The Promotion Bit

There is no such thing as bad publicity. The maxim that brings a measure of hope to a celebrity caught on a bad moment can also be proved truthful to other media. A ban from the Vatican, for example, almost instantly guarantees an indecent amount of exposure. Think, for instance Madonna’s song Like a Prayer, Dan Brown’s book The DaVinci Code or Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion of the Christ.
 

Of course, mere mortals can’t expect an infamous lawsuit or a death sentence to spike sales. The idea of investing copious amounts of time to promote one’s work can raise the hair on the back of every author’s neck. Time that we all think would be better spent writing. I know, I’ve been there, done that, got the t-shirt. The new generation of authors cannot depend on the publisher’s efforts; we have to do our own. If you’re Indie, then the responsibility is greater.

 

In this day and age, even if we hate to use online social media, facebook  and twitter accounts are a must. I was really reticent to twitter, and did not open an account until late last year. Who can blame me? Charlie Sheen’s account crossed the million followers within hours of being open. The real people don’t have that luck, but still we must try.

 

Securing reviews is another part. We will not please everybody, but the quality of the work must show even if the reviewer dislikes the theme or genre.

 

One thing with guest blogs: If you’ve read my name for the first time on this post; then it means cross blogging works. If you are already a fan, friends, or otherwise familiar with me, then thank you for your continuing support.

 

Live chats are great to meet new people. Be careful with your interactions, though. Sometimes being yourself gets you in trouble. The first time I participated in one, I said something that offended not one, but many of the authors present. It wasn’t intentional, or aimed to hurt, but the damage was done. Lesson learned.

Promotion is the key to gain a readership, so don’t consider it a torture. Think of it more like an investment of your time and efforts. One last thing: don’t be discouraged if the initial results turn out to be less than stellar. Sometimes it takes several tries to hit the mark.

J. H. Bográn, born and raised in Honduras, is the son of a journalist. He ironically prefers to write fiction rather than fact. José’s genre of choice is thrillers, but he likes to throw in a twist of romance into the mix. His works include novels and short stories in both English and Spanish. He’s a member of the International Thriller Writers where he also serves as the Thriller Roundtable Coordinator.

Website at: www.jhbogran.net

Blog: www.thetaleweaver.blogspt.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jhbogran

Twitter: @JHBogran