How should I price my book? It’s the most gut-wrenching question for new indie authors. Many people talk about anecdotal success from giving away books, but no matter how you slice it, the statistical evidence is clear: No profitable business gives away an entire product to consumers.* Why doesn’t Coca Cola hand you a six […]
How Freebies are like Crystal Meth—Marketing for You, the Indie Writer, Part 10
During my 30 year career in tech sales and marketing, I never heard anyone say, “Let’s give away our product for free” and survive. Remember Star Office, the Microsoft Office-beater given away by Sun Microsystems? For thirty years, Microsoft has been selling Office and never once gave it away for free. So why do we, […]
Working Strategies for Display Ads – Marketing for You, the Indie Writer, Part 9
Today we look at specific display ad strategies that produced great results for two indie authors. Awareness or display ads are often misunderstood by indies because they aren’t aimed at selling directly and don’t have a great ROI. But they can be highly effective. Use display ads to build interest, anticipation, or awareness for your product […]
Marketing for You, the Indie Writer – Part 8, Advertising
It’s time to discuss advertising as part of your marketing strategy. Traditionally, advertising came in three forms: direct response, awareness or saturation, and image ads. The rise of the Internet created new opportunities for marketing in conjunction with ads. Over the next three posts, I’ll look at these different advertising types, what to expect from […]
5 Marketing Tips That Might Surprise (and Relieve) You
Marketing for You, the Indie Author welcomes back Beth Jusino, Director of Book Marketing for The Editorial Department, who is also an editor, teacher, and former literary agent. Enjoy! Once a week I have a conversation with an author who says, “I know I’m supposed to market. But I hate self-promotion! I don’t want to have to ask people […]