We get requests from people who have self-published their books, who express an interest in House of Honor republishing it. I have yet to meet one such person concerned with the quality of the editing, or the cover of the original. (Though they should have been.) I have met only one concerned about their original formatting. The real concern is a desire for someone to market their book beyond the circle of family and friends.
Having self-published, I understand the desire to extend my book’s reach. Social media abounds with self-made marketers eager to solve the problem. Test what I’m telling you. Post your book on a “promote your book” or “indie author” Facebook page and see what happens. Most of what they promise to do for you (for a fee, of course) you can do yourself for free.
No matter how you publish or who you publish with, the author is also the Chief Marketing Officer. If people don’t know your name, it is up to you to introduce yourself. Is that presumptuous, pushy, and rank ego? Absolutely and one of the essentials of being an author.
I’ve never been one to pay for what I can get for free. Then again, I’m a proponent of that old saying that goes, “If you want something done right…” At House of Honor Books we do what we can to promote our authors and their books. One of the reasons we have this blog is to let authors get their name out in the public eye.
Experts say blogs don’t help. I’m no expert, but when I ask myself the question, “Should I bother with writing a blog only two or three people will read?” My answer every single time is, “Couldn’t hurt.”
I get the same answer when I ask myself about attending festivals and fairs. Selling books is tough even at book fairs. Only a few people may stop long enough to talk to you. Of course, if one of those people happens to have a podcast, or a blog, or say, a television show…I want them to hear/see my name.
That was the case for me at the Louisiana Book Festival. I will be recording an interview with the folks from the East Baton Rouge Parish Library’s television show. Somebody will say, “Well, you got lucky—again.” They’re right, I did. If I was asked to give a talk on why my books sell, I’d say that I just got lucky.
I’d also say there’s a little something to the idea that we make our own luck. That invitation for an interview came about because I was out there at a table trying to sell the books I had written. If I’d stayed home—no interview, no sales, no one new learns my name, and no new young reader whose eyes were filled with delight, because I signed her book.
I admit that I have yet to recoup all I spent. Investments make money over time; that’s how they work. My fellow author Keshia C. Willi has found herself on television, her name in print, and an offer to share with young readers in a position that pays real money. Yes, she’s spent money to do it. I can’t say whether she’s spent more than she made. I can say this, she has invested wisely in what she loves, and you can’t do better than that.
Jack LaFountain
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