Not writing…advertising.
I’ve been reading, learning and investigating advertising for over a year now. I’ve been dipping into it a little here and there, but I’m going to be honest.
Advertising scares the crap out of me. You’re investing real money running ads with no gaurantee of anything. It’s all on me. Based off of what I think I know despite having read probably twenty books on the subject, listened to other people’s journeys, and watching others do it. I’ve even had the advantage of being able to pick the brain of a couple of Marketing Professors. One who doesn’t have his hands in the book world but has studied marketing in the music industry, he laughed (in a sympathetic way) and confirmed what I already thought I knew:
Like everything else in life, there are no silver bullets. He admitted that despite
PhD’s, years of study and millions, nay billions of dollars that companies throw at marketing and advertising, it’s still a roll of the dice.
Some of it is placement, targeting, timing and even luck. There are no sure fire ways to advertise and assure yourself of hitting that next level.
That’s what scares the crap out of most writers and creatives. It’s not that we’re not willing to put in the time and even the money, but that we could leap off the metaphorical cliff and still just crash to the Earth in a heap.
So, just what the heck are we creatives supposed to do?
You already know how many hours you’ve spent on writing, improving your story telling abilities, getting stronger grammatically, juggling words and telling stories that keep your reader flipping pages.
So, it pains me to tell you that advertising is no different. At least that’s my ongoing theory. I’m under no delusions that I’m going to hand out a fair amount of money over time, failing and not getting anywhere.
BUT. I’m doing it.
What can I do to tilt the odds in my favor? Several things and I’m going to spend some time here going over those strategies.
First–I am a NEWBIE! I’m still in the failing process so take my words with the proverbial ‘grain of salt.’ Trust me not. 😉
The first real piece of advice before you jump in though. REAListically decide what you can afford to invest in advertising monthly and yearly. DO NOT think that you have to mortgage your house or rack up credit card debt to make this work.
First–as I said above–there are no gaurantees. So don’t gamble money on it you can’t afford. Sit down, look at your finances and decide what you can live with that won’t take food out of your mouth and won’t shave too much out of your life.
Just as with writing and getting your name out there, you are looking at a LONG GAME. Yeah, there are those who end up in the right place at the right time and hit a home run with their book. People do win that lottery, but like me, you shouldn’t count on it. It’ll happen when it happens.
So, decide what you can really afford. Don’t worry if it’s $10 a month. So be it. You can use that amount and still leverage some things. There are small ways to advertise your books–even if you have to save up and only do something every few months. Start there. Then as time ticks by and you reach a space where you can afford more, do it. BUT, not until you can truly afford it without missing the money.
You got this!
Alright, next time I’ll get into avenues to pursue and also people and groups to stay away from!
Keep writing and keep going.
Craig