E. Marnese's Blog

Besides the obvious word of mouth (not particularly helpful if you don't know a slew of people) there are time tested, proven methods of selling a book (or at least getting the word out there) that don't cost a lot of money.

First, create flyers and post them around college campuses, coffee shops, hair salons, boutiques, etc.

Next, place small ads in neighborhood and college newspapers. They only need to run for a day or two at the right time, like during the holidays or homecoming. Placing the ad for a limited time keeps costs down.

Also, utilize independent booksellers in your area. They can be a great resource and support system when it comes time to schedule book signings and the like. They, of course, will also carry and sell your book.

Apparently I jumped the gun. Sure, I'm going to still look for an agent for my next book, but I've decided to stop complaining and start promoting my current book locally. I just met a wonderful woman not far from my home who owns a bookstore, and she's willing to carry my book and do a signing. I'm so pleased right now I could burst! Next up, marketing. My good friend Miss says that I need to "view myself as a business." Yes, I agree, that's a good angle from which to approach self-promotion. I am a business...and I'm going to sell myself (and therefore my novel) to everyone I encounter. OK, that's the plan anyway.

WARNING! Lamentations will follow.

I don't know why it took me so long to realize that the only way to be successful in the world of book publishing is to be one of two things — A) Very rich or B) the client of a well-connected, long respected agent. Since I can't be A then I'm opting to be B. So now I'm on a search for that agent who will land me the real book deal (what a concept! Get paid to write books!). I just wish I had thought of it sooner, then I wouldn't have given my babies (manuscripts) away to a bogus publisher.

As a self-published author, it is incredibly expensive for me to promote my own work. As someone who doesn't have a lot of funds (OK, any) I'm always looking for creative and ingenious ways to get people to read my books. Knowing that I'm not going to make a lot of money as an author, my solitary goal is to place my books in the hands of as many people as possible, even if they can't afford to purchase them. That's why I believe in book sharing. My books, whether they're in paperback form or hardback, cost almost $30.00 each. I know! I know! It's outrageous what publishers charge! That being the case, I'm willing to give a copy to one person to read (autographed, of course) and have that person pass it on to someone else to read, and so on, until a hundred or a thousand or ten thousand, whatever, have read it. Sounds clever, yes? Let's try it. One person gets the book, reads it, and passes it on. No, I'm not making any money by doing this, but I am accomplishing the dream of all writers...to be read.