Google “writing forums” and set up profiles at as many of these as you can. Don’t worry if the focus is on different genres from yours –you’re giving them a chance to broaden their tastes, the way you do when you send your collection of stories, say, to publishers who do not publish story collections.
·
See where they ask for “occupation” in your
profile? They WANT you to promote
yourself, so lie a little. Your sister, for one, really DOES agree that your
three published poems and vanity press novel make you officially well-published both online and in print.
·
After you’ve filled out your profile, it’s time
to join a discussion. Break in on any one well underway, and introduce
yourself. Among the people who accuse
you of hijacking the thread there will be one or two who welcome you. Get their
email addresses and immediately try to sell them your book.
·
Set up your social media accounts, and create as
many fan pages for you and your characters as Facebook will allow. Seek out
friends and friends of friends for all of these accounts and send your updates
to your new fans’ email addresses –they might miss something important if your
messages only appear on their newsfeeds.
·
Create a
newsletter. Fill it with photos of your cat and your “World’s Best Writer”
mug. Address your words of wisdom to
“All My Fans” in the newsletter –it saves time, and who can remember all those
names anyway?
·
Manipulate your book’s sales rank on Amazon by
clicking repeatedly on your cover and tagging your book using accounts you
opened just for this purpose. While you’re at it, write some reviews for your
book. It’s good writing practice, using different personae.
·
Send a blast email and demand that your “fans”
follow your lead with the clicking and the tagging and the reviewing. Someone’s
bound to and something’s better than nothing, isn’t it? Isn’t it?
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