I'm tired of marketing! Good gracious, it's work! I could do it 8 hours a day and still feel like I haven't made a dent. I've been everywhere on the Internet I can possibly think of promoting my Lessons From the Phantom of the Opera book. I've blogged, webbed, tweeted, faced, spaced, rolled, read, pinged, minged, grouped, forumed, boarded, tubed, tangled, and I'm exhausted. Pretty soon I'm about to Internet radio blog with the help of a friend.Has it helped? Well, I don't know yet because my royalty reports take forever for worldwide sales to filter in. I see my Amazon ranked from over one million to 150,000 in a few weeks, and I know it means absolutely nothing. For some strange reason, however, it makes me feel good that it's ahead of 750,000 other ranks. Here is a fascinating article on what it all means, Amazon Sales Ranking. After I read this, I didn't feel so bad.
The other thing that really bugs me is all the how-to marketing tips out there from others authors who have made their millions and sold their truckloads of books. They've been #1 on Amazon or wherever and know all the secrets how to get there. What frustrates me to no end is every single one of them want money to teach you how to make money. I've seen everything from $19.99 to $1,999 for another author to tell me their marketing tips on getting rich quick. Why can't they just share the secret out of the goodness of their heart? If they've already made a million selling theirs books, why not bless the rest of us struggling starving authors with a few free tips rather than making us pay for them? Just a thought. I promise if I learn what they are, I'll tell you and I'll only charge $1.99.
I'm learning that marketing is a consuming effort I am going to have to step away from very soon if I ever hope to get this current book finished. Then, I'll have to market that one, but I would hope by then when someone Google's my name, I'll be 10 pages deep instead of 3 pages deep in search results and well enough known. Of course, like I said, with a topic like prostitution, I'm sure it will fly off the shelves surpassing anything phantom-related.
Okay, I'm done ranting. That's why I blog. To get things off my chest. I feel much better now. Thanks for being there. I'm off to Google to find out how to get my books on a semi.
Cheers,
Vicki
6 comments:
You need to hire me as your full time promoter / pool boy! I will be known as "google boy."
Vicki, your rant made me smile and laugh and wince and wonder. I've been working on a marketing plan for months, feeling like I am going nowhere and wondering what else there is to possibly do besides going door to door to sell my book once it comes out. I am a terrible sales person so I'd probably not even get out of my neighborhood.
It sounds to me like you're doing a great deal--way more than I've even considered yet. There's no way what you've been doing hasn't made some kind of progress with your book sales. Good luck with the rest, though, and try to keep encouraged. You're doing so much more than most people.
Oh, and if you discover that best selling book recipe, I'll definitely pay you $1.99 for the secret :D
One small suggestion. You have used many tools, but don't forget the potential of youtube. Creating an interesting or funny video that advertises your work, project, or radio show could have a positive impact. No one really knows which video is going to become viral until it happens. Yours could be the next big thing. Okay... back to pool cleaning for me.
Scott, thanks for the tip, but I've tangled and tubed as well. I have two promo videos out there. I need to add that to my post!
I should have known you had that base covered. (I can't even remember when I last tangled and tubed!)
Congratulations on raising your Amazon ranking! It certainly sounds to me like you're doing everything you can and then some.
Don't let yourself be bothered by these so called "how-to experts." These people crop up in every field, but they seem to be especially bothersome in the tight ones. I saw a lot of them in my theatrical days.
It's always been true that the easiest way to make a buck in an overloaded profession like writing or acting, is to prey off those working hard to beat the odds and get ahead in it. As soon as you see someone spouting grandiose statements and making more money on marketing to the newbies than they are in the area they're supposedly an expert in, you should discount most of what they say and do. Sure, what they sell might have some worth, but you can do better on your own...And you have!
In other words, most of them are hucksters of the snake oil kind.
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