Book or Business — Part III

I love your social media posts. Who does the marketing and outreach for your book tour? Your publisher?

  I frequently get comments and questions about my post-launch activities. Like the people who pose them, I used to think that publishers and/or literary agents took care of all of that stuff. I now know the real story.

  While it is true that publishers and literary agents can and do provide marketing assistance, they typically reserve that assistance for good business bets (e.g. established authors). In contrast, most new or relatively unknown authors are on their own when it comes to launching and promoting their books - yet one more thing I wish I had understood better before Midgard came out.

So, the answer to that initial question is...me. I do my marketing and outreach. I hired people to help me get started, and I personally reached out to bookstores, podcasters, and other venues to promote my work. This effort has been arduous -- especially since I'm pretty introverted -- but necessary, and the learning curve is still steep.

  The great thing about self-marking is networking and partnering with local businesses and authors like those at Birch Tree Bookstore's Independent Bookstore Day event last weekend. Thanks to everyone who showed up to hear about our work and support a really awesome independent bookstore -- it was a valuable and fun experience, and I am so grateful for that opportunity. P.S. If you still want a signed copy of "Midgard" but missed this event, I have them available here!