Why Your Next Best Marketing Move Might Be . . . a Friend
By Carmen Amato
“We’re going analog,” he said.
“Analog?” I echoed.
I was speaking to David Bruns, who with J.R. Olson co-writes the military-espionage Command and Control series. He explained that they’re skipping a digital-first playbook. Instead they’re leaning into an analog marketing strategy built around thematic speaking engagements, such as with veterans’ groups.
It’s one clear example of how authors are adapting to a publishing landscape where AI-generated content buries books and social media’s returns keep shrinking, even as we crank out ever-smarter dance videos.
For me “analog” means building mutually beneficial human-to-human partnerships.
Small, medium, or large, it’s been my experience that partnerships make good things happen.
Small, but Mighty
UK crime fiction writer Jane Harvey-Berrick and I enjoyed talking about the craft of writing over Zoom so much (I live in Tennessee, USA) that we set up a YouTube channel to let our readers in on the fun. Nothing fancy, just raw conversations about what we are writing and the contemporary crime that inspires our books.
Our modest YouTube collaboration led to Ocean x Murder x 2, a free ebook box set featuring the first book in each of our respective crime fiction series. Dead Water by Berrick Ford and Cliff Diver by Carmen Amato (yours truly) were already permafree as individual ebooks with a combined total of around 5000 5-star reviews on Amazon. Combining them into a permafree box set was merely a matter of repackaging.
As of this writing, Ocean x Murder x 2 has been available on all ebook platforms for about 5 weeks. Without any advertising, it has been downloaded nearly 3000 times. That’s an amazing visibility lift for both of us that literally cost nothing.
Medium matters
The Dangerous Pen Society is a (mostly) local group in the Nashville area with a focus on authors helping each other build platforms and boost visibility by sharing advice, skills, and mentions. This year we focused on teaching authors to maximize Goodreads and improve website conversions, as well as social events to support our community.
While the Dangerous Pen Society members get together in person, a medium-sized partnership effort can take advantage of Facebook Groups or other community spaces. The Mexico Writers group on Facebook brought together authors who either wrote about Mexico or lived in the country. The group was a huge resource for me at the beginning of my author career, introducing me to stellar writers I never have connected with otherwise, including historian and poet Michael Hogan and journalist Alfredo Corchado.
Through Mexico Writers, I found a superb editor, Kerry Watson. I partnered with fellow member Jeanine Kitchel, author of the Mexico Soul newsletter on Substack, to write two articles for Criminal Element about the narco noir genre, and edited two travel essay collections published by the group.
Bigger Isn’t Necessarily Better
Partnering with a big organization can make you visible to a large audience, but it takes effort to benefit from the opportunity.
For example, the Killer Nashville author conference is the main event on my author calendar every year. By volunteering to share my expertise, I am one of Killer Nashville’s author partners.
This year, I gave a standing-room-only presentation on surveillance and countersurveillance that involved a hands-on exercise as well as a rogue’s gallery of surveillance information. While the event took about 12 unpaid hours to create, this investment in partnering with Killer Nashville paid off in terms of how many people learned about my books.
What’s more, those people generated positive word of mouth. Strangers came up to me for the next two days, until the conference closed, saying, “I heard about your presentation was great.”
A big organization or conference is also where authors meet potential partners for small but mighty efforts. Look for others who write in your genre and are willing to partner on podcast appearances, guest posts, newsletter swaps, joint writing projects and so on.
Bottom line
The power of “going analog” is that authors stop chasing attention and connect in more meaningful ways with new readers. In a world drowning in noise, be the author building genuine human connections.
No matter the size, partnerships give you unlimited opportunity to do exactly that.
–
About Carmen Amato: A CIA veteran turning real-life danger and deception into crime fiction, Carmen Amato is the author of the Detective Emilia Cruz police series set in Acapulco. Starting with Cliff Diver, the series is a back-to-back winner of the Poison Cup Award for Outstanding Series from CrimeMasters of America. Optioned for television, National Public Radio hailed it as “A thrilling series.”
Carmen’s historical fiction thrillers include Murder at the Galliano Club, which won the 2023 Silver Falchion Award for Best Historical. Her standalone political thriller The Hidden Light of Mexico City was longlisted for the 2020 Millennium Book Award.
Learn more about Carmen and her books at https://carmenamato.net.
Political corruption turns Acapulco’s first female police detective into a fugitive on the run . . . in Washington DC.
“A thrilling series” — National Public Radio
In a derelict building for sale, Acapulco police detective Emilia Cruz stumbles on the body of a woman brutally shot to death. Incredibly, the victim was the sister of Acapulco’s ambitious mayor, who is running for re-election against an opponent with deep pockets.
Emilia’s investigation is immediately under pressure for a fast result. The victim’s ex-boyfriend has a suspiciously weak alibi but is the crime scene the key to finding the murderer? The building was once used for a secret Mexican government operation targeting a ruthless drug lord.
Meanwhile, there’s a conspiracy within the police department to force Emilia out.
Before Emilia can save her job or arrest her prime suspect, she’s sent on an errand of mercy to Washington, DC.
There she becomes a fugitive hunted by killers masquerading as cops. Alone, desperate and on the run, Emilia turns for help to a man she once vowed to murder.
He’s her only chance to survive a deadly game of political intrigue on the wrong side of the border.
From Acapulco’s beaches to the streets of Washington, DC, the stakes couldn’t be higher in this electrifying, page-turning thriller.
BUY HERE
Category: On Book Marketing, On Writing
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
