Writers hate marketing.

There, I said it. Let’s get the honest truth out of the way and dig into how to actually market your written work without the cringe factor.

I’ve met writer after writer who felt that marketing is essentially slimy car salesmanship. This usually leads to avoiding social media, struggling to build a website, not knowing how to ‘sell’ books to people met at book fairs and vomiting at the thought of doing an interview on radio about it. I get it, talking about yourself and your written words is awkward.

But marketing is essential to your art if you want to get published.

Sad but true: publishers expect you to do marketing through your channels to support book sales. If publishing is what you’re aiming for, you’ll want to start building the habit of promoting your work regularly. A little bit of promo every couple of days, is better than one big push without any marketing either side.

I have one foot in the writers camp, and one in the marketers camp. For my undergratuate studies I completed a Bachelor of Arts with an English major which meant, you guessed it, books. As a baby nineteen year old I took courses in twentieth century American literature, sociology, philosophy, jurisprudence (this was intense!), film – all of the good stuff. I lingered around a major publishing house offering my time on Thursday afternoons to help the marketing team, just to see what it was like on the inside. Aside from learning how to bind multiple manuscripts without losing a finger to the treacherous binder, I ended up getting a job.

Whilst I worked in my role I completed a postgraduate degree in marketing at night, because honestly, marketing was and is fascinating – as fascinating as art itself.

I’ll go out on a limb and say that marketing is storytelling, and every author already has the skill to do it well. Here’s my tips for reshaping your perspective on marketing so it becomes something you actually look forward to.

#1 remind yourself that you are not creating an ad

This is a mindset point. Don’t think you’re creating an ad for a fast food chain or shampoo, because you aren’t. You’re not trying to swindle money out of the public for epic profits. You’re connecting art with the people it will impact, potentially forever. You don’t need a professional sales voice, you don’t need a huge budget and you don’t need an intricate marketing plan. You just need to share about what you’ve created, in a way that feels naturally like you.

Focus on sharing your creations because you’re proud of them and you know others will enjoy then.

You’ve created something with your mind and body. Um, that’s unbelievable. Be proud! You are not being slimy or greedy in asking people to check out what you’ve written.

#2 don’t sign up to every platform

The fact that people have FULL TIME JOBS in marketing should be enough to tell you that marketing and promotion can take up a lot of time. This time doubles with every single platform you choose to promote your work on, so be selective and find smart ways to reduce the amount of effort it takes to push promotional content out there. Every business could hire one individual per platform to have the best shot at performing better, but seriously, who has that kind of time and money? Artists sure as hell don’t.

Select one platform to publish and sell your art (usually a website, online shop or blog), and select one to promote (usually a social media or content platform). Keep your choice of platforms small and sustainable. For writers, use a platform that highlights words. For visual artists, use a platform that highlights visuals, and so on. Write down a list of all the places your works could be, and select those that represent it the best. My general rule of thumb for my own works is I have one platform where I publish the work (my blog), and one where I promote (Instagram). I picked WordPress for my website because other WordPress users can read my blogs on their blog feed as well (= more potential readers). I picked Instagram for my promotion because at the stage of life I am in, it is manageable and there are plenty of readers there who would like my stories.

Content creation is a huge beast that will eat all of your time if you let it. And truly, artists need time to make art, which means time away from content creation platforms. Don’t overdo it.

#3 focus on storytelling

Every piece of marketing is telling a story, whether it’s a blog post like this, a social media post, or a flyer put up at a book fair. As a writer you’re already good at storytelling – you practice is every time you sit down and write. If it helps write the story of each piece your want to promote to your friends, followers or family. By that I mean:

1. the first part of any marketing piece should connect with your viewer/reader. Just like you would in a short story or book! Connect with them on something they want or love, or a problem they’re having. On a flyer that’s a heading, on a blog post that’s a heading, on a social post that’s the first thing you’ll see at the top of the design. It could be a teaser from the story (‘Mark thought he knew everything about his wife, until he didn’t’), a strapline (marketing-speak for a line that make the work sound enticing: ‘In a world where magic is outlawed, one young sorceress holds the key to its survival’) or speak directly to a readers problem (‘escape from the real world in 500 words’).
2. Share what your work is – your book, blog post, poem, piece of artwork – and how it is something your audience wants to see or read. Share it’s published name. And make sure you explicity say what it is – a book, a short story, a video etc. Be specific so people know what they’re getting.
3. Include who you are – include a short bio and pic.
4. Provide a simple call to action (CTA) – like buy/download/read/view X.

It really doesn’t need to be more complicated than that!

#4 aim to be consistent – don’t aim to go viral

I’m not alone in admitting that I’m a perfectionist. I want everything I do to be absolutely perfect and blow everyone away (spoiler alert: this doesn’t happen much, so I’m not sure why I continue to be a perfectionist haha!). Sometimes this is a helpful perspective, but other times it’s completely paralysing. It’s an impossible standard to maintain, and it goes against creative rhythms. It’s also not how marketing and promotion works, some pieces absolutely slap, others don’t. And it generally has nothing to do with the quality of your art. Remember when you’re promoting online you’re at the mercy of algorithms – you can’t control them! The best thing you can do it just keep going. Be consistent in your promotion, and don’t push each piece of promotion to be perfect. Adequate and honest is plenty.

Going viral is no guarantee. For anyone on social platforms. Sorry!

