In our experience, people have very different ideas about what they understand the meaning of ‘marketing’ to be. When it comes to marketing your book, we see it as making people aware of the existence of your book and bringing it to the attention of the target market it was intended for.
Ultimately the goal of marketing is to stimulate sales of the book, but for a first time author is it also about becoming known as author. The publication of a first book is just one step of the journey. We encourage authors to become active on social media and maximize their exposure in the media.
Book reviews are also important and this is something we encourage. To get feedback on your work can be of great value in your development as an author. Through various Facebook groups and platforms such as Goodreads authors can become part of the book community.
As independent author, the responsibility for activating an effective marketing campaign lies with the author. We do however consult and advise, pointing the author in the right direction.
For direct marketing activities, we offer a range of marketing resources such as digital flyers for use on social media, business cards, posters and roller banners for book launches etc.
We also encourage the author to enlist the services of a publicist. There are some excellent publicity agencies in South Africa that we have a close working relationship with. Many authors who have published through us have been interviewed on radio programmes and TV programmes such as Morning Live on SABC 2. We will gladly advise and refer you to the relevant service providers who can assist with publicity campaigns.
Ultimately the independent author should always realise the final responsibility rests with themselves and they should never rely on anyone to care as much for their work as they do. That said, there really is a lot that can be done as far as marketing is concerned if one think outside of the box. The author should realise that the job is never ‘done’ - it is an ongoing process.
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