So far, I’ve published six books. All of them nonfiction. All of them having recieved varying degrees of success.
In at least a few of those instances, such success or lack thereof could be attributed to how well I promoted them.
I should point out right away that most authors have to do their own promotion. Presses outside of the biggest and best-resourced have this expectation that we do so. They do some advertising and advocacy, but it largely falls to the author to advocate for themselves in whatever circles they run in.
Typical methods that authors may take for such promotion include:
- Sending advanced reader copies (ARCs) to people who in turn hopefully talk it up and write reviews
- Talking about their books on their own websites and social media platforms
- Purchasing ads on places like Amazon and Goodreads
- Approaching local bookstores to shelve their books and/or hold readings
- Hosting giveaways
- Approaching book reviewers with big platforms (blog, TikTok, Instagram) to review their book (usually for a price)
- Shoving copies in friends’ hands and hope they 1) actually read it and 2) talk it up
I’ve done many of these. I haven’t done them every time, often to the detriment of the book, as results have revealed. And even when I’ve done them, I’ve shied away from doing too much out of a fear that I’ll end up annoying the people who see it most often.
But with my first novel, Mirrobius, I’m choosing not to worry about that any more. One big reason is how much I believe in this book. I’ve believed in them all, but the experience of writing this one has been so uniquely energizing, and I think it deserves more than the relatively paltry promotion that I’ve done in the past.
As author Amie McNee likes to say, it’s okay to risk being cringe when it comes to sharing your art. If you’ve made a thing that you want others to notice, then you have to saturate your circles to the point that they not only see it, but finally click the link to check it out. And that might not happen until the 3rd, 7th, or 14th time that they see something from you about it.
So I’ve decided that I’m going to be the most obnoxious that I’ve ever been with Mirrobius. There will be ARCs, giveaways, near-daily social media mentions, lots of blog posts, and maybe even some ads (wallet willing).
I want people to read what I’ve written. This time, I’m prepared to be cringe to make it happen.
And I’m not sorry.
Mirrobius is available for pre-order on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple Books, and Smashwords, among other places.
Jeffrey A. Nelson 