One Author’s Marketing Experience

Edie here. Today I invite you to celebrate with one of our own, Henry McLaughlin, in the publication of his most recent book. Henry is a master storyteller and blessed with the ability to teach what he's learned! His newest book is Emily's Trials, and I know you're going to want to take a look!

by Henry McLaughlin @RiverbendSagas

Marketing for an author can be described as the sound of fingernails on a blackboard amplified a hundred times. There are a few authors who are excellent marketers. I met him at a conference once. He lost me at his third sentence when he started talking about Amazon algorithms and the intricacies of figuring out pricing.

Unfortunately, marketing is the new reality of writing and publishing. Why write if you don’t want to get published? If you publish, whether traditional or self, you need to market your product and, to a certain extent yourself. Even traditional publishers expect the author to do the great bulk of the marketing—like 95%. 

So, what’s a person to do? Weep and moan about how unfair all this is? As Dr. Phil would say, “How’s that working for you?”

The best strategy is to accept the reality of today’s publishing world and deal with it.

Learn about marketing. Attend conferences and take the workshops offered on marketing. As you build your writing community network, talk about their marketing experiences. Look for tips and resources, for what worked and didn’t work, what they learned they would carry forward into their next marketing effort. Study books, blogs, and articles for information and tips. Experiment with ideas and possibilities. Discover what you’d be comfortable doing.

I recently released a new book—Emily’s Trials—with Elk Lake Publishers.

Knowing I view marketing the same way I view colonoscopies, I asked a writing friend I trusted for advice. He recommended hiring a person to run a book launch for me on Facebook. And he gave me a name.

Her name is Karen Sargent. We shared emails and talked on the phone. I liked her ideas and style. 

ONE KEY ELEMENT in every marketing campaign (just as there is in every aspect of our lives): NEVER FORGET TO INVOLVE GOD IN YOUR THINKING, PLANNING, AND DECISION M AKING. AND IN IMPLEMENTING YOUR PLAN.

After praying over all the information before me, I decided to go forward. The key element was the peace I had over the whole project.

Karen recruited the launch team. She planned the activities, encouraged the members, organized prizes.

Recruiting the team took a couple of weeks and the launch itself was a three-week effort to publicize the book on Facebook and other social media. Karen came up with suggestions, graphics to share, and contests for the team members.

In my view the effort was a great success. The team was enthusiastic and diligent. Emily’s Trials reached number 11 on the Amazon top 100 list for its genre.

What did I learn from the experience? To select a team leader who is accessible, who shares my vision for the book, and who is skilled at generating action from the team. I also learned the value of connecting with God throughout the process.

Would I do it again? Yes. I experienced no pressure or angst about having to do all that work by myself. I also experienced the joy of working with the team and sharing in making the launch a success. The effort exceeded my expectations.

How about you? Please share your experiences in marketing, especially what you found worth repeating in your next publishing effort.

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One Author's Marketing Experience from author Henry McLaughlin (@RiverBendSagas) on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Emily's Trials

by Henry McLaughlin

Emily Peyton is one of the first female attorneys in 1880s Kansas. After her father is injured in an accident, Emily takes on managing the practice in the face of prejudice and hostility. Many feel the law is no place for a woman.

Emily’s first case is defending a man accused of murder and robbery. During the trial, she must deal with the blatant bias of the trial judge, who frustrates her ability to present her case. 

When her client is convicted, Emily blames herself and takes on the task of finding the real killer before her client is hanged. She risks her life in the face of threats to herself and her father if she continues to pursue justice.

With the help of old and new friends, Emily tracks down the killer but faces her own death and that of the man she is falling in love with.

Henry’s debut novel, Journey to Riverbend, won the 2009 Operation First Novel contest.

Henry edits novels, leads critique groups, and teaches at conferences and workshops. He enjoys mentoring and coaching individual writers. 

Connect with Henry on his BLOG, TWITTER and FACEBOOK.