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Unraveling the Enigma of Old-fashioned Publicity for Literature

Self-publishing a novel can seem straightforward, with the first step being the enjoyable task of writing. However, the real challenge often lies in the second step: crafting an eye-catching book cover that will effectively grab readers' attention.

Unraveling the Perplexing Cold Case in Book Promotion
Unraveling the Perplexing Cold Case in Book Promotion

Unraveling the Enigma of Old-fashioned Publicity for Literature

In the world of self-publishing, marketing a book can be an intimidating and challenging task. However, author David Gittlin has found success by employing a variety of strategies, including content marketing, social media engagement, influencer partnerships, and email campaigns. This approach has resulted in significant increases in book sales and audience reach.

Gittlin, the author of the acclaimed novel "Three Days to Darkness," found marketing his book to be the most daunting aspect of self-publishing. To overcome this, he experimented with different marketing techniques, one of which was advertising on Book Daily's E-Zine. After placing an ad for his first novel, he sold two books in the first month.

However, Gittlin found Facebook ads to be a waste of time and money for self-published authors. Instead, he turned to ACX, a platform that offers an exclusive agreement for a bigger royalty on each audio book sale. Gittlin used ACX to produce the audio book for his third novel.

Book trailers, while nice to have, are not powerful generators of sales, according to Gittlin. He created and distributed press releases on PR Web, targeting an audience of 30,000 journalists and bloggers, but could not relate any book sales to his press release adventures.

Gittlin emphasizes that there is no one-size-fits-all answer to marketing. He suggests that authors should experiment to find what works best for them. If budget is limited, he advises using it where it will do the most good.

The author also mentions that it is expensive to hire a PR firm to break through to major news media outlets. He believes that it costs too much money for independent, self-published authors to reach news publications like the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

Despite the challenges, Gittlin encourages other self-published authors. He believes that if they can swing the cost, making an audio version of their book can be beneficial. Hiring a narrator for an audio book through ACX can cost between $100 and $150 per finished hour.

Gittlin created trailers for his first and second novels, with the second one being better than the first because he learned from the first project. He also mentions that while more than 7 billion people are alive, none, zero, zilch are looking for his book, emphasizing the need for marketing.

In conclusion, David Gittlin's journey in marketing his books serves as a valuable lesson for other self-published authors. His approach, which involves experimentation and strategic use of resources, has led to significant success in increasing book sales and audience reach.

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