Well, it's kind of easy. See, I don't market, promote, do blog tours, or any of that stuff. Yes, some of you may think I'm stupid not to, but I don't think it gets me anywhere. For the last several years, I've held a strictly "quiet promotion" stance. I may Tweet once or twice, I post it once on my Anne Gallagher blog, and then let it go. I refuse to ram my book down your throat at every opportunity.
Now I've been blogging for four and a half years. (I actually did check this. It was a surprise to me it's been that long.) And in all this time blogging, I've seen all kinds of promotion -- blog tours, interviews, cover reveals, "splashes" (whatever those are), Twitter spamming, give-aways, you name it, it's been done. And what I've found, is that, the more I see the same book being promoted, the more it annoys me.
And if it annoys ME, then I'm sure it must annoy some of you as well. Which is why I don't do any of that. I hate to annoy people. Yes, I used to. Sort of. I'd mention the book more than once. Yes, I did do a couple of interviews. Once I even Tweet/spammed for a whole weekend. Did any of that work? No, not really. Which is why I don't do it anymore.
I will now share with you the two secrets I've learned to promotional success...Ready?
Secret #1) Word of Mouth. Oh yes, we all know it's no secret, but it's one of the best marketing/promotional tools in our arsenal. If two of your "fans/readers" tell two of their friends what a great book they've just read, they will tell two friends, and those readers will tell two friends. And so on and so forth. And it doesn't matter when they read the book, or when they tell their friends. This new e-publishing thing is all about the "long tail". We've heard that mentioned time and again. Ten years from now, if someone reads one of my books and tells their mother, aunt, bff, or sister-in-law, and they buy my book, it's a win.
And I'm going to tell you another secret that relates to the above -- if you write more than one book, and the reader likes it, they will usually always buy another one. If you write a series, they will most often read the whole thing. The first time this happened to me I was floored. I got a letter from a "fan" once, who told me she enjoyed one of my novellas so much, she bought the whole rest of my series in one buying session. (And this phenomena has happened again and again in the US. And now I've found it's global. It's happened in Germany, in New Zealand, France, and even in the UK.) I still can't believe it.
Secret #2) Write the next book. Yup. It's just that simple. I feel it would better serve my readers if I spent all my time writing and not bothering with promotion. And I know I'm not the only one who feels this way. There are several "big name" authors and guru-bloggers who say this as well. If you've written a compelling story, have a couple of decent reviews, then your job for that book is done. Just write the next one. Rinse, Repeat.
Yes, it really is just that simple.
Okay, so here's my one bit of promotion for THE CAPTAIN'S COINCIDENCE.
Decorated war hero, Captain Richard Gaines has given up his
commission in the Royal Navy. He stalks the docks at night seeking relief from
the nightmares of Trafalgar. One night, he happens upon a woman who captures
his attention, and his heart. In a series of random coincidences, Richard is
compelled toward Mrs. Wood, just as circumstantial evidence suggests that Mr.
Wood may be a seditionist.
Returning to England
after a decade away, Amanda Wood is on a mission to save herself and her
daughter from the prison of her marriage. Meeting the Captain seems heaven sent
when he reveals an acquaintance with her only friend and brings an invitation
for a visit – and a chance to escape. Her joy is short-lived when her husband
insists on going with her.
The situation takes a grievous turn when Amanda’s husband
kidnaps their daughter. Richard must save her, but to do that he must engage
the enemy at sea. And it appears Amanda’s husband may be a nefarious pirate.
With limited armaments and a damaged vessel, Richard knows he has only one
chance to rescue the little girl.
When the battle is over, to the victor, go the spoils. Yet,
Richard must overcome his tormented past, in order to begin a future with the
woman he loves. However, Amanda holds a secret that could destroy that very
same future.
Release date -- March 15th. It's available for pre-order on Smashwords and itunes (so far). Look for it everywhere else on the 15th.
Tell me -- What do you do for promotion? Does it work? Do blog tours annoy you? What about cover reveals? Would you rather write the next book than promote?
Anne Gallagher (c) 2014
