20 FREE Marketing Tips for New Authors
The day your first book is published is incredibly exciting. However, you now have to market and sell it…
This post is based on my own steep learning curve. The majority of these tips are FREE.
Begin with an E-Book
Consider having e-book format only for a few months. This will allow you to gather reviews which you can include on the inside cover of your print copies.
It is also well worth investing in a good book cover. It will pay dividends.
I launched “Watching the Daisies” on 14th November 2016 with Amazon Kindle, and enrolled in KDP Select for six months – to create free deals and Kindle countdowns.
On 12th April 2017, I launched my print copies on Amazon’s Create Space. When my six months had expired with KDP Select, I distributed “Watching the Daisies” to all the other major online bookstores via Ingram Spark.
I am able to buy my print copies direct from Ingram Spark for a very reasonable price and low postage.
It is worth researching all distribution routes. Smashwords is an e-book distributor and Draft2Digital will distribute both e-book and print copies.
Add a Link for Reviews
Invite your readers to write a review. You can create a direct link to your Amazon page at the end of your book, together with your social media links and e-mail address.
Readers are more likely to add a review if they can click on a link.
Amazon Author Profile
Remember to create an author profile page through Amazon Author Central. If you have a blog add a link, and your posts will automatically be included on your profile page.
Key Words and Categories
What words or descriptions would readers use to find your book on Amazon or other online stores?
Type in a series of descriptions, and check how many books are available within your search. Now select your key words carefully to ensure your book ranks as high as possible in your chosen categories.
I made the mistake of using single key words at the outset, but I have now amended these as follows:
- Chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia,
- Inspirational Irish memoirs and biographies,
- Self help and natural medicines,
- Diseases and physical ailments,
- Mindfulness self help and fibromyalgia,
- Solo travel India Rome Bali,
- Memoir fibromyalgia spiritual healing insights.
You can continue to tweak your key words and categories until you are happy with your results.
Pricing
Do not expect readers to pay a high price if you are a new author.
Study the prices of other authors in your genre, and consider having regular offers to attract new readers and reviews.
Experiment, and find out your best price to promote maximum sales.
Book Launch
I decided against a formal physical book launch, but I did create a virtual launch party on my blog with Giveaways.
It created a rush of excitement, and helped get book sales flowing.
Talks and Workshops
Focus on your target market, and arrange talks and workshops for prospective customers.
“Watching the Daisies” is a self help book, full of tips on natural medicines, so I have taken a stand at a number of health and wellness days, and spoken to groups with fibromyalgia.
I have also talked to other writers at Ireland Writing Retreats. You can read about my first talk HERE.
If you are an author you will be welcomed at community projects, writer’s groups, libraries, schools…
Media
The media are always looking for interesting stories to dazzle their readers/listeners.
I created a simple press release with a brief synopsis of my book, and contacted local media before my book launch.
This resulted in a full page spread in our county newspaper, a competition for readers, with further updates on my book, interviews on local radio, as well as a recent article in The Irish Examiner’s “Online Lives”, which you can read HERE
Direct Sales
Research local book shops and other possible retail outlets. I have my book on the shelves of two local stores, and the shop in Donegal Airport. Keeping it local allows me to top up supplies regularly. Sales have been steady as word of mouth has grown.
I also talk to people about my book when I go shopping, in the hairdressers, among groups of friends…
I would recommend having a supply of books in the boot of your car – ready to sell.
Blog
A blog or website is an essential platform for authors.
I set up my blog in February 2016 – 9 months in advance of my book release. My blog friends have been a HUGE support, and a good number have now bought and reviewed my book.
Post regular updates on your publishing journey. You can share your editing experiences, your book cover reveal, launch party, giveaways, news of discounts, latest reviews…
I would not have gotten this far on my publishing journey without their support.
Remember to create a dedicated book page which includes reviews and sales links, plus a Contact page for enquiries.
Book Link on Blog Posts
Many people will not see your landing page when they visit your blog.
Add a link to your book at the end of each post.
This simple measure allows readers to check out your book details with one click.
Engage with your Audience
Keep up to date with other blogs, and give sincere positive feedback. The more you care and share, the more support you will receive in return.
Guest Posts
A number of bloggers offer guest posts or interviews for authors. I have been a guest or written posts for Sue Vincent Sally Cronin Jessie Cahalin and Hugh Roberts
Social Media
I began a Twitter platform soon after I began blogging, and my blog posts automatically go to my Twitter and Facebook feeds.
I found Rayne Hall’s book “Twitter for Writers” incredibly helpful for navigating this new platform.
