Writers Tricks of the Trade VOLUME 10 ISSUE 1 | Page 13

Do you hate this idea?
S ELL A DS TO H ELP F INANCE Y OUR S ELF -
P UBLISHED B OOK OR P ROMOTIONAL B OOK
C AROLYN H OWARD -J OHNSON
Author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series
of books for writers
M ANY THANKS TO OUR FREQUENT CONTRIBUTOR , FRUGAL MARKETING GURU C AROLYN H OWARD -J OHNSON WHO
SAYS , “Y OU NEED THIS ARTICLE ! H ERE ’ S WHY :”
I
hate the word “monetize.” And I
especially don’t like it when this word
(it’s really ugly, isn’t it?) is mentioned in
the same breath with books. But I’m going
to talk about it anyway because, if authors
do it right, using ads in their books or
other
promotional
materials
can
subsidize the cost of publishing a book—
costs like great editing, great cover
design, and great indexing that they often
W INTER 2020
scrimp on.
Most every author is self-publishing
something themselves these days. If not
their books, then e-books or white papers
that help them promote their work. Many
of these books are perfect for paid ads
and ads in barter. You might also think
about trading an ad for another service
you need like a blog tour, book cover art,
or printing.
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W RITERS ’ T RICKS OF THE T RADE