mAd Money

All right, so now we know that we need to be writing a lot, we need to be releasing an appropriate number of books in a year, and we need to be as social as we can be… but what else can we do, to be seen in a world of people trying to be seen? How can we, as new authors, get our books read by the largest audience possible?

Well, today I’m talking about something I’ve only just started doing, if I’m being honest. It’s something I’m still working on, but it’s something that’s already seen a huge return—so I highly recommend paying attention here. ;-)

How many ads do you place?

If you’re trying to get seen by other people, in other states and other countries, you need to be placing some ads. After all, this is the primary way that anyone will find out about you, what you write, and who you are. Place ads for yourself as a writer, for your books, and for your social media pages. Get people to follow you, gain their interest, and then make sure you do enough stuff online to keep them interested and keep Facebook from nixing your follows. I don’t like that they can do that now.

I’ve digressed.

From what I’ve noticed, Amazon and Facebook can be inexpensive for ad placement, and can generate a decent amount of revenue, even if you don’t primarily sell on these sites. Remember, I don’t like to sell through Amazon. Though my eBooks are available there, I tell people to go to the RAD site if they want to buy my books—all because I’d rather give business to my publisher than to the beast that is Amazon.

But in any case, Amazon can be a great place to have ads in place. At the very least, it’ll get people to see your book, maybe get a look at what it is and follow you online even if they don’t buy the book right now.

In the same vein, Facebook ads can be very successful as well. Do a Google search to get more information on how to do them well. I’d tell you, but really, I’m still learning it too. I have, however, generated revenue from them—so I’ve made back the money I spent from placing them in the first place.

And if you want to be a little less mainstream, look for magazines and the like where you can place ads for your books. Some magazines, like Mavguard, allow authors to place ads at a reduced rate—it never hurts to ask! Find the option that works best for you, that best suits your budget and allows you to reach the greatest number of people, and use it.

The point is, get yourself seen.

Here’s the thing with ads though, no matter where you place them:

Remember to have links everywhere that point to the place where you’ll get the most return for your ad. I send people to the RAD site, because not only will you have to spend less to get your copy, but I’ll actually get a larger royalty from it. I don’t generally tell people that last part, but I’ll tell them the rest. When they hear they can get it for less off a different site, a lot of the time they’re more than willing to buy it there.

Do your research. Find out where your target audience is spending their time, and place ads where they’ll be able to see them.

Are you marketing toward people who don’t spend their time online? Then go for magazines. Are you looking for people who shop on Amazon? Then do Amazon ads. It all depends on who you’re trying to reach, and there a ton of great resources online for finding ways to reach those people.

Be as specific as you can. That’s the biggest piece of advice I can give you. Don’t be vague, don’t be uncertain. Just specify who you are and who you’re trying to reach—and it’ll make it a whole lot easier for you to reach them.

Trust me.

[love]

{Rani Divine}