I would highly recommend having a pinned tweet with a direct link to your book, plus a link to your blog in your Twitter profile.
Facebook is another excellent platform for new authors. You can create an author page with a pinned post linked to your book.
I belong to a number of Facebook Groups including:
- The Irish Independent Author’s collective,
- We Love Memoirs with links to both authors and readers who enjoy memoirs.
Find your tribe, and you will be rewarded with friendship and support on your publishing journey.
Goodreads
Goodreads hosts a HUGE community of READERS.
If you decide to join, you will need to create an author profile, and add your blog link so your posts automatically go to your author page.
Goodreads also provide a platform for Giveaways, which help to get more eyes on your book and hopefully attract more reviews. You can check out who has your book on their “want to read” list or better still who has you on their “reading” list.
I participate in the Goodread’s Reading Challenge, and last year I read and reviewed 82 books. I aim to read and review at least 60 books this year, which brings me to my next tip…
Read and Review Books
Reading other books aids your writing skills.
The majority of the books I have read and reviewed this past year have been memoirs. I have also explored new genres, and learned such a lot on the journey.
If you read and review other authors books, I find you will attract more readers and reviews for your own book.
All Good Karma!
Book Promotion Sites
There are a HUGE number of book promotion sites to explore, which can seem rather overwhelming to new authors.
Sally Cronin offers authors FREE promotion in her bookstore. Sally is a gifted writer and blogger, and her generosity is legendary.
Book Bub allows you to submit your author profile for FREE. I submitted “Watching the Daisies” to this site when it attracted 25 reviews.
Adding my book reviews to my profile page has helped to build up my followers.
I now use BookBub’s paid ads. You can read about my first test ads HERE
Christmas
Christmas is a HUGE opportunity for authors to sell more books. I have met lots of prospective readers at a number of local craft fairs. It is hard work but LOTS of FUN.
YOU are your best ADVERT, and word of mouth is ultimately one of the best ways to increase your readership.
Libraries
Libraries are full of READERS.
To sell to libraries you will need to be accepted by library suppliers. There are a number of them around the globe.
Donegal’s main library buyer provided me with LOTS of sound advice. She also purchased a number of copies of my book once I had registered my book with Ireland’s main library supplier in Dublin – Alan Hanna’s Bookshop
Over the following months:
- I investigated each county library online, and accessed a telephone number
- I telephoned and learned the name and e-mail address of the librarian in charge of buying books
- I forwarded an e-mail introducing myself as an author, including a brief synopsis of my book, ISBN, and suppliers.
“Watching the Daisies” is now on the shelves of a good number of Irish libraries.
Enjoy the Journey
Marketing and selling takes TIME and ENERGY. You will need to pace yourself to avoid burnout.
When the time is right, you will be ready to write your next book!
If you enjoyed this post you might also like my next post 5 Awesome Marketing Sites for Authors
Categories: Marketing Tips for Authors
These are really good advice, Bridget 🙂
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Thank you Irene. There is nothing like learning on the job😉
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Brigid, wow! Your article is a fount of promotional wisdom and experience…as you can imagine this will be invaluable for me and I’m printing this out!! 😀😀 Whilst I’m very active with blogging and on twitter and will be using these resources to promote my book, I’d only vaguely considered the physical bookshops and a press release for local press! Thank you so much for your collating all the resources – an excellent article!! Lots to do!
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Thank you Annika. I think my top tip would be building relationships on your blog. The blogging community have been such a support. I can be shy at times and getting back out and talking to other people about my book was a challenge at first but now I love it. Best of luck. You are an awesome writer. 🌼🌼🌼
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Oh, Wow! ☺️ Thank you so much, Brigid…I’m terribly shy too and my school reports always said I was too quiet and should participate more in class!! I love blogging and talking through the written word! Here shyness is well hidden and I wouldn’t guess you are. hugs, my friend. xx ❤️
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What an excellent post, Brigid … brimful of excellent advice. I’m hopping on the link to the Twitter advice because it is fair to say that I simply don’t get it at the moment and I know I’m missing out. With two books in the pipeline for next year, I will be revisiting this post before too long. Previously I have published in France only which is a different park altogether. I found myself invited to speak at many libraries and bookshops which are much more part of the fabric here. I sold all the copies on both print runs of what was only intended to be a calling card book so I was happy but the new titles will be offered internationally. Thank you Brigid, you are a star ⭐️
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Goodness you have been busy. I look forward to reading those books. Twitter baffled me at first but it is great for creating networks with other authors. Rayne Hall clarified it for me but it took time, patience and perseverance. X 🌼🌼🌼
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Reblogged this on anita dawes and jaye marie.
