Success “on Amazon – Kindle and Paper
She’s lived on both the east and west coast of the United States and has traveled the country widely. She is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and just returned after living in Los Angeles, California for several years.