How can author's steal from marketing guru's?

If you're an #indieauthor like me, you probably have done what I've done. Signed up for dozens of #ebooks or pdf's from internet marketing wizards who promise to give you the secret of success for the price of an email. This puts you in their marketing funnel, which gives them the chance to sell to you in a series of emails.

Does it work? Absolutely. If it didn't work, a lot of people wouldn't take up the mantle of direct marketing. Will it work for #writers who want to promote their books? I think the answer is yes, even though I haven't signed up for a course yet.

Why?

Because direct marketing by it's definition should work for an author in search of an audience.

You may know it by the commandment: Write for a niche.

As an author, you should know your niche, and if you don't, the first thing you need to do is define it. I work in multiple genres, but I can categorize my fiction as such: Thriller, Spy Thriller, Zombie Thriller, or Sci FI. Those are the genre's my series are categorized in.

I even have a 30 second pitch for the series. If you don't, that's another commandment you should follow.

But right now, let's focus on what the guru's are doing and how we can benefit from it.

Today, someone is launching a coaching course on how to “write a book.” Obviously this isn't geared to me, since I have 17 on Amazon, plus a couple dozen more that I've lined up to distribute. So this guru has me on the wrong list. That's okay though, cause I just borrow nuggets of wisdom where I find them, and even with the catalog I have, I'm still searching for that breakthrough success. Just like you.

Besides the first guru I have emails from four or five of his “buddies” who are letting me know he's launching today and they got me a special invite. They are affiliates who get a little piece of the pie if I sign up under their link. Again, I'm looking for nuggets.

How does this apply to authors?

Cross promotion.

Are you in a writer's group with at least 20 other authors in the same genre?

If you aren't, there's another commandment.

That writer's group should be a commitment to each other to help publish, promote and profit to success.

As an author, you have many hats you have to wear if you want to be a success. The trouble is, as a writer, you're used to it just being you, the keyboard and the world you create. Once you're done writing, you have to take off that hat and become a promoter.

Wouldn't it be easier if you had a group to help you expand your reach?

I've seen this work in a closed group that won't let me in, but does allow me to follow along with what they're doing.

The leader of the group blogs about it, and allows the other writer's to write blog posts about their work, how they write, how they promote, etc. There's a ton of info in the blog posts, and when you check the rankings of the authors in the group, the info seems to be working. They're making money.

Here's one of the keys to their success.

Each of the authors has more than five books written. It may even be a requirement to join.

And when one of the 20-50 in this group writes a book, the other authors promote it through #Twitter, #Facebook and on their own blogs.

It's an interconnected web of exposure that increases the individual author's reach by 20 or 50, or maybe even more.

Imagine if the day you published your book, 20 people started tweeting about it. You were featured in 20 Interviews that linked back to your book.

You had 20 reviews on Amazon.

You had 20 people rooting for you to succeed and keep writing because they knew that when it was time for their next book to pop, you were going to do the same.

It's what the guru's do.

They call it sharing the list, and cross promotion.

But it's a tool you can use to help grow your #career as an #indieauthor.

The question is, are you in a group?

Would you like to be?

Email me at lowrychris@gmail.com and tell me what your genre is. Let's see if I can review, promote and help.