How can a writer standout in an extremely crowded, competitive market?

How can a reader know what is really a good read without reading it?

No simple solutions exist for either of these quandaries. As an indie author who’s been promoting for a year now, I attest to the difficulty of knowing what marketing strategies actually work. Sometimes it feels like I am throwing money down the drain on marketing that doesn’t add up to book sales. And then at other times, I’ll have a sudden uptick in sales for no apparent reason.

But readers don’t have it any better, do they? They are constantly being tempted by book covers and dazzling reviews, but can they actually be trusted? It is certainly a contributing factor that free books are the best sellers because readers obviously have nothing to lose. I imagine it has also become more difficult to weed out weak books than it used to be. With the glut of self-published titles on the market, many of them with well-designed covers and enticing descriptions can put a would-be purchaser in a dizzying state of indecisiveness.

One of the common denominators that both writers and readers rely upon is personal recommendations. One reader who likes a book can have a large impact on that book’s sale. One reader who goes out of their way to post a positive view. One reader who shares a link to a friend or who mentions a book over coffee. That is, perhaps, the most powerful marketing tool available – both from the reader’s and writer’s perspective. A reader is more likely to take a chance on a book if someone they trust recommends it. The only problem the writer has is to get it into the hands of that first reader which brings us back to our original problem.

What works?

I’ve concluded that everything works to a degree, but nothing works every time. So here’s what I do. I research and read about successful marketing campaigns of other authors, then I spread my promotion out widely in hopes of catching the most wide-spread, yet targeted audience I can. This includes purchasing ads (Goodreads, Facebook, blogs), requesting reviews from bloggers, contacting my local newspaper, emailing friends, and blogging like mad about anything and everything. I’ve had some mild success with ups and downs with sales. Reviews have been good. Readers have been gracious, but the big break-through hasn’t yet been achieved. But I push on with my marketing and writing in hopes to one day have a larger reach.

But make no mistake about it, my favorite people are the readers who have taken the time to read my books. I thank you for choosing my writing to be part of your escape reading, and I appreciate every time you write a review or pass on a recommendation to a friend. This is clearly the best way to break through the noise.