TeenageTells- Publishing (3)
- Jan 26
- 3 min read
This series is turning out to be really out of order. We're talking about marketing this week!
There are 5 main methods and elements of marketing, and I'm going to break them down for you, one-by-one, with examples of what I've done in the past, and other possible options.
A place for people to find you.
A website, social media, stand (a bit old-fashioned and impractical, but an option), or an online store. Anything. You want to be found. In my after-writing guide (which will be out eventually, I promise!) I'll be explaining more about how to do these things.
As you can see, I have a blog and a website, where I consistently upload and work on building an audience (see point 3), so if someone asks, 'Oh, where can I find you?' I can give them my website. Sometimes, I even give out QR codes, because people tend to use those more often.
Confidence.
When you're sharing, the best way to get people to listen and guide yourself to success is getting out of your comfort zone, and speaking about your book(s). The most successful writers are the ones who can get on stage or speak on the radio or TV to convince people their book is worth reading. It can start small. Talk to your class or teacher. Discuss ideas with your parents. Let your book come up in conversations.
I will say, it takes a while to grow this confidence. This is a picture of me doing my third radio event. It was easily my favourite, because I was growing in confidence, and able to enjoy chatting about my book, and have a laugh.
Confidence is not about being brave enough to do it right away, but building on your 'normal' and doing more. It might feel a little scary, but it's fun in the end. Put yourself out there. It'll be worth it.
Audience.
Not everyone will want to read your book. This is the truth. You want to find your people (for example, through your website or social media). My reading audience is mainly teens who enjoy sci-fi and a little magic. But my general audience is for young writers, who might want to edit and publish their own work independantly. I focus on tips for these people (presumably, you, dear reader) and stories for fans of my books.
Who is your target person? Imagine what they want from book marketing (or what you would like to see) and work backwards from there. What strategies would work on them? Reading reviews, weekly posts, clips of annotating your own work?
You can try anything.
Tracking and management.
So, now you've tried some things. Cool. From there, though, it's best to see what works, and what doesn't. If something is highly popular, try to focus on things like that. You want to make sure your time is not being thrown away, when you could be using it for something valuable, like writing, or marketing that works.
And nothing will be super incredible right away. My website is still struggling. But, thanks to ChristmasTales, I might start doing more stories, and focusing on publishing, instead of my writing guides (I'm going to do the after-writing one, but afterwards, I'll probably stick to short, bite-sized tips and fiction).
A 'look'.
You don't want to be like everyone else. Make something about you 'iconic', whether it's your book, the style of your covers, or anything. And it doesn't just have to be physically. A common piece of advice I have heard (especially for YouTube video thumbnails) is to have a certain format so people can recognise you. Having a logo, consistent font usage and style of writing, from casual to personal, is all very useful.
For example, I'm changing my Amethyst cover to match Emerald's, so that it'll be part of my 'look'. I also use the same font throughout my website, and focus on talking directly to you, as if we were just chatting about books. People like familiarity, and won't just hook them, but will keep them coming back for your stuff.
As I have mentioned the covers, I'd like to mention, you can now find them on their webpages: nadia793.wixsite.com/teenagetales/emerald
I hope you enjoyed reading this week’s post. It’s now your turn: write, read, publish and get inspired. Your dreams are just a little hard work away. Remember to like, comment, etc, so that other writers can find TeenageTales. See you next week!
I love your posts!