Most of you know that I am an author. One of the hardest parts about being an author is marketing and selling your books. Nobody tells you that when you start writing. As a newbie you focus on the mechanics of writing, proper English, not getting too bogged down with the minutia and keeping the story moving along. Designing the covers is the fun part. Editing is the tedious part. But selling and marking is the absolute hardest part.
One of the things “experts” say about selling books is to be everywhere. People need to find your books. Not everybody has a Kindle, so you need to be available at more sites than just Amazon. Barnes & Noble and Apple (Google Play) are alternate locations to find e-books, or paper books. Kobo is a popular site in other countries, especially Canada. One distributer works exclusively with retail stores, so you need to make your books available there if you sell paper copies. There are other places, but, in general, just make your books available to as many people as possible.
Okay. I did that. But so did millions of other authors, who also have great stories and eye-catching covers. I’ve tried to get my books into actual bookstores and have had a modicum of success with that. I’ve sold quite a few books here at the inn to curious tourists. I finally decided to go the library route. At first, I wondered why this would be beneficial to me since the library is only going to buy 1 copy of each of my books yet dozens (oh, let’s be optimistic and say hundreds) of folks can read it for free. Yup, that’s right. Reading books from the library is free. So, why let them read for free and lose sales?
Well, if just one person checks out my book and really likes it, they might tell their friends about it and those friends might not have access to my book via my local library. So, one of two things could happen: they request my book from their library, which would mean another sale to another library; or they go find it on-line somewhere and buy it. Either of which result in a sale to me. Yay.
Sure, that’s a lot of ifs and could-bes, but hey, it’s worth a shot. I’m game for just about anything so long as it’s legal and doesn’t cost me anything. Plus, it’s the library. Who doesn’t like libraries?
So, when I introduced my books to the local librarian, she asked me if I’d be willing to do a little video about me and my books. Being the thespian that I once was, of course, I said I’d be glad to. We scheduled a time. I had no idea what to expect but was thinking along the lines of an interview. You know, questions and answers? Well, when I arrived at my scheduled time, I found out that it was just me talking about . . . well . . . me. Weird. I had nothing prepared and had been told not to make the entire video about just my books.
“Introduce yourself and let our readers know who you are.”
Um, okay. What do I know about myself? Is this a trick question? I don’t know what to say, I’m pretty boring.
Anyway, below is the end result. Sorry about my funky eyes. I had no idea where I was supposed to look and the lady “shooting” the video was directly across from me, which made it awkward to stare straight ahead. Plus, I was kind of nervous since I didn’t feel prepared. And, she said to try to keep is short.
No pressure.
This video was the first and only take and resulted in less than five minutes of actual video footage. Some of you may have seen this already on my FB page, but if not, tell me what you think. Would this video persuade you to check out my books to read?
If you’re an author, are your books at your local library? Do you find marketing to be the hardest part of your career? If you’re a reader, have you ever purchased any books as a direct result of finding a new author at the library? Do you support your local library? If you, why not?
Word of the Day: Flocculation
Fun fact about me: If I had tons of money, I’d hire a publicist.
Original post by Jansen Schmidt, October 2021. Images by Google. Video courtesy of YouTube (Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library)
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jansenschmidt 
Patricia – gooooooood morning! It;s going to be an amazing day and a fabulous week… if only my fingers could comply! I had no idea until you shred about the journey of a writer but I watch CBS Sunday morning and yesterday they had a spot on the author Anthony Doerr and his latest book. What I thought was interesting is that it wasn’t until 2015 that he had his career breakthrough and he’d been writing a long time as well. There is so much that I don’t know and I probably wouldn’t have known if I didn’t branch out and learn new things by reading blogs because I blog. It’s sort of like how the brain learns and creates new neural pathways when it tries something new and learns something new. Most of us are simply winging it like you, there is no manual for life, just a gut instinct when you create a new path. Keep at it, you’re making headway. Peace.
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Clay I know some authors personally who wrote for 12-15 years before they got noticed and their careers took off. Some get lucky and have a hit right off the bat, but most don’t really start getting recognition until their 4th or 5th or 6th book. I’m getting there. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Thanks for visiting and sharing your experience. The brain does in fact marvel most of the time with its amazing abilities.
Have a great rest of the week.
Patricia
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You did a great job. and knowing how to wing it is an artform in itself
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Thanks Morgan. I know, as a tour guide, you must find yourself winging it from time to time as well. I guess it’s just a matter of really knowing your subject matter.
Thanks for taking the time to visit today. Have a wonderful rest of the week.
Patricia
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Your interview was great! I couldn’t even tell that you were winging it. If that had me, I would have flubbed it big time, no question. I’m with you – marketing is by far the hardest part of being an author. I definitely don’t spend as much time as I should on it. I swear, my brain resists it, which makes creating a marketable ad that much harder. I haven’t gone the library route. You’ll have to share how it works out!
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I schedule days to devote just to marketing, but I also cringe at the project. It’s not really hard, its just tedious and if you don’t do it right, you’re just wasting your money. It’s hard to know what works until you try stuff, but trying stuff takes money. (sigh)
I know, as a fellow author, you understand. Thanks for visiting. Enjoy the rest of your week.
Patricia
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Marketing is definitely the hardest part! Dayton Metro Library has at least my first book, don’t know about the others, since I gave up on marketing after that. But cool video!
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Thanks Jennette. I think it’s really neat to walk into the library and find my books on the shelves. I hope at least one person gets some enjoyment from them.
Thanks for sharing. Have a wonderful rest of the week. I’ve missed seeing you around. I hope you’re doing well.
Patricia
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Sorry the marketing part is such a hassle. I would be glad to be your publicist. I studied this field under the Chicago mob. It’s amazing how a couple well constructed questions can convince people to buy and/or sell your book. Things like “I’ll bet you’re glad your little bookstore hasn’t burned down…..yet.” or “Do you like having kneecaps?” Let’s talk.
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I’m going to use those in the future and report back. Perhaps I can sell some copies down at the local jailhouse when I’m there “visiting” as a result.
You do have a way with words though. I’d bet you could craft some very savvy and convincing ad copy.
Thanks for visiting. Have a super duper rest of the week.
Patricia
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