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Thank you so much 🌼
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Interesting items on your list, Brigid… some I haven’t tried yet, but will be soon so thanks!
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You are welcome. Despite attending a self publishing conference and having a one to one chat with an experienced author, I learned so much by my mistakes.. 😊
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I often wish there was a better way to learn, but not found it yet!
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😊
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This is all such great advice Brigid. Thank You!! 💐
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My pleasure Alexis. Wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving 🌼🌼🌼
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Thank You! 💐
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I don’t believe you celebrate Thanksgiving in Ireland tomorrow but have a wonderful rest if your week!
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Thanks for the mention Brigid. x
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My pleasure Sally. A very small token of my appreciation for your support.x
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This is great advice, Brigid. I especially like the nugget about pacing oneself – you are in this for the long haul so you don’t want to burn out in the first weeks after a book release.
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Thank you Molly. If I was doing it all over I would book a holiday after the editing and just before the book launch 😉
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Good idea!
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This is amazing Brigid!! I will be coming back to this post over and over. 🙂
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Thank you Nikki. How is your book coming along? Happy Thanksgiving 🌼
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Wow such great tips! Thanks so much. It is so nice of you to give us the benefit of your experience!
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Thank you. I have learned by my mistakes! There is such a lot to take in on your first year. It felt good to help others get going. 🌼
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I will keep this list in mind for sure!
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What a great resource, Brigid. I found some ideas to follow through on. Thanks!
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My pleasure Diana. I hope it helps. 🌼
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So nice of you to share what you so expertly have learned. Thank you!
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I hope it helps. I learned a lot the hard way. 🌼
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Lots of great advice..Thank you, Brigid this will be invaluable to me next year when fingers crossed my book will be released 🙂 Shared to my author page and twitter 🙂
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Thank you Carol. Best of luck with your book. 🌼
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Thank you, Brigid 🙂
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Brilliant pieces of advice! 🙂 Thank you. xxx
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Thank you Heather. It took a lot of energy and editing to write this post but I got there in the end. 😊
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How generous you are to share this-I hope one day to use all of this! thank you!
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I look forward to seeing you in print Michele. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. 🌼
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Thank you! This was a good find as I begin to organize the elements for my first e-book.
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Lovely. Best if luck with your launch. 🌼
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I still have a lot to learn. I’m working alone and it sometimes feels overwhelming. But I will learn what I need to know and I will get it done. Thank you for your comment. 🙂
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Are you on Facebook? There are some lovely authors groups there that will help you.
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I was on Facebook. I left it because Zuckerberg exposed his users to psychological abuse. Zuckerburg must demonstrate a commitment to a code of ethics that includes protecting his users
from disinformation. I understand that this decision cuts out a crucial tool for the promotion of ones blog and content but
it’s just who I am.
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Reblogged this on Art by Rob Goldstein and commented:
This is a good read for all authors, new and not so new…:)
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Thank you. 🌼
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WOW this is really great advise. Thank you for this gift.
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My pleasure Masha. It feels good to share. I had so many kind people supporting me. 🌼
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Thanks so much Brigid. You’ve packed this with so many useful tips for budding authors and lots of light shone on some of the publishing mysteries. If I ever get around to finish my book this will be AMAZING! xx
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You are welcome Wendy. Although I went on a self publishibg workshop, had a one to one with an experienced author, read every tip going, there is nothing like learning on the job! Wishing you much inspiration to finish your book and many sales… xx 🌼
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If I ever get it finished Brigid, I know where I’ll be coming for more tips! Thank you!!! xxx
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You will Wendy. Your posts have a book in them already. X
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Thanks for saying that Brigid – I have thought about pulling some of the posts together into an e-book. Maybe I’ll add that to my goal list for 2018! xx
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You could Wendy. It is a great way to start and doesn’t break the bank. I see a lot of people doing it to feed into their courses. Christine Kane has it sussed and her book is very short. She does vision boards. X
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Oh fabulous – thanks Brigid and I’ll look Christine Kane up! I really appreciate your encouragement and support – thank you!! xxx
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My pleasure. Good Karma 😉
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Yeesh Brigid, so much effort tied to marketing a book. It almost seems as though WRITING it is the easy part 😉
Seriously though, congratulations on your continued success!
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Thank you Gabe. I think the writing is indeed easier although it did not feel like it at the time 😉
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Brigid , this is such a helpful post thank you for sharing. I will be returning to this.
