Oh, another play on words. When will it ever end? Well, if nothing else it makes for interesting reading – hopefully to more than just me.

If you thought writing your book was tedious, wait until it’s time to sell it. Why would that be a problem you ask? The publisher will, of course, launch a massive publicity campaign and will sell hundreds of thousands, even millions of copies, right? And the money and fame will come pouring in so fast I’ll have to hire a bodyguard and move to a secluded island just to elude the paparazzi. Your book will practically sell itself.

Ok, now here’s the part where I let reality take over. The truth of the matter is this: Books don’t sell themselves. Even the greatest writing must be promoted and marketed on a continual basis in order for the world to know it exists. And the best marketer and promoter of your work is YOU.

You must be prepared to talk about your book to anyone who will listen. That can be hard to do if you are not used to promoting yourself. Other things you can do: Setup a website, share a booth at a tradeshow or festival, pass out flyers, get your book featured on other websites, enter contests or organize book signings. If you have the financial resources, hire someone to do all of those things for you, so the only things you have to do are show up, smile, meet new people and talk about who other than YOU.

Keep in mind that promoting and marketing your book or books is an ongoing journey. Be flexible. Be creative. Be patient.