As writers, we often battle with how much time we spend writing and how much time we spend doing writing tangential things that aren’t necessarily writing. Much of those writing tangential tasks are to help you sell your book or raise your profile as a writer in some way.

A lot of us don’t like the non-writing and marketing side of writing and would much rather spend our time writing fiction and doing little else. And that makes sense. After all, we decided to become writers and not marketers, advertisers, or publicists. As writers (hell, as human beings), we are often prone to procrastination which means there’s a tendency to leave everything until the last minute and then partake in a mad burst of marketing and promotional efforts one month or so before our book release and then to never promote the book again. Perhaps this is because we use so much energy promoting and marketing that we grow to hate it and are so utterly exhausted that the idea of even sending a single email asking for a book review or podcast appearance fills us with dread.

But therein lies the secret. Instead of doing everything at the last minute, what if you were to do just one marketing/promotional/writing-tangential activity every (work) day for the rest of your life? It would take relatively little effort, would leave a lot of time for you to write (the thing you love), and would ensure you were always doing something to promote your work.

Here are examples of what the one thing could look like:

• Sending an email to a podcast/YouTube channel/reviewer/website/magazine to enquire about the possibility of a review, interview, or other type of coverage on their platform.
• Appearing on said podcast/YouTube channel or writing an article for said website.
• Doing something related to Amazon advertising or some other type of advertising that you think might bring a return on investment.
• Running a competition for one of your books.
• Posting something on social media about one of your books.
• Posting something on your website about one of your books.
• Doing a live book event, online or in person.
• Writing a newsletter that has some connection to your book.

It is a misconception that you should only promote your book or engage in marketing and publicity efforts around the time of your book release. You can and should be doing this at all times. Books do not have sell-by or read-by dates. They are good to go at all times. And if you’ve appeared on a podcast before to promote your book, remember you can appear on many podcasts for things other than to talk about your book. There are podcasts dedicated to discussing movies and specific topics, so consider getting involved in them and keeping your name relevant.

I would recommend you identify two things during your marketing and publicity activities.

1. What type of non-writing activities do you enjoy the most?
2. What type of non-writing activities do you believe have the most return on investment?

If you’re lucky, you will find that there is a crossover between the two answers. For me, I enjoy appearing on podcasts the most, so this will be a big part of my ‘publicity approach’ going forward. I believe there may be a decent return-on-investment for Amazon Advertising but the jury is out on that one—I’ll report back. So those are the two activities I will concentrate on but of course, I will do other things, too, from time to time (you don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket, as it were—I love the reviewing and Instagram community so will also take the time to reach out to people in those communities).

One thing about my own approach to publicity which is both a strength and weakness is that I never do a mass mailout when it comes to booking podcast appearances or review requests. I will email each person or outlet personally. The advantage of this is because it has the personal touch it shows I’ve put a little more effort into the email which I tend to find results in many more positive responses. The disadvantage, of course, is the time investment on my end. But if I’m doing something every day that’s 365 opportunities for a ‘yes’ every year and the positive publicity soon adds up.

The only exception to when I might do something close to a mass email is if on social media or an email, I say something like: I have a new book, DADDY’S BOY, coming out on 6 May 2025. It’s a dark comedy that has had positive praise from the likes of Jason Pargin, Eric LaRocca, David Moody, and Max Booth III amongst others. If you’d like a review copy or to book me for an interview, please reply to this email, and let’s talk.

So, in that spirit: I have a new book, DADDY’S BOY, coming out on 6 May 2025. It’s a dark comedy that has had positive praise from the likes of Jason Pargin, Eric LaRocca, David Moody, and Max Booth III amongst others. If you’d like a review copy or to book me for an interview, please reply to this email, and let’s talk.

Look at that lovely blurb from Jason Pargin below.

Well, that's it for another email.

Now, please check out those wonderful articles and podcasts on This Is Horror this week.

Michael David Wilson

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