Welcome to the official book marketing blog by A.L. Hooke, a seasoned marketer and self-published author of the sci-fi action-adventure Daughter of the Antediluvian World: An Atlantis Origin Story.
Friends, family, and fellow authors…welcome to Hooke’d! A place where I’m sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly from my book marketing journey.
What does this have to do with my debut novel, Daughter of the Antediluvian World? Nothing, and everything. Writing a book is a labor of love. Marketing it is a whole different kind of chore. But without marketing my story would never get into the hands of my readers – and that would be tragic.
A Tale of Humbling Disappointment
I’ve been in marketing for the better part of a decade, so long I could (literally) write a book on it. I’ve studied content marketing voraciously, and am now responsible for creating, implementing, and optimizing the marketing campaigns of more than a dozen businesses here in Raleigh. So, marketing a book I wrote should be a no-brainer, right?
That is the not-so-humble attitude I had approaching my book launch. And boy, was I wrong. Three months post-launch my beloved book is slowly slipping into Amazon’s ranking abyss and I’ve spent a horrifying amount of money on AMS ads to get it there.
A New Blog Is Born
Why am I telling you about my woeful launch failure? So you’ll buy my book! Just kidding (sort of).
Actually, it’s because I’m sick of all these online gurus peddling their Ten Step Plan to Making Six Figures Overnight. Those people didn’t come by their success overnight, and if they did, frankly I find them to be an unreliable source. I’d rather share my knowledge, couched in wins, losses, and epic failures, to help other authors and entrepreneurs learn right along with me.
So, if you’re still with me, welcome to Hooke’d! A book marketing blog by a marketer by day and author by night who currently has 52 reviews on her one and only self-published title. Hopefully, by this time next year, I’ll be able to update that sad little byline. Until then, please keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.
Have entrepreneurial-minded friends or know other self-published authors who might benefit from this blog? Send em’ a link to subscribe!
Setting the Baseline
I’ve mentioned that I’ve failed miserably at marketing for the last three months, but that’s not entirely true. No time spent testing campaigns is ever wasted. I’ve learned loads about the industry, my book, and my readers over the last few months and I’ll be putting that knowledge to good use in the new year to try, try again.
Here's what I've tried so far:
Website Creation
Launch Team (with a dash of email marketing sprinkled in)
Free Promo Sites
Paid Promo Sites
Social Media Marketing
SEO (ok, I've dabbled here, but I have a really pretty GMB)
AMS Ads (or are we calling them AmazonAds now? KDP Sponsored Ads? I dunno.)
PR & Media Outreach
Author Interviews & Podcasts
Here's what I want to try next:
What I need to do next:
Over the next few months, I’ll dive into each of these campaigns, share what’s working (and what isn’t) and just generally keep you updated on my progress. Kind of a journal-meets-marketing-blog. Should be fun. Feel free to just come along for the ride, but never hesitate to do a little side-seat driving. If you have questions, comments, recommendations, pleas for help, or any other kind of input I want to hear it. Drop me an email at alhookebooks@gmail.com with your thoughts and if I can, I will work it into the blog post haste.
For now, happy reading. And please, dear reader, never stop searching for your lost city.
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