In the same way the first draft of your historical fiction novel is scrappy, unkept and honestly disjointed (ha!), some of your marketing attempts will be the same. The important thing is to separate your identity from the promo itself, and just do it regularly as a habit. Over time the practice of promotion will feel less cringey. Here’s some helpful practical tips to help you be consistent in your promotional efforts:

• use a content planner – a spreadsheet or a note on your phone are plenty to plan out a few posts, and list your ideas.
• brainstorm promo ideas in one sitting, once a month – create a pool of promotion ideas and dump them onto a list to come back to later on.
• don’t get hung up on posting or sharing your work at the ‘perfect’ time of day (TBH it doesn’t matter) – just share regularly, a couple of times a week is plenty. In person events can be included in that count.
• reply and enage with anyone who comments or connects with you as a result of your promotion.
• celebrate your audience, no matter how small. This looks like replying to emails, comments, liking replies. Also go and engage with other artists in the same space as you! Show them you’re a real person and you like what they’ve created and shared.
• share your wins! If a short story has been the most read on your website, share that on your promotion channel of choice!
• give yourself days off from promotion – no one can sustain that long term. Build rest into your promotion schedule.

#5 promote little things as much as the big

You’re not writing a 80,000 word book every week, are you? No, you’re writing or rewriting a few hundred words each week, or taking inspiration from a walk you took, or meeting up with another writer for coffee. Celebrate and promote these small moments, not just the big final product. These things might feel small and like they aren’t actually promoting your art, but you are promoting your process and you as a brand (yes, I did just refer to you as a brand. Marketers habit.). Here’ are some content ideas that might feel small but can help get the word about your art out there:

• share a book, film or TV series you’ve watched that’s inspired your work
• share a sketch or draft you’ve been working on, even if it’s in a scrappy notebook or just a pic of you in front of your computer
• talk about your process – how and when do you write? People find this fascinating.
• Share your favourite author. Why do you love them? Which of their stories is your favourite?
• share a quote that inspires you or is from a writer you admire
• even share the coffee or tea you’re enjoying while you write!

Honestly, be a human in your promotion, giving them a glimpse of ‘here’s a day in my life, and here’s what I created at the end of it all’. People love it. LOVE IT.

#6 use these ideas to get you started

Ok, cute chat about marketing. But what actual marketing activities should you get involved in? There are so many places you can start. Here’s a shortlist to help you start drumming up excitement about your written works:

• start a blog – share your stories, struggles, your process and what’s been on your mind lately. Post once a week for a while and see how it goes. Share the links of your blog on socials, send them direct to friends and share them on online forums to share with the writing community. I use WordPress, which you can utilise in a limited way for free (your domain and features will be limited, but it’s a great way to start).
• create an Instagram account just for your art – creating a new one means you won’t be sharing your vulnerable art in front of family or friends, which can feel really uncomfortable. Come out of your shell by starting afresh! Share images, quotes, your current read, selfies, a blog you love, an event you’re attending, a favourite bookshop, beautiful photography of books – honestly there’s scope for a lot in the social media space! Connect with other bookish peeps and readers who’d love to get in on the action of your stories.
• create a YouTube channel – talk about stories you love, things that have inspired you, parts of your stories you struggle with, what you’re learning in the writing process – be real! Video content is king. You could create a video trailer for an upcoming book you’re going to self-publish! There’s no end to the kind of video content that could bring colour to your story and make it appealing to potential readers.
• start a podcast – not as hard as it sounds. Many podcast platforms allow you to record directly into the software, or you could use free software like GarageBand (on a Mac) or Audacity (on PC). USB microphones are so cheap and don’t take much tech ability to use. Share about your process, what you’re learning, your new stories, tips that have helped you write better. You can release podcast episodes for free on Spotify for Podcasters (where I publish my podcasts).
• reach out to physical stores or libraries – introduce yourself to your local literary places! Visit the bookshops, meet the shop owners, say hi to your local librarians. By getting connected you can be looped into local literature activity and you may be able to run a book launch or workshop at that location.

Free tools that help support marketing and promo activities

You don’t need a million marketing subscriptions to support your promo activities. A lot can be done on platforms that are free to access. Here’s some to get you started:

• ChatGPT for brainstorming marketing or promo copy (especially when you’re unsure how to copywrite your own work). Tell ChatGPT about you book/piece and ask it to generate some helpful copy. Edit it, and upload it wherever you need it. But you MUST edit it.
• Stock image websites like Unsplash and Pexels
• Canva for design pieces
• YouTube has tutorials about everything you could possibly want to know about promotion – design, website building, how to speak better in public, everything.
• Create an email list using Mailchimp (or another provider).

In summary: just start, keep it simple and keep it up!

Don’t let the fear of marketing hold you back. Just start. Give yourself time and space to play with your promo options, and keep forging ahead with the options that work. Also, don’t forget to build a smart marketing system that enables you to take breaks. Plan in batches so you don’t have to come up with new ideas all the time. Don’t freak if some marketing attempts don’t go quite to plan.

YOUR WRITING MATTERS and we want to read it. So share it.

If you’ve found a marketing or promo idea that’s worked for you, share it in a comments below so we can all learn from your experience! I’d love that.

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Images by Merakist, Campaign Creators, Elio Santos & Jon Tyson.

Jess Knaus is a marketer, copywriter and ghostwriter by day; fiction writer, musician and podcaster by night. Check out her short stories here.