Marketing: 5 Useful Resources for Indie Authors

What's the one thing every author has to do--even if they aren't self-published--if they want to sell books?

Marketing.

Marketing has always been my least favorite part of my job. I don't have a business degree and certainly haven't done enough research of my own. Plus I hate tooting my own horn, which is often what marketing feels like to me. However, in the past few weeks, I have been putting in some research, learning new skills, and getting the hang of this whole marketing thing.

I still have a lot to learn, for sure, but I am actually enjoying the journey now which will help immensely. When something is a chore, it is hard for me to work up the motivation or enthusiasm to do it properly. Now, however, I can say that I am enjoying marketing. What clicked for me to change my perspective, I have no idea. I'm glad it did, though.

I thought I would share a few of the helpful tools I've discovered recently for various aspects of marketing. So, without further ado, here are 5(ish) resources for you to make use of in your quest to market your book.

First, a very useful article detailing how to make your own books ads to put on various social media platforms. This was a lot of fun to do! There's a link within the article to Derek Murphy's (the champion of Indie Authors) free tool for creating 3D covers for these ads, but I'll also link it here:

Lynn Nodima: Creating DIY Book Ads

The 3D Cover Creator

Derek Murphy has instigated an amazing community of Indie Authors sharing their resources, critiquing each other's work, and pushing each other to greatness. You can find that page on Facebook as Guerrilla Publishing, although you'll have to request an invite as it is a closed group.

One amazing source, not just for marketing but for all areas of writing, is Jenna Moreci. I'll link her youtube channel here, as that is where she mainly gives all her marvelous advice. Fair warning, however, Jenna doesn't have the most G-rated language. Jenna's Channel

I also use this blog that has a very long list of useful tools to use to market your book (my list is never going to be this comprehensive). I haven't looked through all 100+ tools and strategies, but it is something that I refer to when I am looking for different/new ways to market: 7 Strategies and 110+ tools to help Indie Authors Find Readers and Reviewers

And another blog post, highlighting mistakes new authors make when they begin marketing. This is a good read: How Not to Market Your Book

Hopefully, you can make good use of these tools and articles. In the meantime...

Happy Writing, everybody!