I am updating this post that I sent out last year for two reasons. First, I’m on deadline and secondly I needed to remind myself that I do enjoy the marketing aspect of selling fiction because my new novel, CHAMELEON  is out and available. This week you can leave a comment here at Lena Nelson Dooley’s blog to have a chance at a free copy and you can also check in at Regency Reflections on Wednesday for a chance at a free copy and some interesting questions I answered regarding the time period of my novel.

If you think marketing is difficult, don’t panic. Once you are published you do have to work hard to help push your sparkling new story into the world so you can reach readers. You don’t have to have all the answers and all the knowledge, this develops over time, but I’d encourage you to educate yourself. I’m no expert but I’m learning a lot and I’m not afraid to try things that I haven’t done before. Be brave! Be bold! Be creative!

Discover what color your marketing parachute is and jump. Prior to the release of my debut novel on May 3rd 2011 I had taken what I consider two very important steps for marketing my novel. I hired Kelli Standish and team at PulsePoint Design to help me achieve the look I wanted for my online presence. Kelli has moved on to another life phase and she left me in the capable hands of Jones House Creative. This is an investment in your career and I encourage you to look at it that way. Your website is hopefully going to be where your future readers are going to visit and you want to practice hospitality or no one will visit often. There are many places on the web for readers and writers to visit, so ask yourself why they may want to stop by your online home.

Get yourself some classy business cards. The PulsePoint gang also helped me with that and coordinated my book cover and my web design to be on my business card. The Jones House Gang is now helping me with updates and keeping me current. It was Jones House that did my timeline for me on Facebook This makes a great impression. My husband who also happens to be my best publicist talks my novel up all the time and hands out my business cards. He and I both asked the hospital gift shops where we work if they would consider carrying my book and both said yes!

Realms/Charisma, my publisher created a beautiful video trailer for my first book. You can see it here: Secrets of the Heart. You’ll also notice that you can click on the book and go to Amazon to order it. I think it’s really important to make buying your book as easy as possible. I also have all my endorsements listed on this page for my first novel and will be doing that for my second novel as well. I also asked my publisher if they could help with promotional items. They gave me postcards for Secrets of the Heart and for Chameleon I got bookmarks. I asked for these items knowing that the answer might be no due to the fact that I’m a new author and budgets are tight.

Last year I took advantage of another opportunity, made a suggestion, and here is the outcome over at Christian Fiction Online Magazine I hope you’ll take a look at this column that launched last August called The Well Writer.

Talk to your librarian. I have lots of friends at my local library. They ordered my books for the Cincinnati Public Library and they also told me about Books by the Banks which I participated in on October 22nd 2011 because I followed my librarian, Betty’s, advice and applied to get into this event which brings in hundreds of readers. My video trailer (on this page) for Secrets of the Heart, which also introduces me as a new author will be running with other video trailers at Lori Foster Reader and Author Get Together on June 2nd where I’ll be signing both novels. You can also read the first chapter of both my novels on this page So be open to opportunities that come your way. We writers are a creative bunch. There’s no reason we can’t be creative marketers too!

These are the marketing ideas I’ve utilized these past two years. Some of the others include a radio interview, an Amazon Author Page, and besides this blog I also blog at  Just The Write Charisma. You can find me at www.jilliankent.com, @JillKentAuthor and https://www.facebook.com/JillianKent

I hope you will find encouragement related to the many things YOU can accomplish as the director of marketing for your own novels.

What’s in your marketing tool box?

Smiles and Blessings!