Marketing update

I allowed my book to be made available through bookstores and online retailers to reach the widest possible audience. I noticed the other day that Barnes and Noble are offering it for sale in the US at the same price as Amazon.com and that a number of resellers have picked it up and are offering it at varying prices. Interesting...

Today I Googled "Orchard View Deborah Miles" and was pleased to see that top of the search engine results page was my book on the Goodreads.com website. Further down the list was my last Google Plus entry, my Twitter feed, and the final entry on this results page was the link to buy the book on Amazon.co.uk.

Out of curiosity I looked at page 2 of the results and was rather surprised. There was an entry in Japanese, linking to https://www.kinokuniya.co.jp where they are advertising my large print book at US$14.50. I know it is available in Australia and Europe through the relevant Amazon site but I was not expecting that! I will have to have another look next month to see where else in the world it is being sold.

And now it's all about marketing

I have now read numerous web pages which offer advice on how to promote your product and yourself - some of it you can do yourself free of charge, and some of it involves paying quite hefty sums for someone else to do it for you.

So now I start my journey into marketing.

Social media is a great way to get your message out.

• If you have not got a Facebook account, get one, and then create a group page to promote yourself and your products. I have just set up a group page at: https://www.facebook.com/againsttheflowpress/
• Twitter is another great tool for advertising your product. I've had an account for a while, but am only now learning how to use it. Follow me on Twitter at: @DeborahMiles7.
• Start writing a blog. There are lots of blogging platforms to choose from, such as: WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr, Ghost, Squarespace, Wix and Medium. Some offer completely free blog hosting. 
• A web site is a great way of advertising yourself and your products. There are numerous free hosting provider,s and you can buy a domain name if you want one. 
• If you love to read, you may already be aware of www.goodreads.com. This site allows registered users to review the books they have read, and encourages authors to create an author profile and list their books. My author profile can be found at: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17177377.Deborah_J_Miles. Authors can also create a blog on Goodreads.com or can sync with a blog hosted by a different provider. I am syncing with this blog on Blogger.com, http://againsttheflowpress.blogspot.co.uk/.
• Link your social media accounts so that you don't have to write the same thing on each platform.
• Learn how to use hashtags and use them in your posts to reach a wider audience.

My paperback and ebook have been priced and sales and royalties are monitored through CreateSpace.com and kdp.amazon.com.  To add an extra line of revenue you can enrol on the Amazon Affiliates Program. Amazon Affiliates will provide you with product links to place on your registered web site and blog, which when clicked by users who then purchase that item, will give you a small finders fee.

Again, it's been interesting finding out all this stuff, and as I have done all the work myself, it has cost me nothing except my time. My next step is to giveaway two signed copies of my book on Goodreads. I have to buy the books and pay the postage, so there is a small cost involved here, but it should be worth it, as it will bring the title to Goodreads users attention.