E is for Exposure

The only way a writer can sell books or stories is by letting people know they are out there and available. But with so many books and stories published every day, getting your small voice heard is not an easy feat.

When my first novel was published, I did everything I could to get it exposure.  I did blog tours, got magnets and bookmarks printed, did interviews on blogs and on radio and everything else I could possibly think of.  I spent hours searching for sites that might review the book and sent off thousands of emails.  The amount of time I spent on trying to get exposure was probably more than I would have spent on writing a new book.

And I still didn't sell very many books.

I don't have a ton of answers.  I know from my day job that word of mouth is the best way to get people to buy your product, but how do you get word of mouth if no one knows the book is out there and no one is reading it to give it the word of mouth it needs?

I'm going to do a small experiment here…  My good friend L. X. Cain just published a short story which is deliciously gruesome and full of twists and surprises.  It's the perfect thing for a short bus or train trip and only costs .99c.

If you go out and buy this creepy little zombie story because you heard about it here, and you enjoy it, let someone else know about it.  Let's see if good word of mouth really does increase sales and generate the kind of exposure you need.

How do you get exposure for your work?