It's been a little over five months since The Sanctity Of Love And War was first published. As a relatively unknown author, it's been a creative and fun challenge to find ways to market the novel. For me, the most effective way to date has been to channel local readers to buy the book and then discuss it. Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads have certainly helped in achieving this goal. Building a friend base on Facebook and a tribe of Twitter followers is an easy way to help establish oneself as a new writer. It has certainly helped me. But, perhaps the greatest boost has come through the support given by my local community. It's true that word spread about the book initially and most significantly through Facebook. From that point, local businesses and community-minded members of the Scranton area have reached out a helping hand to sell the book and spread the word. This has been invaluable to me. Most recently, local children's book author, Cathy Mazur, recently obtained for me my first speaking engagement. As I was able to speak about the writing process and creative journey it took to write and publish The Sanctity Of Love And War, I found that the curiosity and interest by the audience for the characters and story of the novel increased. This would not have been possible without Cathy's faith in me. She had faith that I could inspire that kind of interest through my discussion of the book. Likewise, local businesses have offered to sell Sanctity to local readers. This has allowed an introduction of the book to a group of readers who might not have otherwise had the opportunity to learn about the novel.
Authors who have the good fortune to work with big publishing houses have the added benefit of having that company market their books for them. For those authors like myself who are self-published or who have their books published through smaller publishing companies, that benefit is not available. Instead, it is up to the writer herself to advocate and promote her own work. Creating interest in one's story is the key aspect to any successful marketing effort. It's why authors are so apt to ask their Facebook friends and Twitter tribe to write reviews and begin discussions of their books through word of mouth and group readings like bookclubs. Any writer worth her weight in salt will believe in her work before getting it published. Once she believes in the words and story she's written, it's a matter of building a readership that is as equally as invested in that story expanding to other readers.
I'd like to thank the following community individuals for helping me achieving the goal of building a greater base of readers: Michele and Frank Cali, Cara Lowe, Julie and Darby MacDowall, Cathy Mazur, Nancy McDonald, Dawn McGurl, Judy Schrader, Jena Urban, and Adele Vanisky. I'd also like to sincerely thank my friends on Facebook and Goodreads -- especially those who have read and posted reviews of the book for me on Amazon and Goodreads. It's only through this kind of support that I can maintain and build interest in a story I very much believe in. The Sanctity Of Love And War was a story worth telling. It was my pleasure to have written it and to be in a position to share it with you.
