Getting the word out as an independent author
It’s difficult getting the word out as an independent creator. Everything takes money; buying ads, attending events, promotional material. You want to spend on things that work. In my experience most online promotion is a worthless blackhole that takes all your money and gives you nothing in return.
The alternative is to do in person advertising. Instead of placing your work where people go passively every day (the internet), you go yourself to where they occasionally go but with great intentionality. This suggests they will bring a greater level of attention and willingness to engage.
I found this to be true earlier this month at LouisvilleCon, a small independent pop culture convention in Louisville Kentucky, about two and a half hours from where I live in Indiana.
The table was reaonably priced. I’d spent more on Facebook ads before that had yielded me nothing except for a few thumbs up emojis. I did not manage to sleep very well the night before and was a virtual zombie when I walked into the convention hall. I had also managed to forget my display material, though my wife, being a gifted artist quickly sketched something impressive on our dry erase board. The energy brought by people, happy to be doing their favorite things, gave me an immediate buzz as soon as the convention started.
People were in costumes I’m too out of touch to recognize. Groups recognized other groups from regular life or previous years. People gushed over the outfits others were wearing and shouted to friends about collectibles or artwork they had found, and they stopped by my table to talk about my books. They even bought some. I sold about twenty copies and gave away a lot of free branded merchandise. It felt like I made connections and moved further into the realm of actually existing as an author.
I will never pay for online ad-space again, if I can instead go to an in-person convention where people are excited about weird stuff and strange new media.
