Marketing – the Bane of My Writing Life

Ask any mid-list author, whether they are published by a publishing house or are an indie, what is the worst part of their writing lives, they will tell you it is marketing. At best, the majority consider it a necessary evil and others actively hate it and, apart from a few occasional spurts on social media, let it fall by the wayside.

Pre-Covid, I was a Writing Conference junkie. Every year I would attend a residential writers’ event. Most of these included short sessions on a whole range of topics and I always chose at least one on marketing. I came home full of good intentions and for a few weeks I would keep up with regular – if not quite daily – posts on Facebook and Twitter. There was a particularly good workshop one summer at Swanick. At the end of the talk, a member of the audience asked what percentage of their time should authors spend on marketing. The answer was 50%. There was a shocked silence throughout the room followed by a collective groan of despair. I was obviously not alone!

People who are lucky enough to work in a sector they see as a vocation – be that in one of the many caring professions, teaching or doing a job they really enjoy – will admit that there are aspects of their work that are definitely not much fun. I write because I enjoy it, but I would like to feel that with each book I provide my readers with a few hours of pleasurable escapist entertainment with a satisfying feel-good factor at the end. It’s why I also teach Tai Chi and yoga.

I may not have to worry about making a living from my writing, but I would like to be read so promotion is not something I can ignore. I HATE social media. I can never think what to say. Like many writers, I’m much more of an introvert and blasting about my books is not something I’m happy doing.

One of the highest earning writers in this country, whose books outsell even those of big-name authors whose photo is instantly reconised by the reading public, is an indie writer who until recently I had never heard of. He doesn’t need to bother with social media. His thousands of fans do it for him. They tell their friends, and so the word is spread. Oh happy man! Still, I suppose even he didn’t get there overnight. He must have had to work at it for years before he reached that point.

That said, there is one thing I don’t mind doing and that is giving presentations. Pre-Covid I used to give talks to local Rotary Clubs, Women’s Institutes, U3As and various social groups. Even so, I never liked the bit at the end when it came to asking people to come up and buy one of my books. A straightforward book launch makes me uncomfortable and I’m always glad when it’s over.

Last month was our local authors annual Book Fair and that I did enjoy. Not that I ever sell many books but it’s always great to meet other writers and have the chance to chat and bounce ideas off each other. This year I met someone whose book sales are enviable. She said the secret of her success was to keep posting. I came back from the day full of good intentions, but I’ve almost finished the first draft of Journey to Casablanca. I’ll just get that out of the way first and then …

Memo to self – You know what they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

I’ll let you know how I get on next month.