A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT

Hate marketing your books? You’re probably thinking about marketing the wrong way.

A lot of writers hear “book marketing” and immediately think about running ads, posting constantly on social media, chasing TikTok trends, finding reviewers, testing campaigns, and spending money they may never earn back. No wonder authors get exhausted.

But marketing doesn’t have to mean any of that.

In this Wordslinger 10-Shot, I talk about a simpler way to think about marketing: reaching the right reader at the moment they’re most ready to discover your work. That can mean email. It can mean social media. It can mean a local book signing, a farmers market, your library, or simply asking your existing readers to tell someone else about your books.

If you wrote something you believe matters, then part of the job is helping people find it.

00:00 Can I just write my books?
00:37 Why authors feel buried by marketing
01:11 What writers usually mean by “marketing”
02:02 What marketing actually is
03:16 Why your email list matters so much
04:04 Start local and find readers nearby
04:51 Creative ways to sell books in your community
05:52 Libraries, farmers markets, and local events
06:34 Ask your readers to help spread the word
07:26 Marketing is really a conversation
08:34 Why writers have an obligation to share their work
09:26 What are your biggest marketing pain points?

Visit the Knovelton Bookshop at http://knoveltonbooks.com

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If you’re a writer looking for practical, experience-tested guidance on writing, publishing, marketing, and building a sustainable creative career, subscribe to the Wordslinger channel. This is where we talk honestly about the work, the business, and the long game of becoming the writer you want to be.

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