FTP Sign-in Home / Indie Publishing / Let’s Get Started / Marketing & Publicity LET’S GET STARTED Marketing & Publicity Marketing and publicising your book can be one of the hardest parts of the publishing process, but also gives indie authors and publishers scope for creativity in their approach. Don’t go into it half-heartedly. Embrace it. And don’t necessarily think that a supernova of sales and marketing penetration will explode on publication. Publication is the beginning of that part of the process, not the end John Bond WHITEFOX Market Research Writing a Business and Marketing Plan Social Media Publicity and our Gardners Service Whitefox Some indie authors and publishers go it alone for their publicity and marketing, but if you need professional help in these areas, we have a link with whitefox who offer both marketing and PR services. See what they had to say: Marketing and PR Discoverability. Even the most successful traditionally published writers obsess about it. You’ve written the best book you can, one you are hugely proud of. But how does anyone know it exists? Whether you’re going DIY or are planning on engaging with specialist freelancers and agencies, the earlier you start the planning process, the better. Initially, it could just be thinking about your existing network and who would be likely to review and endorse your publication. Who will help you promote and spread the word to others when the book is ready to buy? A successful marketing campaign will almost certainly involve setting up the right social media platforms for you in the run up to publication. You’ll want to create as many assets for these as you can, whether they are blogs or quotes or video content. You may want to create a website or think how people will most easily find you and your book once they start searching. Picture it as a process of creating a toolbox to support the amplification of your book pre and post publication. You never know when the accumulative affect will start translating into a visible spike in sales. If you are going to be handling your own PR, your timeline should mirror a professional’s although you’ll have more flexibility after the book has released. If you are going to to engage with a dedicated PR specialist, they would ideally come on board 6 months prior to your publication date. They will begin working with you by honing the pitch, formulating a PR plan pre and post publication, and agreeing on suitable targets in the media and for future events. After publication, your PR team will typically stay working with you on the book for two weeks proactively, and one month reactively. The key to both marketing and PR is to wholeheartedly embrace it. It is highly unlikely that there will be one silver bullet that propels your book towards the bestseller lists. Much more likely is seeing the accumulative affect of increasing, ongoing awareness and endorsement. Don’t forget about discoverability. And that can happen at any time. If you are going to be handling your own PR, your timeline should mirror a professional’s although you’ll have more flexibility after the book has released. If you are going to to engage with a dedicated PR specialist, they would ideally come on board 6 months prior to your publication date. They will begin working with you by honing the pitch, formulating a PR plan pre and post publication, and agreeing on suitable targets in the media and for future events. After publication, your PR team will typically stay working with you on the book for two weeks proactively, and one month reactively. If you would like us to put you in touch with whitefox, please contact us. Popson Street, Bungay, Suffolk, NR35 1ED CONTACT 01986 893211 sales@clays.co.uk LINKS Privacy Policy Cookie Policy Modern Slavery Act FOLLOW US © 2021 Clays Ltd. Registered in England & Wales No. 342498 Registered office: Popson Street, Bungay, Suffolk, NR35 1ED