Every writer knows that simply writing a great novel is not the end of the process. If no-one knows your novel exists, then how will any reader be able to enjoy the content you have created? This means that, as a writer, you have to know how to market your book. Marketing can be a time-consuming process, as you have to research the best marketing methods, interact with your readers and maintain your blog and websites, as well as create content that will engage your audience.   

The good news is that it doesn't have to take a great deal of time. Here I have found simple, quick and effective steps you can take to market your novel which means freeing up precious time to do what you love best, writing your next book. 

Planning – When you are writing your novel, the first and most important aspect before you begin is to plan effectively. The same must is advised for your marketing strategy. Plan how much time per week you will set aside to create new content for your website or blog, posting new and engaging posts on your social media pages and stick to it. Ideally, you should have planned your schedule at least a month in advance. If you plan what content you are going to produce, it will save so much time every month.  

Agenda – Once you have a plan then your next step is to plan your schedule for blog and social media posts. Doing this will allow you to know when the time is right to reshare older posts to your audience. There are now actual scheduling tools you can use for this. The sites I found the best were Buffer and Hootsuite, but there are others I am sure that can do the job just as well. 

Ask for help or delegate – Do you have any friends or family members that have a certain expertise, and would be willing to help you with your marketing? You may know someone who is good at graphic design that could design an eye-catching book cover, or someone who has a talent for building great websites, or someone who knows how to create engaging social media posts. If you do not have any such contacts yet, then you can always hire an expert to do certain tasks. You can find people on websites such as Fiverr, Upwork or People Per Hour for very little cost. Using sites like these are recommended if your websites or blog is not getting the required traffic, or SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is a minefield to you. Effective SEO will make a huge difference to the number of visitors to your blog or website so this needs to be right. 

Remove what is not serving you - Do not waste your precious time on areas of your marketing where you are seeing no or little return on your investment. If your Twitter page is receiving no engagement, then remove it from your marketing strategy and focus your time and energy on areas that are.  

Model – Study other successful authors for ideas on content or marketing tips and techniques. Note I said, model what they do and not copy. What areas and subjects do they write about? What grabs your attention on their websites?