My author marketing tips

In my last blog I shared my writing tips.

This week the focus is on marketing. Let me start by saying that what works for some doesn’t work for others. It’s subjective, but you will sense if the following advice is relevant to you.

But one tip I highly recommend is check your stats!

It may be your newsletter or your website, but you won’t grow your readership if your stats are telling you what you’re doing isn’t working.

A long time ago I realised that my blog posts about writing reach more people than my posts about life. I originally thought covering the themes which are also found in my books would bring readers to my site. My stats told me otherwise.

I also found that my newsletter readers are more interested in MM Romance or MM themes than the types of books I write. So I changed my own promotional graphics to include males or gay couples. This worked. Those graphics are much more popular.

One of a series of graphics with male models. These are popular with my newsletter subscribers.

I’ve added similar graphics to my homepage but as yet, it hasn’t made much difference. But as my sales have gone up through other means, I’ve been slack in experimenting with a different look. I should take my own advice.

Your niche.

Eventually you will be known for your niche. I read a lovely review of one of my books where someone said I’m known for writing ‘these types of novels’. The type they are referring to usually has a gay protagonist with a love story in the mix of other themes, and often with Fantasy or Urban Fantasy elements.

I also have a dystopian series (two novels so far) which I’m less known for, even though they’ve received favourable reviews from those who’ve discovered them.

The second in my dystopian series. Promoting this series is not easy as my readers aren’t looking for this content. But there is an audience discovering these. I’m just waiting for this audience to grow.

This fact has made me put a space opera on hold, and while I have ideas for the third in the dystopian series, it is not beneficial for me to work on either of these projects at this time.

Your social media.

Don’t waste time on socials when you could be writing. But don’t save time by simply posting the same content over various platforms.

These days, each social platform has a unique audience. My regular Twitter audience is mostly Australian due to a hashtag prompt I run. Links to my blogs are still successful, although over time, less so. Videos work better on my Twitter than they do on my Facebook. Those same videos are much more popular on TikTok.

Experiment. Try different types of content, and alter your banners to suit a particular platform’s audience while still keeping your brand across all platforms. What I mean by that is make sure your profile image is the same everywhere. And make sure there is a consistency in the graphics and content you produce for each individual platform.

If you’re not sure about your brand, take a look at what your cover artist has produced for you. They keep a similar look to your books. They’ve helped create your brand.

A promotional graphic for one of my blogs, posted on Twitter. My writing group is not this charismatic, sadly. But they’re talented.

What’s the point of a newsletter?

Again, this is subjective. Everyone says start a newsletter. I did a long time ago then ditched it because I didn’t see the point.

Now, the purpose of my newsletter is to help with author cross-promotions. The links to these promotions, especially the MM campaigns, get more clicks than the fantasy or scifi ones. And any news about me or my books receive less clicks.

But that’s okay. I’m doing my bit as other writers share the same promotions and through our combined efforts, we all help each other sell our books.

An example of a Bookfunnel promotion. This is only a small portion of the page, as those who scrolled down would find 49 individual books by 30 different authors. With the shared social reach of thirty authors, all find new readers.

This is the sad truth about still being in the indie end of the author pool. And as for gathering subscribers, I do that by offering a free short story through Bookfunnel, where those who want to download have to sign up to my newsletter. There are also Bookfunnel promotions which are based solely around these free downloads, thus every author who shares helps one another gain more subscribers.

Design your site as if it’s for someone else.

A long time ago I listened to a blog which suggested you put your books on your homepage as often visitors don’t click beyond that page. I also believe that, as you design it, imagine you are a reader discovering this site while you pretend this site isn’t yours. If this author were someone else, would you be interested in this person? Are they saying ‘Please buy my books!’ or are they saying ‘Come on this journey with me?’

I hope this is helpful. But I’d also like to hear from other writers. Please comment with your tips below. What works for you?