Marketing for authors

If you haven't yet realised that an author has to undertake much of the marketing of a book herself, then either you haven't been involved in the book world very long, or else you haven't been paying attention.

The main blog for those interested in marketing -- and everyone needs to be -- is M.J. Rose's Buzz, Balls and Hype. But recently a new one has opened up which may be more directly relevant to UK readers. Its name is to the point: Marketing for Authors; and it's run by Kate Allan, who is a writer herself.

At first I was a little cautious about this. After all, as Kate points out, many such blogs and web pages are simply a kind of advert, inviting you to spend money on some sort of consultancy or agency arrangement. But I don't think Kate's is like that. This is what she says in her very first post:

Here's the first rule of marketing for authors. It can very cheap indeed. If you're in any doubt how a marketing service might benefit you and your book(s), don't do it if it costs money. If you are willing to invest time, you don't need to invest (much) money. And I'd suggest you spend the money where it counts. Perhaps this might be on printing, or website hosting, or wine for your book launch party.

I shall be keeping an eye on this one. Even the first few entries gave me some ideas.