As writers, we dream about becoming a #1 New York Times Bestselling author. We expect nothing less, right? Well, I’m here to tell you that you need a plan to become a bestselling author and I am going to share with you, part of my plan.

• I do not expect to leave the marketing of my novel strictly to my publisher. Did you know that 75% to 80% of books published by publishers fail to earn enough money to cover the author’s advanced? That means publishers earn most of their money from only 20% of the books they publish and the majority of that comes from their existing bestselling authors. Since I plan to be in the 20% that make money, here are a few of the marketing efforts I plan for my novels:
  • Talk radio show tours. I used to think that when my literary agent would sell my book to a publisher, the publisher would set me up with twelve-city book tour. If you look at the expenses involved in doing a twelve-city book tour compared to how many books you actually sell, you’ll see that book signing tours don’t make good business sense. And while I would be happy to do a twelve-city book signing tour, I would want to combine that with appearances on twelve talk radio shows where I have the opportunity to discuss my novel t large audiences.
  • Social media influencer tour. Exposure, exposure, exposure is the name of game for selling books and becoming a bestselling author. I plan to regularly interview with the top social media influencers in the mystery and crime genre to promote by novels. I want my publisher and agent to love working with me because I make them money, lots of money.
• Treating my writing as a business. Yes, writing is a creative process, but I have to treat my writing as a business. At the end of the day, I want to continue writing so I ask myself the following three questions:
  • Do I communicate to everyone that I am a professional writer? If I expect others to take my writing seriously, I must demonstrate to them that I am serious about my career. Therefore, I use good business practices. I am always courteous and professional in any correspondence. I return phone calls and emails promptly and I deliver whatever I promise in a timely manner.
  • Is my writing career on track for success? Nobody expects me to be an overnight success, but I do know that I am on track to success because I have a business plan and I am working my plan. In conjunction with my plan, I keep track of my income and expenses like any other business. At the end of the day, I expect to see that I am improving.
  • Am I learning and improving my craft? I know there is always room for improvement, so I continually enroll in classes to improve my writing. I joined professional writing groups to expose me to other professionals who help me improve my craft. I attend the workshops, conventions, and I read the newsletters. Most importantly, I read the best authors daily.
• I treat myself as a brand. Before I post on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or other social media, I remember that I am a brand. I like to use Rolex as a comparative brand, so I ask myself would Rolex be happy with whatever I am posting. If the answer is yes, then I fell it’s okay.

In summary, my plan to becoming a #1 New York Times Bestselling author includes me taking a large and active role in the marketing of my novels, treating my writing as a business, and building my brand. Love to hear your thoughts. Drop me a note.

Hashtags:

#mysterywriter #writersofinstagram #mystery #stv #murdermystery #murdershewrote #angelalansbury #jessicafletcher #mysteryseries #writerslife #crimefiction #writer #s #mysteries #classictv #sthrowback #snostalgia #author #stvshow #bookstagram #sfashion #authorsofinstagram #murder #cozymystery #cabotcove #mysterybooks #amwriting #writingcommunity #msw #mourningdovemysteries