Marketing Tips for Busy People

My life right now pretty much revolves around the need to strategize the marketing of my book -

 ....that, and what's for dinner.

And getting whoever needs to be wherever they need to be whenever they need to be there.

And laundry - always laundry....

You see, no matter what pulls me into the outside world, what's happening here in my little family universe takes precedence, like it or not. Griper that I am, most of the time I do not. That doesn't mean I don't have my priorities straight, just that that I'm still a work in progress. Like you are too, I imagine. A busy home life is like a centrifuge, spinning uncontrollably, pressing your back against the wall even as it pulls you toward center. The moment you lift your head to look outside the home sphere, it gets slammed back into place. Illness does this, and car repair costs, and even the occasional favorite owl hat lost by your six year old.


Anyhow, despite everything I have to do around here, I have been spending an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out how to get my book "OUT THERE" where it will be noticed. So that it will sell. So that I can help pay for kids' clothing, dental work, college, etcetera. So that I can continue to write without feeling guilty about it...


See what I mean about the centrifuge....?

Here's what I've learned about marketing so far:


1) You gotta do it everyday. Like eating or brushing your teeth. Sure, everyone skips once in a while, but if it's not a habit, bad things happen. Or nothing will happen, which is also bad.
2) Use people. Not in a horrible way, or without their permission. But netWORKING is named that for a reason.
3) Give it away. Seems counter intuitive to someone who is struggling to make ends meet, but there you have it.
4) Write - DUH! Your second book is the best promotion for your first.
5) Get technical. As in, learn about technology and how to use it.  This one is a toughy for an older newbie like me, but I did e-publish shortly after releasing my paperback. Now if only I can master the web....
6) Do your research, and get reviewed. I put these together because knowing the reviewer's style, tastes, and likelihood of giving a positive review matters.


There are a lot of other things I've learned in this process, but since I need to go back to learning more now, I'll leave you with one final tip -

7)Work harder than everyone else. Personally, I have a difficult time justifying time spent without documentable results, but I'm learning that increments of progress vary. Slow and steady really does win the race. Oh, how cliché!


Yes, I'm recycling cartoons again, but you get it don't you? Buy my book (and get your friends to buy it!) and I'll have oh! so much more time to draw again! Available at your favorite bookseller.

Sample or purchase Emrysia: Awakening: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/401473

Web site: http://reademrysia.blogspot.com/

and while you're at it, be sure to visit and like my C.A. Morgan Author Page on Facebook! (See, I'm starting to get the hang of it!)