Book or Business — Part IV
I’m in the middle of writing my book. When should I start marketing and what should I do first?
There are so many possibilities when it comes to marketing these days. Frankly, I found it overwhelming. If I had to do it all over again, I would have started with a landing page, and I would have done so as soon as I committed to writing the book. Why? Because:
- I could have clarified my thinking about what I wanted to communicate and to whom far earlier
- It would have been an easier way to reach prospective supporters and readers than blanket emails
- I wouldn’t have to set it up in the middle of everything else I was doing around the time of my book launch
- (And other lessons learned)
Although I chose to have a website as my landing page, that isn’t the only option. Some examples of landing pages I’ve seen fellow creators use (besides a website):
- Discord (I saw a really neat one in this platform!)
- Facebook (Author Page specifically)
- Patreon
*There are plenty of other digital locales out there, too.
Some questions to consider before setting up a landing page:
- What is the purpose / goal behind the page? Is it to sell the book? Introduce lore? Host a newsletter / blog? Find prospective clients?
Who is the target audience and where is that target audience most likely to find you? Readers? Fellow gamers? Artists? Prospective clients?
I have learned (and continue to learn) about this whilst in flight. As an example, I recently received feedback on my own landing page (be-stirred.com) that has inspired me to make some changes – more to follow on that front.
