A Marketing Plan
Time to get started
Regardless of how I eventually publish my upcoming historical fiction novel Shame of Kings, I know I’ll need to market it. If I choose to self publish, I will of course have to do all of the marketing. However, if I do attract an agent and a publisher, I will still have to work to gain readers. It’s not realistic to think that once you get a publisher then they will do all of the selling for you. And why wouldn’t you do everything you can to gain readers?
I admit that the idea of being a salesman is not a natural role for me. I believe some people are naturally good at selling. That still doesn’t mean I should not do it.
So I have decided to develop a consistent, slow, steady marketing plan, or effort. The first thing I am going to do is commit to doing one marketing task each day.
I have begun this by starting to compile of list of gift shops at historical sites and museums in Florida. Shame of Kings is a story of the Calusa Indians from Florida, so I figure that is a good place to start. Most of the shops I have visited sell books about Florida, so hopefully they might be visited by readers.
Once I decide to actually start distributing the book, then I will contact all the shops on my list and ask if they will put it on their shelves. I have started my list, and I’m adding to it each day
I’l be the first to admit that marketing doesn’t come naturally to me. Luckily, there is a lot of advice out there. The problem, I think is that there is so much advice out there. So I have been considering what to do, and I thought, “I should check here on Substack.”
I typed “Marketing authors” into the Substack search field and got the following:
and this:
I’m going to check out these newsletters, and I bet I’ll find some good suggestions. I’ll post what I find. If you have read any of them, please let us know.
Regarding Shame of Kings, I’m also going thorough it checking for errors. I always find things to change. A few basic typos - spelling, grammar, etc. - and other things I clarify or emphasize. I am also trying to emphasize how the Calusas are different than the Spaniards and Aztecs they face in the story.
The Calusa were quite advanced, but they weren’t modern. They were also warlike at times. They controlled much of South Florida and killed Ponce de Leon. I want my Calusa characters to reflect this. I’m going through my pages and trying to make them seem less modern and a bit more violent.
Please share some of your marketing ideas and tips. It will be great if we can help each other.
And now for something a bit different. I have written two novels and short stories under my pen name “Will Granger.” They are on sale on Amazon.
My novels Anabar’s Run and Anabar Rises are the first two books in a coming-of-age series. I believe they are suited for readers aged roughly 10 - 14 and maybe older. There is some violence, so I wouldn’t suggest them for younger kids, but that it a decision for parents.
I did have my sixth grade English classes read Anabar’s Run and had some success with it. I didn’t tell them I wrote it, but they usually figured it out eventually.
I also have several short horror stories for sale on Amazon. Horror has been a one of my favorite genres. I had fun writing them and made my own covers. No AI for me! Please consider checking them out.