For November's tips and tricks, our topic discussion is 'Marketing'. Learn all the ways to put yourself out there as an author and all the ways to better market your books!

Ⅰ) What does it mean to market myself? Marketing simply means to promote or advertise whatever it is that you're trying to "sell". Sell doesn't necessarily have to be defined in the literal sense either. To sell your product (or in this case: your book) can also mean to just grab people's attention.

Ⅱ) How can I market myself? There is a wide array of different tools and methods that can be used and taken into consideration, when exploring your marketing options.

First and foremost, banners. When you look at an author's website, or their social media, or maybe even the publishing site where their book may appear, you may see promotional designs such as banners. These banners are typically in theme with the color scheme of the book cover, and/or may fit the author's brand overall. That's because banners are eye-catching and a good way to attract attention. Your banner doesn't have to be over the top. It can be simple and you can make it yourself. They can include your book cover, a tagline, where to find the book—there are many examples online. And you can post them online or wherever in reach.

An alternative to this may also be short videos. You can include anything you want in your videos pertaining to your book. It doesn't have to solely be an advertisement in the typical sense. Want to make a fun little video about your characters? Have at it! Maybe you'd even like to try making a book trailer. Places like Instagram (their reel feature) and TikTok come to mind as great examples. A lot of authors have used these two sites to their advantage. These marketing tools can also be used in promotional ads, which brings me to my next topic point. Now, this is a pricier option, but an option, nonetheless.

Running promotional ads on social platforms, maybe apps, or wherever else you can manage, is good for helping your book reach a further audience. People may stumble upon these ads and click into them from time to time. Book reviews are something else that can be used as a marketing asset—especially if the review is positive, or maybe done by someone with a lot of popularity; like an influencer, or a well-known blogger, or a big author. Of course, this may be more subjective and not as promising, but it could be worth a shot.

These are just a small and brief list of marketing tools. There is so much more that comes into play when marketing, but it's good to at least have an idea of how it's done. Learn from other authors. Look at how they promote themselves online. Having a social media presence may also work in your favor (though you don't have to!). However, it can also help to research what's been most effective, and figure out what may work for you.

Ⅲ) Here is a list of social media platforms (or platform ideas in general) you can use! This list is not limited to these, but they are all the main components I could think of off the top of my head:

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

TikTok

Mailing list

Website/Blog

Pinterest

Goodreads

Loutka

Team Of Dreams