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Glad it helps Bella. There is such a lot to take in as a new author. X
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And you thought writing it was the hard part…such great advice, thanks for sharing the insight Brigid!! xo
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My pleasure Deb. Writing it is the easy bit. X
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🙂 xo
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Thank you that was an excellent guide.. 🕺
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Glad you enjoyed it. 🌼
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I’ve saved the link for this post, in the hope that I finally get around to writing the book I promised myself I would do when I retired. It’s only been four years…..
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I hope you get it written some day Clive. It took me 4 years to write mine 😉
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Fantastic checklist Brigid! 🙂 x
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Thank you Debby. 😊
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🙂
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Amazing post Brigid full of fantastic tips. Thank you so much will refer back to this for sure. 🙂
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Thank you Marje. There is always lots to learn on the writing journey. 😊
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Brigid, you skated an abundance of information . Very generous of you . I don’t have a book written but still was very interfering to learn how tedious is the publishing process .
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Thank you. I wanted to share with others as I got so much help with my own learning but it is not really written down anywhere. It seems to be popular so I am thankful that I wrote it.
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Me too 😉
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Sorry – shared ‘
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I love that you added in to enjoy the journey, because that’s truly the important part!! There’s always so much to do, but having fun with it makes it so much better!!
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
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Thanks Jodie. Yes there is such a lot to do. It has taken me a full year to do the basics. I do not know how authors have time to write another book!
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They hire others to do all this work…ha ha!!
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Great post, Brigid! Sharing on Twitter & FB… 🙂 xo
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Thank you Bette. 🌼🌼🌼
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As usual Brigid your generous spirit shines through in this well written and valuable technical post as well as your answers to your commenters.
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Thank you Bernadette. I got so much support this past year, it is just my way of giving back. Good Karma😉
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This is such a helpful post, Brigid. Thank you for sharing your experiences.
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My pleasure Robbie. There is such a lot to learn when you are a newbie like me. 🌼
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Thank you Brigid. I have no idea how I missed this!Px
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I hope some of it helps. x
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Dear Brigid it is gold. I am going to write to you properly later . Much love Paul XX
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😊xx
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Such a useful post. Thank you! 😊
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My pleasure Emma.
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Beautiful and such an educational and important post, Brigid. So many things to learn if we want to start writing a book and how to go about publishing on all the Social media platforms. Thank you so much for this wonderful share.
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Thank you Kamal. Publishing my first book was a steep learning curve. This is my way of paying it back to help others.
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Yes absolutely true, Brigid and can surely understand. But let me tell you, you are doing an amazing thing and promoting your book in its right way. Welcome dear Brigid.
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What a thorough checklist. Now I know what I’ll do for the next six months!
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Thank you Jacqui. It took a while to write it!
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thank you! What a kind gesture and I sure hope one day I will get to do this! best wishes, Michele
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My pleasure Michele. It is good to share and help others. I had lots of help too. I sure hope you do write a book or two…
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me too-my dream. I saved your post . . .just in case! xoxoxo Michele
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Go for it. xx
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Such fantastic information, Brigid!! Thank you ❤️
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Thank you Lisa. It feels good to share. x
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Great info Brigid! Thank you,
Blessings,
Jennifer
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My pleasure Jennifer. I like to pass on tips. I got so much help from so many others on my journey.
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Very sound and helpful advice Brigid. Thank you for sharing and being so generous with your knowledge.
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My pleasure Julie. It is great to give a little back. I have had so much support on my journey thus far.
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Thanks for sharing all these tips and advice here. You’ve done an extraordinary amount of work Brigid and deserve all the success you’re now enjoying and more. Wonderful. 😊
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Thank you. I am glad to help others Miriam. It is often hard to find information in one place. Next week I will be posting on paid marketing sites.
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Wonderful. I’ll look forward to it.
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Reblogged this on The Showers of Blessings and commented:
Please read Brigid’s excellent marketing tips for new authors.
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Thank you Miriam. I really appreciate your support.
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You’re welcome, Brigid!
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This is an excellent post. I have bookmarked this along with today’s post. Thanks for the marketing tips and the mention. So kind of you to take the time to share your experience with other authors. Well done for finding a route through the marketing jungle.
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Thank you Jessica. It is very confusing for a new other. You can end of spending a lot of money for very little return. My budget has been very small so I have proceeded with caution!
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Reblogged this on Author Steve Boseley – Half a Loaf of Fiction and commented:
I’m a big fan of free, so check out these great free marketing tips…
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Thankyou so much for your helpful advice! it is greatly appreciated.
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My pleasure. I am glad you found it helpful.
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