Writing independently is spiritually freeing. Working inside your own mind, creating worlds and people from nothing, like a Supreme Being without a Big Bang, is powerful. It can also be very lonely. Authors need to band together in their own Mount Olympus, sharing super-human insight and support.
This volume of my "Ask an Indie" series will answer common questions I am asked through my small business, Indie Woods. I provide diligent editing and proofreading, as well as a welcome environment for new and independent authors to navigate their words into readers' hands. In the independent author community, we are truly stronger together by helping each other instead of competing. I continue to be blessed by mentors and colleagues who openly share their industry experience. We are all in this together, and we can each uniquely succeed.
Here is a duo of questions which tie in together, and are frequently knotted and struggled with.
The 1st question is how do you get more people to engage with you? I still have trouble getting engagement.
2nd: How do you get people to simply subscribe to your newsletter? I have people like my posts about it and that's it.
Unless you have a Big Name publisher or lots of money budgeted for advertising and marketing, it is really difficult to get your name out there.
Offering a a newsletter subscription is a fairly simple way to remind people that you exist. Even without interaction, sending out a newsletter once a month is a simple way to keep yourself in people's consciousness. I would advise not to send more than one newsletter per week, or else your audience will start to feel nagged.
Liking your posts is very positive. It might not seem like much, but it shows that someone noticed you. That is GOOD!
If you publish through Amazon, they will promote your book free for you. I am not endorsing them and am not married to them, but I do think it's an economical way to start out.
If your local community has craft fairs etc., you might consider renting a table. For a $20 table you are marketing yourself in a physical way that readers can relate to. People remember experiences. Even if you do not sell any books this way, you are making an impression for future readers.
If your books are appropriate for high school readers, you could donate a copy to a school and the library. You could self-promote in a positive light by posting a picture of yourself with your book in front of the library with a caption such as, "So glad to be part of this awesome library!"
These are some free or low cost ideas. If you had a more significant budget, even a couple of hundred dollars, I could direct you to resources that could help.
It's a drag to have an author's passion with books just waiting for an audience. I understand. Don't give up! Keep connected. Indies Rock!
