The #1 marketing advice I can give you is to have an excellent product!
Think about the old Christian movies (without wrinkling your nose!). Although the messages were really good, the products often were not. Compare those to movies of today like The Passion that grossed over a half a billion dollars! That movie did well because it was an excellent product.
The same applies to books. Especially YOUR book. Do you want it to be an old B rated film, or The Passion? Even with a small budget, the latter is possible.
When I was a girl learning to sew, my Mom told me to look at the mark at the other end of my fabric while cutting. Every time, this resulted in cutting a straight line! I encourage you to look ahead to the mark of excellence. By keeping your eye on excellence, no matter what part of the book creation process you are in, you will make an outstanding quality book.
Some pointers:
- Don’t rely on your friends to give you honest advice. Your friendship probably means more to them than telling you the truth about your baby. Join Facebook author groups to get strangers’ advice on everything from your cover design, back blurb, bio, or character development.
- Communicate your desires clearly with the people you hire (editor, cover designer, etc.). It’s OK to insist on good quality.
- Hire a cover designer that has experience doing book covers. Your cover is the very first impression of your book.
- Don’t do all of your own editing – even if you’re an English school teacher! You will become blind to grammar mistakes, confusing wording, and much else. Hire a professional.
- Research and mimick what big-name authors are doing. Go to a book store, Amazon, or their websites. Research their cover designs, book formatting, style, web site design, events, social media posts, etc.