My debut horror novel, Enter Infernum, was released last week. I’m very excited. You can find print and e-book versions on Amazon. So, how do I get interest, you may ask?
I don’t know exactly, but I’m working it out. I created a webpage (johnjmaurerwriter.com at Webador) to promote my work. I also created social media sites including Substack (John J. Maurer, @johnjmaurer) and Facebook (John J. Maurer Writer). On my website, I’ve created content that includes blog posts, samples and promotional material of my work. As I created new content on my website, I promoted it on Facebook and Substack. My Webador account keeps track of visits and visitors to my site. I’ve noted uptick in visits following Facebook posts about my site, johnjmaurerwriter.com.
Now, that was helpful but not generating interest that I hoped would happen. I needed to do more. My wife, Margie, suggested that I needed something more, videos to generate interest. So, a few weekends ago, I started making reels for Facebook. I checked the “oracle,” you know it as Google, what was a typical reels length, 30 to 60 seconds. I went for a walk one Saturday to create short video reels for Facebook. Everyone now a days have smart phones with camera features that made creating video content a snap.
We have a short cut through a wooded path. Several sinkholes had formed. The town decided to fence this off and place signs, “Danger, Sinkholes.” The sinkhole was the basis of a short story that I wrote. I made a video about the sinkhole and how it inspired me to write a short story. I posted it to Facebook and received over four hundred views. As I continued into town, I had to go by a local cemetery. I made a video of this and uploaded it to my Facebook account. Not as many views but it did garner some interest.
The following day, I made two more videos. One was of an old, renovated Victorian house. The old Victorian, painted ladies were the inspiration for the Miller House in Enter Infernum. I discussed its inspiration in my reels video. It proved to be a popular video for the day it was posted. I did another video of the Lyric, a popular movie house where I currently reside. Not as popular as the others but it did receive over one hundred views.
Now, I needed a promo for my debut novel, Enter Infernum. My publisher, Pegasus Publishing sent me a JPEG file of my book cover. I created a PowerPoint file, one slide and did a voice over that was 60 seconds in length. I uploaded this as reels video. You can export this as an MP4 video file. I’ve repeatedly shared this on my professional and personal account. For my personal account, I selected Public so that friends and family can share my content. I have gotten many views of my reels, several are over two hundred views. I also made a longer video of a reading of Enter Infernum. I created visual images, using slides in PowerPoint and did a voice over for my reading of the opening chapter. I exported this as an MP4 video and uploaded it to YouTube. I decided not to make the video public but instead shared the link on my website.
Here’s the trick. You can’t post when you feel like it. You need to be consistent. It doesn’t mean everyday but once a week is helpful. It doesn’t have to be just about your book. It should be something that interests you and a wider audience. On my professional Facebook page, I discuss other things like movie and book reviews. I also try and engage with the wider audience of content on my page. I select things on my page that I personally enjoy. The same is true for Substack, engage with the community. Comment or like what others have to say but be genuine. Respond to comments and articles that speak to you.
Is this working? I don’t know yet as it is very early in the publication process, but it can’t hurt. Social media can help but there are limits to what you can possibly do and still have time to write. Choose your social media well and engage with it consistently, that’s reasonable. I hope this was helpful. Until next time.