Self-Marketing a Self-Published Novel

Writing a novel is easy. Marketing a novel is hard, especially when you’re not fond of selling yourself or trying to get a stranger to buy a product. It’s a special type of person who not only enjoys enticing people to buy their products, but who can also smile in the face of rejection.

I disliked going door-to-door as a young boy and selling things. No kid should be put under that kind of pressure. I sold chocolate bars, flower seeds, and magazine subscriptions during school fundraisers. The “No Soliciting” sign in front of some houses may as well have been written in Greek. The “mean old man” in my neighborhood was mean not because his entire yard was fenced in and the no soliciting sign fastened conspicuously next to the gate handle. No. He was mean because he yelled at kids for trying to sell him things when the…