One suggestion I would make is this: make getting reviews a priority. They could be a blog, a print review, or a review on Amazon. Reader decision often depends on these reviews.

Thanks, Kristen,
Will check out your blog, ideas and website mentioned. Another glass ceiling to understand and break? Or just shatter? Hmmm… 🙂

Regards
Anju

Anju, congrats on your first book! Have you checked out my blog, http://www.bookpromoting101.com? It was quite a few suggestions about promoting. I also have two books on the topic: Book Promoting 101 and How To Sell More Kindle eBooks.

When you’re first starting, I think it’s easiest and most effective to choose what you can do, instead of trying to do everything. Some authors start a website, Facebook page just for that book, a Twitter, and join all kinds of groups. You may or may not have time for that! I mainly use my author page on Facebook and try to join in conversations. I like to run giveaways or a contest, post tiny teasers from one of my books, and other fun things that aren’t too “promoty.”

Another thing to consider is writing a marketing plan. Some authors write a detailed plan. with a budget. (Book Promoting 101 has a sample plan from Joann Penn of The Creative Penn blog. Her website is also a great resource – http://www.thecreativepenn.com.) My (simple) strategy is to continuously build my online presence and then announce new books and promotions to my followers on FB, Twitter and my blog.

Best of luck with your writing and promoting!
Kristen

Hi Elaine, bid a lot! I won about 10 to 15% of my bids the first few years. And write a personal bid instead of sending out a template every time. I saved a template and then customized it for each job, and I would also copy and paste it into word so I could see it better and proof it. I’ve caught a lot of typos that way and saved myself from sending out a bid with errors in it. If you want some in depth advice, I actually have an ebook out on Kindle about how to use freelance sites to earn an income called How To Be A Full Time Writer. Good luck! It’s very satisfying to win freelance projects and design your own schedule.

I agree – the writing life can isolate you. It’s important to get out with family and friends, and maybe join some social groups or the gym. Writing groups are nice because you have a shared passion. It even helps me to keep up online relationships with other writers. My life is pretty hectic between writing and raising a family, so it cuts down on the craziness to work from home. Sometimes I do have to intentionally get myself away from the computer!

Thanks, Elaine! They say anything worthwhile takes time and hard work, but you can enjoy hard work when it’s something you love, like writing. It also helps when your hard work pays off, and others encourage you. My best to you, Kristen

Elaine