Timing is Everything

            If your book is coming out next week and you’re taking this workshop now, you might have to settle for launching a full-tilt promotional campaign on your next book.  Promotion isn't an eleventh-hour proposition.  Don't fret--there are still some last minute things you can do, but effective self-promotion must be started long before your book hits the shelves.

            There are many advantages to setting a time-line.  For one, you won't have to keep a mental list of what you need to get done.  If you are like most writers, not only do you store the every day muck of normal life in your brain, but you also have random characters camping out there, waiting for their turn on the page.  There is enough to remember without adding promotional tasks to the mix.

            A time-line also serves to break down the rather daunting job of promoting a book into easy to swallow chunks.  Just as breaking a novel down into chapters helps us complete a 400-page book without panicking, a promotion time-line makes the task seem do-able.  And, it is do-able, as long as you plan, plan, plan.

                                                                                 

To sum up:

1. Determine your goals for self-promotion.

2. Establish your target audience.

3. Set a budget for money and time.

4. Chart a timeline for your self-promotion efforts.