Unraveling the cold mystery of marketing in publishing: A quest for answers
In the world of self-publishing, reaching news publications like the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times can be a costly endeavour for independent authors. However, seasoned author David Gittlin, with over thirty years of marketing experience, advises saving money as these outlets may not be easily accessible for self-published authors.
Gittlin, who has written three novels, produced two short films, and penned three feature-length screenplays, shares his marketing experiences to help fellow authors navigate the self-publishing landscape.
One of the advertising methods Gittlin has tried is Facebook ads. Unfortunately, he found them to be a waste of time and money for self-published authors. Instead, he recommends spending a limited budget on sponsored ads on Amazon.com, which he found to be the most effective marketing tool so far.
To create a sponsored ad campaign on Amazon, authors should sign in to their KDP account, select the book they want to advertise, click on the three dots to the far right of the book, and choose 'Promote and Advertise.'
However, Gittlin cautions that there is no one-size-fits-all answer to where to begin marketing a book. He emphasises that the self-publishing process has three steps: writing a novel, creating a book cover, and marketing. The marketing phase can be the most intimidating and difficult step for many authors.
Book trailers, while a nice addition to a marketing package, are not powerful generators of sales, according to Gittlin. He made book trailers for his first and second novels but found that if budget is limited, it's best to use funds where they will do the most good.
Another advertising method Gittlin tried was placing an ad on Book Daily, which costs $49.00 per month. He managed to sell two books the first month from this ad.
Press releases were created and distributed on PR Web, with costs starting at $99. However, Gittlin did not see any book sales related to his press release adventures. He also expresses scepticism about relatively inexpensive press distribution companies' ability to effectively impact major news media outlets.
If budget allows, creating an audio version of a book can be beneficial, as audio books are gaining popularity. Gittlin used ACX to create the audio book for his third novel, which is part of Amazon and offers an exclusive agreement with a higher royalty percentage.
Interestingly, a search for best-selling authors publishing books about their self-publishing experiences and marketing efforts in a specific year yielded no results, indicating that the challenges faced by self-published authors may not be as well-documented as one might expect.
In conclusion, Gittlin's marketing advice for self-published authors is to prioritise spending on effective marketing tools like sponsored ads on Amazon.com, while being mindful of the limitations of other advertising methods such as book trailers, Facebook ads, and press releases. He encourages authors to share their own marketing experiences to help the self-publishing community continue to grow and learn.
