Happy Leap Day everyone! For those who wonder why I now find this day incredibly entertaining, I have included a link to a scene from 30 Rock. It was a great episode that can be fully watched on Hulu.
I was thinking long and hard about what I should talk about today, and I could only think about things that were kind of a repeat, but not entirely. I think they are worth mentioning again, because as a self-published author without a massive income to pay for an advertising firm, getting your name out there is incredibly important, and there are some ways that seem too subtle to work that actually do wonders!
First, and the one that I have seen a lot of success with (at the very least in terms of this blog) is simply joining a forum. I was coerced (I like that word) into joining a writers forum. Now I will be the first to admit that I am TERRIBLE about remembering these things exist. I have no explanation as to why, I just seem to forget about visiting sometimes. This one though I am working as hard at as I possibly can, and for a few reasons: 1) They are incredibly helpful and supportive (just like my guildies at the Steampunk guild) 2) it's really nice to network and talk with other writers, it's especially nice to know that some things I run into aren't just me. 3) My information is getting out there.
You see, with forums you have a signature, something that (if you may not already know, but I'm sure you do) gets attached to every post and/or message you send. In these signatures you can have messages, quotes, but most importantly: links! In mine I have links to my finished projects as well as this blog. The more I post, the more people will see that information, which means the more likely someone will view it.
There are other ways to help get your name out there, like I've said before there's multiple ways to work social networking to your advantage. I tried out both Google and Facebook ads, and while they may seem rather cheap at first, that cost goes up rather high too. So utilizing as many free ways as possible will help you out a lot.
Something that's also fun are contests. Writer's Digest has a lot of them throughout the year, but there are also some smaller ones that hold them too. Most will publish all the place winners in whatever publication they have, which means your work will be seen by all their readers/subscribers. It's a little more of a gamble, since you're going against so many other people, but at the very least it's fun.
I look forward to seeing you all back here on Friday for the review. I also wanted to let everyone know that March 4 - 10th Smashwords is having their annual sale. I have added The Light Rises to the list, so it will be 75% off that week. I will post the link/coupon info as soon as I have it.
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