Last year, on impulse, I decided to keep a book marketing log. The idea came to me in February so the log is a month short. Despite 30 missing days, the log is a written record of a freelance writer’s life—my life—filled with facts and odd surprises.
On the first day I only wrote one sentence. By the end of the year, I was entering columns of information. A year later, when I read my log, I was amazed. It had been an amazing year and I had made marketing progress. These are some of the things I learned from my log.
Keeping a log sparks effort. When I started the log I vowed to take two marketing steps a day. I kept this promise. In fact, I exceeded it. Mid-year entries show that I doubled, and in some instances, tripled book marketing efforts. Reading my log makes me proud of myself.
I tapped Twitter’s power. Since I’ve never had any computer training, everything I know about computers and the Net I learned by trial and error. Several months into my log I hired Books Go Social to publicize books on Twitter. This step garnered many followers, and I cite their names/occupations in my log. As the months passed my list of followers grew from several hundred to 1,273 and it’s still growing.
Finally, I see the power of “likes.” I discovered that clicking the like icon shoots my name all over the Internet—good publicity for any author. Now that I know this I’m paying more attention to likes. Still, I’m careful and avoid strange ideas and people. I’m also careful about the comments I post.
A log is a reference document. My log contains information that I might need in the future, such as my Minnesota sales tax number. To be able to sell books at church bazaars and workshops I had to get this number, and it’s highlighted in my log. Organizations, email addresses, and Internet links are also listed.
Celebrations are cited in my log. The release date of my cookbook is written in caps because it’s something to celebrate. I also note when an organization asks me to speak, the date and time of my upcoming presentation. Media coverage is also something I list in my log.
I’m linked to the world. I list the name of every Twitter follower and where they live if this information is shared. My log shows followers in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Scotland, Australia, France, Singapore, Philippines, and other countries. Surprisingly, many followers are writers like me. But the biggest surprise was the extent of my book marketing progress.
Should you keep a log? I can’t answer this question for you, but I can allay your fears. A log isn’t a journal or diary, it’s a concise record, and therefore takes less time. Typing an entry takes only a minute or two. The benefits of keeping a log are listed above and they may lead you to a new path—a journey of self-discovery and progress.