Marketing Struggles in Self Publishing

(Click to watch Vlog)

The struggle to effectively market self-published books is real. The day job gets in the way. Being on a shoestring budget that necessitates being pure indie, makes it even more difficult. I am determined to learn and am slowly making progress, but the emphasis is on slow.

Some days I wonder if the struggle to write full-time rather than work in corporate America is worth all the work. Don't get me wrong. I love to write and tell the story, but marketing is a seriously hard uphill battle especially when funds are limited. (Before anyone gets worried that I'll quit before the series is completely published, relax. That ain't happening unless I get called Home!)

I just woke up with a migraine from studying and comparing Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest advertising. Then I realized that I've been posting all kinds of images to Instagram and including all the hashtags but forgetting to add the links only to remember that links don't work on that platform. Sigh...

So you see the place I'm in is very real. The problems are mostly my own fault, but still. I'm sure that if I messed up this much in the corporate world they'd fire me. Then again in the corporate world, I would have received training and update training for all of this so there is that. I think paid newsletters might have to become a reality because the rest just isn't quite enough.

I'm sure that the last thing you wanted to hear was me bellyaching about all the mistakes I make in publishing and marketing. (But at least you know I ain't perfect and I am still telling it the way it is without sugarcoating it.) It's the last weekend before Christmas! So all the shameless self-promotion was necessary!

I'm pretty sure that you check out this blog for the news about the books and the writing. So without further ado, on to what's happening at Draoithe. I've been working on building Holiday Greetings Cards lately. I hope you like the showcase. This is what is popping up on social media platforms.

Check them out on Instagram and Pinterest. I post regularly to stories on Facebook as well. Please acknowledge them when you see them. That way I know they are reaching real people! The visits to the website are still rather high considering where it used to be. I want to thank you all for helping me out with all that and for posting reviews. Honest reviews are always helpful.

When you save the pins, like the pictures, or visit the site, it encourages me to keep going. When you leave a review, I know what you liked and what I might need to work on. What I likely have to work on next is building the following on my nonexistent newsletter. Laugh. That was funny even if it is sadly true. I am going to try to start a newsletter. The day job just makes it a bit hard to tackle.

I'm continuing the push onto social media. That is a front that is far easier to manage. I was informed by a reader a while ago that I needed to be on Tumblr. I didn't even know what that was. Please don't be offended. I still screw up my posts on Instagram and Twitter all the time because I'm not sure about those either, even if Ebooklingo is helping me with a lot of that. But I'd hate to be missing readers who would like to read a good fantasy romance series.

Shout Out to Roseanna Ragland. Thanks for the tip about Tiktok. I have gotten started on that. It's still a work in progress as all my author's walk seems to be. This blog feels a bit random, but I didn't want anyone thinking I'd forgotten about the most important people or the Holiday Season. Without y'all, I'd have to get a second-day job. And Christmas has always been a tiger's favorite holiday.

I'm now selling boxed sets at super low prices, but they are exclusive to The Book Shop. As of this blog post, there are three available, and I intend to post several more so check The Book Shop regularly for updates if you love boxed sets and combos.

I have to note the Smashwords promotion as well. Over thirty titles are currently half off only on Smashwords from Dec 17- Jan 1. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Ophelia Kee. A couple of books are FREE!

If you haven't perused the site lately, please zoom around before you leave. I have added a new page, Exclusive Content, where you can read excerpts of upcoming books soon to be published and even take a look inside one of my Works In Progress as I write the scenes. The direct link to Youtube is also there hinting at all the new video content as well.

Gotta run. Edits are calling my name. The Holiday Break from my teaching job means that I have a bit of spare time to keep trying new ideas in marketing. Wish me luck for Christmas. If you read please be kind and leave your review.

Be Careful!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Happy reading,

​Ophelia Kee