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What Does Marketing Your Art Look Like?
This is an ongoing challenge for me, too.
As an author, turning an idea into words, paragraphs, pages, and books is relatively easy. My art is storytelling, my primary medium in novel form.
As an authorpreneur, self-publishing the book is also relatively easy. I’ve created and produced sufficient books that I thoroughly get this part. Sending the book out for editing, going over the edits when it comes back, getting cover art made, I’ve done. The formatting and then uploading to Amazon and Draft2Digital, as well as everything that goes into the audiobook, is also familiar work.
When it comes to marketing my art, I still often feel as if I’m tossing darts at a board. From too far away. Possibly blindfolded.
There are, of course, three primary forms of marketing for your art. The first is organic. This includes word of mouth, social media posts, creating and sending a newsletter, and various other freebies.
The second is paid marketing. For example, I use a service called Bookfunnel to do some author swaps, newsletter sign-up campaigns, and other promotional things. I’ve also paid for advertising with Meta (Facebook and Instagram).
The third option is hiring a third-party promoter, marketing company, or publicist of some sort. This tends to be the most expensive option, as well as the most hit-or-miss.
As always, there’s no One True Way. But here are some of my experiences and thoughts on future marketing strategies.
Organic marketing and the like
Despite decreasing how often I use social media to keep up with happenings, I still use several options to share my writing work with the world. Overall, I stick with Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Bluesky. I dropped “X” years ago, now, and feel no need to add it again or any others.
I regularly post my blogs, as well as when I have new books or related work coming out. As soon as I put a new book out in the world, I share it.
I also appreciate when people review my books. Yet this presents a host of challenges. Some people don’t review what they read. Also, Goodreads doesn’t always find my books (this has been a longstanding issue with how I’m listed), and reviews tend to appear only on the site you buy the book from. So, if you buy my book on Apple Books or Barnes and Noble, no review will appear on Amazon.
I also send a newsletter to my subscribers once a month. The trouble here is that I can send the newsletter, but can’t make people read it or click on the links I share.
Organic marketing has a lot of potential, but it also can get massively lost in the online noise. Still, I use this because it’s free and keeps me active and visible in the digital landscape.
Paid marketing
This has a lot of its own pitfalls, because like everything else, it’s hit or miss. An ad might get a ton of views, but few to no clicks. I can spend $300 on advertising and sell only a few books, defeating the purpose.
Likewise, swaps with other authors and promos on Bookfunnel might or might not get seen. And even if seen, I can’t make anyone click on my stuff to buy it.
The other issue is scams. Wow, have the scammers been getting increasingly clever. I get at least 1 email a day from someone claiming to love my book and offering to help increase sales. The flattery can make this incredibly enticing, but it’s often coupled with a misspelling of my name or a clearly robotic email address or other AI clue.
Paying for reviews can get you in trouble, but also, frankly, it’s super disingenuous. I would rather get 5 3-star reviews than pay for a 5-star review that’s utter bullshit.
Finding the secret sauce to turn paid marketing into profit is akin to shooting an archery target 100 yards away. Hard to hit with precision, but I can keep practicing and finding new targets along the way to aim for (while hopefully improving my aim overall).
To use paid marketing, you have to be willing to spend some money. And, frankly, lose some money. Because the number of factors that go into success are many, varied, and often hard to nail down.
Is it worth it? I think it is, and since everything I’ve read and studied involves using some paid marketing, it’s a necessary part of authorpreneurship (or any other entrepreneurship).
Hiring a third-party
This can be the most challenging. First, because there are a lot of different options. This is way different from hiring an editor or cover artist, largely because those are objective, while marketing is also subjective.
Yes, the point of marketing is objective. Get more noticed, sell more books, make more money. However, while that’s objective, the means to the end is incredibly subjective.
Some third-party promoters, marketers, and publicists know their stuff and hit more than they miss. Others might as well be rolling the dice and throwing craps. Even the best-reviewed might be good for someone else and their art, but less good for you.
Years ago, when I attempted traditional publishing, I had gotten myself an agent. Unfortunately, my genre – fantasy – wasn’t his forte. It wasn’t long before we ended our agreement and I took other steps (which, it turned out, were invaluable).
There are sites you can visit online to vet anyone before you hire them. I advise always checking them before you spend your money. The last thing you desire to do is throw away good money on useless marketing.
Any choice that you make, however, is not going to be without a price.
Choose for yourself
Because there is no One True Way for marketing art of any kind, you will probably throw away some time and money trying to increase your sales. Yet, in pursuit of the business and being your own boss, this is part of the challenge. Marketing, especially as an independent, can be frustrating, distressing, depressing, and wild. Also, sometimes it can be fun and inspiring, too.
It’s part of the overall, ongoing process. If you turn pro and work to put your art out into the world and make some money from it, marketing is a must. Combining the three main choices presented here is going to be hit and miss, but the end result is freedom, independence, and pursuing your art as your vocation. If that feels right to you, like it does to me, make mindful choices and decisions, and do what it takes.
Know that no matter what, you’re not alone. There are books, groups, and individuals happy to lend you a hand and offer guidance along the way. Just do your homework before you pay anyone for anything.
Thanks for reading. As I share my creative journey with you every week, please consider this: How are you inspired and empowered to be your own authentic creator, whatever form that takes?
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