Discovering your readers and building an audience is a process that takes many forms and can span many different paths. Ultimately, there’s no cookie-cutter approach that works for every book and every author.
You’ll soon discover that as you communicate about your book, contemplate the ideas it contains, and start to measure the impact it has on readers, your whole perspective will evolve. It’s not always easy putting yourself out there, even for seasoned authors. But the rewards for doing so will have a positive impact on you, both as a writer and as a person.
Creating Your Marketing Plan
Being organized isn’t just a nice idea when it comes to a book marketing project. Given how many touchpoints there are, and the extended period of time it takes to complete them, it’s essential. This is especially true if you’re trying to balance book marketing with writing and other more compelling creative tasks.
We’ve discovered the best way to strike that balance is to piece out the hours of your week, pivoting back and forth between the two. The only practical way to accomplish this is to write up some kind of marketing plan before you tackle anything else.
Unfortunately, as important as it is to create at least a basic marketing plan, it’s something few people actually do. Perhaps this is why marketing has gotten a reputation for being such a hassle. The Whole Artist approach really depends on it, though. Since you’ll be tackling marketing tasks a little at a time, often with gaps in between, it’s essential you’re able to return back to the Basic Sequence right where you left off. This is the whole trick in balancing your creative life with marketing your book.
So, while it’s true that committing things in a document ahead of time makes everything a lot easier later on, when doing so you’ll need to take this first step slowly and carefully. A gentle warning: since you’ll be giving all your attention to what’s ahead, it’s only natural to over-plan and bulk up your marketing plan with more items than you’re actually able to accomplish.
To help calibrate your own expectations, the first two things we like to ask authors are:
Question 1: “What are your goals?”
Question 2: “How much time do you have to spend on this plan on a week–to-week basis?”
Planning ahead is an investment in your own time that pays dividends long after it’s completed. Take a careful inventory of what your typical week looks like and how much “extra” time you’ll have to execute your marketing plan. Capturing even your basic goals ahead of time really helps in managing priorities throughout the marketing plan. Don’t overdo the items in your plan. You can always sneak in more later if you find your schedule opening up.
And now a Fiction Break:
Out Cold
In early March of 2020, Mary and Tom were bombarded with news about the coronavirus and the looming pandemic. Mary's phone buzzed constantly with updates about masks, handwashing, and social distancing. She even tried to order hand sanitizer but it was already sold out. As her anxiety grew, she found herself obsessively timing her handwashing to twenty seconds, like a ritual.
Locked down with Tom in their small one-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles, Mary felt trapped. They had downsized recently, as their kids were grown and they had planned on traveling. But now, they were stuck in this tiny space together. Mary did her best to make it feel like home, filling it with bright colors and reminders of their dream retirement destination - Aix-en-Provence.
For years, Mary had put her own dreams on hold while supporting Tom's career and raising their children. Now that they were empty nesters, she was looking forward to finally focusing on herself. But Tom seemed content living his life through video games and social media. Mary couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing out on real-life experiences.
The two of them sat at their kitchen table, sipping on cocktails and nibbling on hors d'oeuvres. She noticed the lines etched in Tom's face, a result of years of smoking and stress. They had married right after college, a hasty decision made out of convenience rather than love.
Mary often questioned if she truly loved Tom. He had become distant since the birth of their first son, or perhaps even before that. The only love she was sure of was the one she felt for her children, a fierce protective instinct that consumed her. But when it came to Tom, she wasn't so sure.
And now, as they were forced into lockdown together, Mary couldn't help but feel like she had missed her chance to ask for a divorce and start over. Instead, she was trapped with Tom in this concentrated bubble of loneliness.
Tom was a good person to be locked down with. He kept things tidy and organized, carefully planning grocery trips and taking care of the laundry. She cooked and checked in on the kids. They coexisted in an almost routine manner.
But deep down, Mary could feel the frustration building inside her like a field of dandelion weeds intertwining with her insides. To break up the monotony, she instituted cocktail hour every evening at 5:00 PM. As they sat together at the kitchen table, Tom would talk about current events and politics while Mary listened and nodded along, secretly wondering how any of it mattered when their state was still engulfed in flames.
Despite all this, Mary tried to find some sense of love and connection in their marriage. But as each day passed in isolation, she felt like a part of her was wilting away along with those dandelion weeds.
Tom reached for the pitcher of peach iced tea and vodka, his hands trembling. His face was red and his breath smelled like smoke. Mary could feel her own heart pounding as she tried to steady her shaking hands. The afternoon sun shone through the windows, casting a warm glow on the table where a few dandelions were wilting in a vase.
Tom's eyes were fixed on nothing in particular as Mary spoke the words she had been dreading for months.
"It's not working," she said quietly, trying to keep tears from welling up in her eyes.
Tom's face remained blank, but a single tear slid down his cheek. He nodded slowly, barely registering Mary's words.
"We should separate," she continued, her voice cracking. "We should get a divorce."
Tears streamed down Tom's face now as he covered his mouth with his hand. Mary felt a pang of guilt at seeing him cry, but it only strengthened her resolve.
"Is this about the affair?" Tom's voice was choked with emotion.
Mary felt a surge of anger rise within her. "Fuck you," she spat. "Who is she?"
Confusion clouded Tom's expression as he stuttered out an answer. "Not...she," he said finally.
Mary's mind raced as she tried to think of any other person Tom could be referring to. And then it hit her.
"Gerry?" she whispered.
Tom nodded, looking defeated. "I loved him...and I loved you," he said. "I thought you knew."
In that moment, everything suddenly made sense to Mary. She remembered how close Tom had been to Gerry before his death ten years ago. How much time he spent by his side during his illness.
"You never loved anyone else?" Mary asked, struggling to comprehend.
"No one else," Tom confirmed.
"And our children?" Mary pressed.
Tom's face softened as he spoke. "Of course, I love the children. They mean everything to me."
Mary couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could she have been so blind? She thought back to all the times Tom said he was spending the night with Gerry to give his wife a break. She had always admired his empathy and loyalty, but now it all felt like lies and betrayal.
Without hesitation, Mary grabbed the blue vase filled with morning glories and hurled it at Tom's head. He fell to the floor, knocked unconscious by the impact.
Shaken by her own actions, Mary knelt down next to him, holding his hand and praying silently for him to wake up. She made a silent deal with herself. If Tom woke up, she would forget about the affair and try to make their marriage work. But if he didn't...
As Tom slowly opened his eyes, Mary felt a sense of relief that he was alive. She looked into his face, still peaceful despite the chaos around them, and knew that this was the beginning of a new chapter in their lives, whether they stayed together or not.
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