It’s horn-tooting time at TKZ. I am pleased to announce that the new Mike Romeo thriller is now up for Kindle pre-order. ROMEO’S WORLD is the title, and the publisher has generously agreed to give it a pre-pub price of $2.99 (reg. $4.99). The marketing department has also spent weeks drafting the following: “Grab your copy today!”
You can do that by going HERE. If you’re outside the U.S., go to your Amazon store and search for: B0HJSNCX13
The text above is called marketing. For an author, it used to be so simple. You got a contract with a publisher (happy day!). But because you were not a household name, your publisher expended few dollars (if any) to publicize your book. Perhaps a small ad in a newspaper or trade journal…if you were lucky.
So what could you do? You could start making the rounds of local bookstores, and try to set up a book signing. There were lots of local bookstores back then. And when one of them gave you the space, you showed up and sat at a table with your stack of books, two or three of which you sold…if you were lucky. If the store gave you a place to speak, you gave a little talk to the three people who came, one of whom was your mom, another your close friend, and the last one a stranger who just wanted to rest her feet.
And that was about it. Today, however, marketing has morphed into a tangled web of bits and bytes, drilling deeper and deeper into the subterranean world of the algorithm. A few years ago it was all about learning SEO—Search Engine Optimization. Your primary aim was to up the visibility of your website in the various search engines.
This year all the talk is about GEO—Generative Engine Optimization, which is explained thus:
GEO goes beyond traditional SEO by focusing on creating content that is not only easily understood by search engine crawlers but also by advanced AI language models. By understanding the intricacies of how AI processes information, businesses can optimize their content to rank higher in search engine results and attract more organic traffic.
Now we are told to spend our time trying to to leverage the power of the bots. I am no expert in how to do that, but if you want to get into it you can start with podcasts by Thomas Umstattd Jr. and Joanna Penn.)
I am old-school enough to believe that the most important marketing tool, the one that never changes, is the book itself. Ricardo Fayet of Reedsy agrees, as he stated in conversation with Joanna Penn (see above link):
One of my big mantras when it comes to marketing is that product is more important than marketing. So having a great book is going to be more important, in my opinion, than being a great marketer.
Thus, I spend 90% of my book time on the writing. The other 10% is for prep work—formatting (with Vellum), cover, back matter. When I’m ready to publish, I announce the pre-sale to my email list and prepare a blog post about it (check). When the book is live, I claim a new release announcement on BookBub (free). After that, I mostly leave it to word-of-mouth to do the heavy lifting, because that’s always the best driver of sales.
That’s how I see it, anyway. What about you? What are your thoughts about marketing books in this brave crazy new world?
Congratulations!! Preordered and waiting for Mike to pop into my Kindle account! It’s early and church is calling, but this afternoon I’ll be back to check out the links.
Thanks, Pat!
Jim, you take the long view, which I always appreciate. You don’t jump on every new trend that flashes brightly and quickly withers. That’s why you advice stands up over the decades.
Congratulations on the new Romeo. Will preorder after finishing this comment.
Thanks, Debbie. I’ve seen so many of those “flashes in the pan” over the years. Now we all get them every day via AI scams.
Like John Wooden used to do, just keep emphasizing the fundamentals.
I find the marketing side so tedious. Not only is it boring but they keep changing the way it’s done because of technology and it gets on my nerves. I saw a recent post by Thomas U and he’s on top of those things, but I see “bot” and my eyes glaze over. (I know. I know. I need to change with the times. I’m working on it. Glacially slow…but…)
That’s why the writing’s the thing. It doesn’t change. Sure, someone may come along and teach on an aspect of writing that gives you new insights, and yes, you continue to write and improve, but the foundations of writing are the same.
Speaking of which, I read your above paragraph which ended with “…and the last one a stranger who just wanted to rest her feet.” and I couldn’t help but think there must be a story in that somehow. A woman comes into a venue weary and just wants to rest her feet, but then some type of mayhem ensues….
That’s much more interesting to think about then marketing. LOL!
Ha! You can’t help thinking like a writer, BK. Good on you!
I hate the marketing. Hate it. HATE IT.
Except for the ‘write the next book’ part. Which I did, and it’s tiptoeing into the world now.
Congrats on finishing another Romeo. Has he ever made it to the Beverly Hills Hotel?
Tee hee. You reminded me of a little book called MARKETING FOR WRITERS WHO HATE MARKETING.
https://amzn.to/4rn2k5y
Congratulations on the impending release of Romeo #11, Jim. I just pre-ordered it.
Marketing is more challenging than ever in this so-called “attention economy.” I think trying to play the SEO and now the GEO game can take a lot of time, just like paying for ad space on Amazon or Meta. The book truly is the best advertising, one reader at a time. It’s not fast, and trad pubbed authors often don’t make the cut if their first book doesn’t do well, whereas indies can survive as the equivalent of a small or even micro press, and building a small but avid readership.
A series, like Romeo, helps with that.
indies can survive as the equivalent of a small or even micro press, and building a small but avid readership.
Perfectly stated, Dale!
Congratulations on the latest Romeo, Jim. I pre-ordered and can’t wait to see what Mike and Sophie are up to these days.
I agree that the best marketing is between the covers of the book. I’m willing to do a modicum of promotion, but I want to spend the majority of my writing time on the stuff that counts – coming up with a story that matters and telling it in a way that is both entertaining and thought-provoking.
Can’t add anything to your second paragraph, Kay. As for your first…thank you!
Jim, I’ve heard about GEO, but like you, I’m old school. I can’t keep jumping through the latest and greatest hoops and still find time to write. 🤷🏻♀️
Hoops are for the circus 🎪!
Once in a while, someone creates a Theo of Golden book that seems to spring from nowhere to fame and fortune, but most of the time some way of gaining visibility for our creation is going to be required.