Time allotment for marketing

[Sharon Dwyer]

I have to wonder how to spread my time with websites. This has been an ongoing problem for me and I keep changing my mind. If I spend the time it takes to go through blogs, websites and forums, I lose time doing what I want to do - write. It takes time and concentration to write a book. Then the marketing comes and that requires more time, except I am already working on the next book.

So....how should time be allotted and where are the best  places to go so I spend the least amount of time doing this.  How about we list the best sites that work for authors promotions.

[Richard Lee Byers]

I think that to keep marketing from eating up all your writing time, you need to formulate a strategy and stick to it. My strategy is to post on a bunch of sites around the Internet. But many of my posts are simply links to the one or two places where I post things of substance like my monthly column for a science fiction news site. This seems to work pretty well in terms of giving me some visibility without sucking up all my time and energy.

[Sharon Dwyer]

Thanks Richard. It sounds like a plan. I am not that savvy when it come to all this internet stuff (book tours and such) so it takes me a little more time than most to find the right sites and figure out how they all work.

[Irina Shapiro]

Hi, Sharon. 

Well, I just finished a week-long blog tour in the UK and I can honestly tell you it was a waste of time and money.  The bloggers all asked for a PDF, but it seems that only one of them actually read the book and had something to say about.  They basically just copied the information given to them.  Although, any promotion is still promotion, this blog tour did not generate any sales that I wouldn't have gotten on my own. 

[Sharon Dwyer]

Sorry to hear that , Irina. I hesitate to ever spend money on blogs/tours since most of them seem to be vanity exploitation. I try to do blogs and spread the word about my book and website hoping I will hit on someone who will actually read my  latest book and spread the word.

We have to keep experimenting to discover the avenue that works best for each of us.   

www.sldwyer.com

[Marie-Anne Mancio]

Hi Sharon,

If you haven't already read it, this free e-book by Smashwords founder Mark Coker is worth a read http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/305 

I also follow @JonathanGunson on Twitter -  he is a true expert on what you could be doing and states over and over that if you want to see the rewards you need to engage. He spent something like 5 hours a day on marketing which isn't feasible for most of us but even a focused hour is better than nothing. I think he's right and it's about fostering genuine relationships with bloggers, other readers and other writers.

Good Luck!

[Sharon Dwyer]

Thank you for the information. Hte to say this but I rarely ever do to twitter. I have read some of the books by Mark Coker and found some of the information helpful. What I really want is to find out from other writers out there what works for them. All the info in books are usually written by authors who have been in the business for a long time and already have name recognition.

I'm interested in how other writers have found the holy grail of marketing on their own. Sometimes there is a small kernnel of info that can jump the process for others.

 

www.sldwyer.com

[C.B. Haight]

Bummer, maybe it will add to your online presence though. I'll cross my fingers for you.

[Patricia Gligor]

Sharon,

I know exactly what you're saying! Several months ago, I became frustrated, trying to figure out how I could make it all work. My first novel was published in April so I needed to continue (and amplify) my efforts to promote it. I also needed - and wanted - to spend as much time as possible working on the sequel. So, here's what I did.

I created a "Daily Marketing Schedule." For each day, Sunday through Saturday, I chose two sites to visit. I post to and/or comment on those sites each week on the specified day. Obviously, at this point, on Mondays you'll find me on Book Blogs.

Mine may not be the perfect system but at least now I don't feel so overwhelmed. I finished rewriting and editing my second novel and sent it off to my publisher last week. Fingers crossed!

[Sharon Dwyer]

Sounds like you have a plan that works for  you. Besides writing and other household chores, I take care of my elderly father, which takes up a lot of my time. I squeeze in writing and blogging when I can and hope for the best.

I appreciate all the suggestions and will work on setting up my own schedule.

[Eunice Nisbett]

Hi Sharon.

This post might interest you:

http://tinyurl.com/dyjc45r

I also invite you to experience my site at http://www.savvyvirtuals.co/bookmarketing.

One of the things you can do as a start, is to block off a period of time for your writing. Place a do not disturb (DND) sign on your door and do NOT login to the Internet during that time.

Best.

Eunice N