Marketing is About Building Relationships

Writing is a craft that offers a platform for writers to share their stories, but the literary world is highly competitive.

To truly shine, a writer must possess marketing expertise. It is essential to don the hat of a marketer in addition to being a writer, as without effective marketing strategies, the chances of succeeding in the industry are minimal. After all, how will readers buy books or stories that change their lives if they do not know about them?

The finest writers are essentially in the service profession, offering entertainment, education, and/or enlightenment. Therefore, marketing your services, your products, is crucial. However, you do not have to spend a fortune on it. There are many ways to market your work for free and make new friends.

Social media platforms offer a vast space to showcase your writing skills and engage with potential readers.

Online writing communities can help improve your craft and increase visibility.

Sharing excerpts or early chapters of your work for free can create interest and boost word-of-mouth marketing.

Regularly blogging about your writing journey and industry insights can also expand your readership.

Marketing your work as a writer is not necessarily an expensive affair, but it does require creativity, consistency, and a willingness to engage.

Engagement.

This is something I truly believe: it is NEVER about selling books; it is ALWAYS about building a relationship with readers.

It is, therefore, crucial to think of how you can share valuable information with your readers to make a difference in your sales and in building lasting friendships.

After all, in the end, it's not the sale of a book from an unknown buyer that matters, but the circle of friends you build.

In our marketing, let’s keep our priorities and focus where it needs to be.

Friendship doesn’t cost money. If it does, it’s not friendship.

Therefore, today, as you market your work, make your marketing personal. Make people intrigued to get to know you. And, most of all, choose to make a difference in someone else’s life.


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Clay Stafford

Clay Stafford has had an eclectic career as an author, filmmaker, actor, composer, educator, public speaker, and founder of the Killer Nashville International Writers' Conference, voted the #1 writers' conference in the U.S. by The Writer magazine. He has sold nearly four million copies of his works in over sixteen languages. He shares his experiences here.

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Harnessing the Power of Words: Igniting Progress and Change