Please...and thank you by Cathy Ace

Do you set aside dedicated time to do promotion for your book and your brand? If so, how much time and what do you concentrate on? If not, why not?

I wish I was sufficiently well organized to be able to say that I always make a detailed plan to promote my brand and my books, but I’m not, and I don’t. Yes, I know I’ll need to make a specific push at a particular time, but that’s more of a general plan rather than an effort that’s timetabled into my schedule. Which is possibly/probably a bad thing.

That said, I do take a few moments every day to think about ways I can better present my work to “the market” in some way; but I don’t like to beat those readers I can connect with through social media with a constant barrage of “please buy my book” or “please take a few moments to post a review about the books of mine you might have already read” messages because – well, you know how it feels to be constantly seeing that sort of begging in your social media feed, don’t you? Hmmm…too needy? Just a bit.

A library speaking engagement in Swansea,
with Mum, a few years ago

My days follow a certain pattern when I’m in writing mode (as opposed to plotting, researching, or editing modes, that is) which goes like this: about 8am get up, coffee, more coffee, time with Husband, phone sister in Wales, phone mother in Wales, DO PROMOTIONAL WORK, write, lunch with Husband, write, eat dinner then watch a couple of hours of vegetative TV with Husband, write, bed (by about 2 or 3am). That’s it. That’s my way of doing things. So, yes, I am carving out time to get done what has to be done to support my work in the marketplace.

However, other than a social media presence, there’s my website to keep up to date, newsletters to plan, write and send, organizing and preparing for events I am attending (conventions and conferences, for example…four this year, of all goes according to plan) as well as making sure that I’m replying to, and following up on, any emails or comments I receive from readers, as well as publishers, reviewers, bloggers, bookstores etc.

So it’s not as though everything is about just social media, though that’s important…especially Facebook, where I feel a real connection with my community of fellow writers, and readers. Do I sometimes “death-scroll” under cover of “this is useful for me to promote my work”? Yes, but not often. More frequently I’ll find myself down a bit of a rabbit hole considering the minutiae of self-publishing issues…which I hope builds more overall knowledge for when I’m working on that part of my responsibilities.

I suppose, overall, I try for a balance of promoting as I can, but not overdoing it…which can prove a challenge when a few good reviews I’ve been praying for all seem to appear at once (this happens!) then I have to have a plan to drip-feed them into the feeds I am using. But an embarrassment of riches is something I am only too happy to have to deal with, so there’s that!

Quite literally flying the flag to promote my books set in Wales

If you'd like to find out more about me and my work, easily follow me on social media or sign up for my newsletters, you can do all of that via my website: https://www.cathyace.com/

AND NOW SOME PROMOTION!!! On May 21st the cover of my WISE Enquiries Agency Mystery Book 8 was revealed - you can see it above, and the blurb is below. I hope you like the look and sound of it (maybe even enough that you'll pre-order it! (Links at my website, below)

 ‘HE LEFT A WREATH OF CONDOLENCE AT OUR FRONT DOOR, THEN VANISHED.’

The women of the WISE Enquiries Agency should be enjoying the early summer with their loved ones, but find themselves facing a truly baffling case: a mysterious figure has been spotted in Anwen-by-Wye, heralding tragedy. Nerves in the village are frayed, and the skills of all four of our private investigators are needed to work out what’s going on – aided by Althea, dowager duchess of Chellingworth, of course.

When death strikes far too close to home for our beloved enquiry agents the stakes are raised in what has become a fatal game of cat and mouse…revealing dark secrets hidden by a person everybody thought they knew.

Meanwhile, the duke and duchess are busy organizing projects designed to help revitalize the Chellingworth Estate, though their proposals aren’t viewed favorably by all, and - snatching time as a couple when they can - Annie and Tudor are considering their future, as are Christine and Alexander…though in different ways, and with some surprising outcomes.

The eighth book in this series presents the WISE women with challenges of both a professional and personal nature they’ve never faced before; join them to find out how they fare.

Links to pre-order, and you can keep up with me via my website: https://www.cathyace.com/