Guerrilla Marketing

Guerrilla Marketing.

This is my own recently coined term for the rather chaotic, underground, shotgun-spray marketing campaign I've had to engage in as a self-published, first-time author with very little money, a full-time day job, a two-year-old kid, and a wife pregnant with twins. It's damn near impossible to get noticed by an agent or a big time publishing house in this day and age, which leaves a lot of us to rely on a vanity press to even get our books out on the market, as I did with Dawn's End. And the only publicist I've got is yours truly.

There's a certain level of snobbery about us self-published little guys, and to be fair, there is indeed a lot of poorly written books from these imprints. But there's also a lot of gems hiding in the pile, of which I believe Dawn's End is one. Not to be conceited or anything, but I wrote a fine thriller that a lot of readers would enjoy if they could only find it and give it a chance.

Again, if I had the money and time I could do a lot more, but those aforementioned children (both existing and brewing) and the cubicle dwelling only allows me to do so much. So, here's the rundown of my marketing crash course so far.

You start a blog and try to make it a mix of information about your book and more general posts about the craft and marketing of writing so it's not quite such a pimp-yourself fest. Ideally, I should blog every day and I know this, but some nights I'm just so damn tired I don't have the energy.

You beg those initial buyers of the book, friends and family, to spread the word and write reviews on Amazon.com. So far I've been lucky enough to receive three Amazon reviews and they've all been good. I know what you're thinking, of course they are, they were written by your friends. True, but I believe they are honest, and I would welcome bad ones as well. I really don't care as long as you write something. I've worked in editorial jobs my entire professional life, and you learn early on (for me it was in journalism school) to grow a thick skin about criticism or you'll cry yourself to sleep all the time.

Beg for book signings. I had my launch party at Austin Books & Comics and was very pleased with the turnout and the reception I received. I hope to have more in some of the local bookshops, but need to get off my fat ass and sell myself.

Print out promotional materials and ask local business to display them. (As I'm sure you've noticed, the begging pattern is a big part of this thing.)

Get on MySpace. This one has turned out to be the most fruitful so far. That website has become a godsend for me. I started my page a few years ago when I was trying to find an agent but didn't have much luck and didn't seek out a lot of friends. Once Dawn's End was published, I revamped it and have gone nuts seeking out every horror fan and potential reader I could find. Since then, I've gone from about 30 friends to 160 (and counting) and have touched base with some good people. Hopefully, some of these new friends have bought the book or told their friends about it. Bottom line, MySpace kicks all kinds of ass.

Try to get publications and genre sites to review it. I've sent out copies of the book to both of the local Austin papers, and have been blasting genre sites with review requests. So far I have three due, one from HorrorYearbook (which I found through MySpace. Thanks, Molly!), one from Mania.com, and one from Rue Morgue. I pray they are good (once they come in I'll post them here) and that they encourage some readers to give Dawn's End a shot.

So that's where I am right now in my two month-old campaign. I figure I've got a year to bust ass and spread the word, and after than, things will probably peter out. But that's when it's time to start writing the next one. I've already got two great ideas, so no matter if Dawn's End hits the big time or not, you haven't read the last of me.