Q: What have you done to promote your book that you would recommend to other authors?

A: Hmm. Well, does prayer count? Because I live abroad, I have not been able to promote my work through book tours and signings. Mostly, I have used internet marketing and radio interviews. But book promotion is tricky. No one method is universally successful. My best advice is to hire a professional publicist, but even that does not guarantee success. Some publicists are rip-off artists, others will not tell you that your book is hopeless but, sure, they’ll take your money to launch a doomed publicity campaign anyway. Hey, they’ve got to make a living too, don’t they? If they told every client just how bad their writing is, they would lose most of their business. Some authors find it worthwhile to pay for a professional manuscript analysis before investing in publicity. I recommend freelance editor Arlene W. Robinson for a developmental edit or, if you want a brand name to use for promotion (assuming they have good comments about your book), try The Literary Consultancy, in England. Both are expensive, but well worth the money.

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