Self publishing isn't for the faint of heart. Far from it - if you choose to self publish you are choosing to be responsible for every aspect of your project. You decide whether you will create your own imprint or not. You choose the company who will print your novel. You create both public relations and marketing plans. That all sounds simple, right? But when it comes to the actual implementation, it takes time and effort - more than I realized.
So what have I been doing? Working my blog, setting up my website - just trying to get my name out there. I've been fortunate to have some guidance from my son. He just graduated from college with a degree in journalism and communications with an emphasis on corporate communications - which basically means he's learned how to use social media to promote a business. Being his mom has its advantages...he's been helping me with self promotion (mcknight.joey@gmail.com). Honestly, the idea of screaming "Here I am! Look at me!" really makes me uncomfortable. But there are ways to promote yourself without having to appear like an attention grabbing schmuck. For example, I recently posted an image of my book cover to my blog, making sure to credit the graphic designer and including links to her sites. Next, I went to the graphic designer's facebook page and I posted a "Thank You" along with a hyperlink to my blog. Finally, I posted the book cover image to my facebook page. I got the exposure I needed while thanking my graphic designer (Cathy Jackson).
Self promotion is a necessary evil. As an indie writer and self publisher, I am my own PR team. If I don't promote my work, how can I expect to succeed?
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