For the indie writer, getting attention in a saturated market can be a challenge.
Here was my guerrilla marketing/promo for the 2013 short novel, "Cap'n Random"...
1. Buy a few reviews to be posted on Amazon, Goodreads, and other websites. You can find people to read your book and write (hopefully) honest reviews, for a fee. Fiverr is a freelance site where people perform a number of services, including book reviewing, starting at $5.
2. Make the book available for free, at least briefly, shortly after publication. Most independent writers know about Amazon's KDP platform, which lets us give the work away to gain publicity. Some conditions apply, such as giving Amazon exclusivity during the promo period. For me, this did not translate into more sales after the "giveaway" period. But hundreds of people downloaded Cap'n Random, which may spark some recognition in the future.
3. Do a Goodreads giveaway drawing. I sent three signed copies to the drawing winners. All three were international addresses. There is a "American only" type box and it will be checked, if I do another giveaway.
4. Sign up with a virtual book tour organizer. The well-connected writer can schedule his or her own. For the sake of convenience, I went with an online service, and the organizers set me up with a couple weeks' worth of QnA, essay-type blog visits. Prices and length of tours vary widely. Shopping around paid off dividends.
5. Do the usual social networking announcements. These don't pay of much of anything unless you have majorly devoted followers. Otherwise, only a percentage of them are going to respond. But it is just another place to leave a mark for search engines to sniff out.
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Did any of these things work? Depends on the goals. Mine were to make a few more neural connections on the InterWeb. People find links in all kinds of ways... Mission accomplished.
I heard or read that, to sell five units of something as a writer, you will need to be exposed to one thousand people! Puts things in perspective. It's a good thing that I'm not in the writing game to make a buck.
For those who want that buck... the best hope for the indie writer is to create an aggregate of stories and other art. Find a niche, a personal specialty, and corner it artistically. You could get speaking engagements, seminars, books, and media appearances out of it. Again, this depends on the goals.
Unless someone strikes a main vein of interest, or is willing to compromise, there's little chance of a big-time career in fiction writing coming from one book.
Obviously none of this applies to the publicity/marketing genius. This type of person can spin gold by sheer will and personality. For the rest of us, it's best to simply keep producing.
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