"How should I market my book?"

I think this is the most common question I'm asked by authors. And there is no easy answer. The list of potential marketing techniques is vast and there are books dedicated to the subject (don't ask me what they are, scan around and find what fits you best). So when I talk about HOW you should market your book, I'm not talking technique. Forget viral videos, listmania lists, podcasts, and the million other possibilities available to you and prepare for some three point wax on, wax off, goodness.

1. Innovation

Forget what the marketing books say, come up with your own brilliant scheme. That's not to say you should ignore tried and true marketing, but you should innovate your own methods for your book. Here's some examples of things I've done int he past--some of which are mainstream marketing now.

• Book trailer: when I made my first there were very few other book trailers being used as marketing vehicles.

• Viral Video: To my knowledge I was the second author to create a viral video to promote a novel. I was certainly the first author to create TEN viral videos. They've been viewed more than 300,000 times.

• Virtual Book Signing: I was one of the first authors to do this, and was absolutely the first to officially partner with Skype.

That's just three of many strategies I've tried. Did they all work? I'm not going to say. What doesn't work for me may work for you. The point is, try something new. As a fiction author it's nearly impossible to get press, but every time I try a new marketing technique I get lots of press coverage. So there are side benefits to trying something new, even if it doesn't work.

2. Dedication

What ever you pick, stick with it. Don't give up half way through. Be committed and see it through. I see a lot of authors take up a marketing project with lots of excitement only to let it drop when the commitment becomes too large. Don't start a podcast novel if you can't see it through. Don't promise a viral video campaign and fail to deliver. You get the point. If you put something out for public consumption, finish it. Not doing so could actually harm your efforts.

For example, last year I launched a contest for the hard cover release of PULE. I created a viral video and asked fans to create their own. The winner would get an AMAZING prize package of signed novels donated by authors. How did it turn out? Two people entered. I could have let it drop and fade away, apologizing to the two entrants, but I didn't. I saw it through to the end and ended up paying $250 to ship the prize package to NEW ZEALAND! But those two entrants were thrilled and have been spreading the word about my books since. Who knows what they would have said if I pulled out.

3. Fearlessness

One of the best compliments I've got as an author was from Scott Sigler. He called me fearless because I'm willing to try anything. I've made a fool of myself on several occasions and will continue to do so. Of course, being fearless doesn't mean you have to make a fool of yourself. That's just my personality. I'm a little loco, especially when I've got a video camera.



You might be camera shy. You might be afraid of public speaking. You might have a fear of technology. Get. Over. It.

I took a public speaking class in college. I hated every second of it and spent ten minutes before every class in the bathroom. It's the closest I've experienced to sheer terror. But I forced my way through it and got an astonishing A+ (I think the prof was being merciful--did I mention I did my final presentation with my fly down? I won brownie points with the jocks in the class who thought I did it on purpose--but I will forever check my fly before getting up in front of people).

Anywho, I have gone on to do many signings, workshops and lectures since publishing my books. I'm at a point now where a group of 30 people hardly phases me. My new found tolerance for public speaking was challenged last summer when I was a Panel Master at Thrillerfest, but once again I made it through. I could have said "no" to all these things and stayed in my comfortable bubble, but I didn't. And you can't afford to, either. You're in the trenches of self-promotion. If you don't get out and charge the front line you're going to get rolled over. Cheesy analogy? Maybe. But accurate.

So when you think about HOW you need to market, don't just think about what you need to do, think about the intensity with which you will complete the task. Will you innovate something new? Will you dedicate yourself and see it through? Will you face your fears and conquer them? If not, well, I'm going to. Your competition is going to. So take some marketing, wax it on, wax it off and repeat until you can do it on reflex. If it can make Ralph Machio a force to be reckoned with, it can help you sell a few books.

-- Jeremy Robinson
www.jeremyrobinsononline.com