The reason I say it's probably not that different is because with digital-only publishing, there are so many publishers out there, and so much being published, that if you don't get your name out there, the argument is that people won't pick you out of the crowd of books.
I think some things are necessary, like a website, simply because you want to make it easier for readers to find out about your work. But, when I first started e-publishing, it was recommended by my then-publisher that I do a host of self-promotion. In addition to the website, I should keep an active blog that wasn't just about releases, schedule online chats, visit reader groups and participate, arrange for reviews and interviews on reader sites, participate in all the social networking groups I could (Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, GoodReads, etc)... and that's just the stuff that doesn't require you to spend money or go out of the house. Other authors have recommended buying ad space on reader websites, giving out business cards, having bookmarks made and placing them in similar books in bookstores, doing the con circuit, so forth.
The thing my publisher brings up is that out of all the possible things authors can do to promote, there is probably something you'll enjoy doing. Myself, I like hanging out on web forums and chatting to people. I could happily spend all day doing that (and sometimes do *cough*). So leverage that, put something about your book in your signature, and people who like what you have to say, will check you out. But, there are probably lots of things that you HATE doing, and forcing yourself to do everything, just because you "should", is going to make you miserable, take time away from your book, and not look very good to readers, either.
Anecdata! I did everything I was "supposed to" with my first couple ebooks and sold maybe 20-30 copies of them. The third one, I didn't even promote at all because I was dealing with personal garbage, and it's sold somewhere around 500. This is not to say that promo is junk and nobody should do it... but it's not as make-or-break in regards to sales as marketing people would like you to think.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2010-10-02 06:16 am (UTC)I think some things are necessary, like a website, simply because you want to make it easier for readers to find out about your work. But, when I first started e-publishing, it was recommended by my then-publisher that I do a host of self-promotion. In addition to the website, I should keep an active blog that wasn't just about releases, schedule online chats, visit reader groups and participate, arrange for reviews and interviews on reader sites, participate in all the social networking groups I could (Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, GoodReads, etc)... and that's just the stuff that doesn't require you to spend money or go out of the house. Other authors have recommended buying ad space on reader websites, giving out business cards, having bookmarks made and placing them in similar books in bookstores, doing the con circuit, so forth.
The thing my publisher brings up is that out of all the possible things authors can do to promote, there is probably something you'll enjoy doing. Myself, I like hanging out on web forums and chatting to people. I could happily spend all day doing that (and sometimes do *cough*). So leverage that, put something about your book in your signature, and people who like what you have to say, will check you out. But, there are probably lots of things that you HATE doing, and forcing yourself to do everything, just because you "should", is going to make you miserable, take time away from your book, and not look very good to readers, either.
Anecdata! I did everything I was "supposed to" with my first couple ebooks and sold maybe 20-30 copies of them. The third one, I didn't even promote at all because I was dealing with personal garbage, and it's sold somewhere around 500. This is not to say that promo is junk and nobody should do it... but it's not as make-or-break in regards to sales as marketing people would like you to think.