Marketing as an indie author

…is hard.

Not even kidding.

Most days, I feel like my eyes are practically glued to technology.

Phone. iPad. Laptop. Camera. 3D printer.

Copious amounts of browsers, apps, and windows open at all times.

I’m going a little cross-eyed most of the time, and my phone is always almost dead.

My morning coffee is my solitude, my happy place.

It’s quiet, dark, and peaceful in my little office, and that fresh cup of hot coffee always hits just right.

I’ve been so busy working—because writing is definitely not my full-time job yet—that those dark, early hours are usually when most of my writing happens.

I gave myself a very ambitious, and maybe even preposterous, deadline to finish and release Book 3. And while I know the storyline, plot, and premise, I’ve only written 30 or so pages to date.

This one has been a hard one to write, knowing where it’s going.

So I keep telling myself, I’ll set aside some time to get away, be alone, and focus on finishing this thing.

I’ve been saying that for weeks now.

I’m still at 30 pages.

But I’m nothing if not relentless.

There are very real reasons why I’m always tired.

Why I don’t miss a weekday morning coffee session.

Why I have such ludicrous expectations for myself.

I have this dream.

I have a very real picture of the life I want: goals, accomplishments, milestones.

A particular kind of future that brings me genuine peace and joy.

And I’m determined to get there.

Fun fact: my undergraduate degree is in marketing and public relations.

Another fun fact: I studied graphic design before switching to marketing.

So, in theory, I should have a pretty good handle on this whole marketing thing.

And in some ways, I do.

I’ve acquired some incredibly useful skills for marketing myself and my books as an indie author, but the time—and toll—it takes feels boundless.

Lately, I’ve started getting creative with content. I take pictures of my coffee every morning during the week, then doodle on them in Procreate.

It doesn’t really market my books, or even necessarily myself as an author.

But it generates reach.

It catches attention.

And sometimes, that’s where it starts.

As an independent author, you have to really think outside the box to bring readers into your stories.

When I started this journey, Facebook was my only social media platform.

Now I’m on Instagram and TikTok, and I’ve built this little website to tie everything together in one place.

Eventually, I want to sell books outside of Amazon, too. But you can’t exactly expect to conquer the dream in the first month after self-publishing.

So I’m filming short reels.

Posting teasers.

Blogging.

Collecting ideas to create a brand—of sorts—and slowly build an audience of readers.

My husband even taught me how to use his 3D printer to make cute keychains and bookmarks for author events.

Because apparently, writing the books was only the beginning.

Honestly, my best advice is to use what you’ve got—all of it.

The skills you already have. The resources available to you. The little pockets of time you manage to carve out between everything else.

Do what you can, give it your all, and be consistent.

Eventually, the work pays off.

It’s got to, right?