Bill Wetterman Day 1

Interview with Author Bill Wetterman:

 Welcome back to my blog. Your novel, The Fifth Step, received great comments from the readers.

Thank you, Julie. You’re terrific in your support of self-published authors. We thank you for that. There is an upside and a downside to what’s happening in publishing today. The upside is: The stigma is disappearing. The downside is: There are so many writers self-publishing today. If you don’t know how to market yourself, no one will hear about your novel, let alone read it.

What do you do to market yourself? Give some tips to our readers.

Wow. I could take all week on this subject. Of course, there are the basics. Continually learn the craft. Join writers’ groups. Make friends with people in your genre, including the giants you meet at conferences. I find that great writers love to mentor talented newbies.

My main focus is on reaching out to likely buyers by networking well-before my book comes out. I’ll use my latest novel, Yellowstone-A Fall From Grace, as an example. I blogged for three months, on and off, about the danger of an eruption in Yellowstone. I selectively sorted out Facebook and Twitter people who had an interest in two things—survival after a major disaster and how unprepared America was to handle one. My theme being: It’s not if. It’s when.

So when the novel came out, I had an audience to send the news to and have my information liked, retweeted, and forwarded to others. 

Now that Yellowstone is out, what are you doing to promote it?

First, I posted Yellowstone’s debut on thirty-one Facebook pages, only ten of them writers’ pages. I went on Twitter and tweeted my lists of Preppers, Survivalists, Thriller readers and writers, and general public about its release. (Note: This is extremely important. I believe what I’m writing is vitally important. If one reader, takes heed to the warnings in my novel, I’ve made an impact. I don’t believe in telling stories for the sake of the story. I believe in changing lives.)

Second, I wrote my own Press Release, distributed in locally, and used 24/7 Press release to distribute nationally. I’m lining up blog spots over the next several months to keep the title in front of readers. I’m scheduling book signing and speaking engagements to promote my novel. I’m also in the process of contacting radio, television, and internet radio for guest appearances. And yes, that eats into my writing time. But self-publishing means doing it all yourself.

Well, Bill, this is a great start. Give us the links to your social media pages and buying information. And a hint as to what we can expect tomorrow.

Before I do, I’m giving away three free e-books of Yellowstone-A Fall From Grace to the first three readers who e-mail me at bwetterman@cox.net agreeing to review the book on Amazon and Goodreads and identify your blog as their source.