Hugh Howey, the bestselling self-published author of the Wool series, hosted a Ask Me Anything interview on Reddit yesterday.
He answered a series of common reader questions–sharing his “single most valuable tool” for self-promotion.
In terms of self-promotion, what would you say was the single most valuable tool for you? Facebook. Not just for connecting with my most ardent readers, but for giving me the ability to unwind in a productive way. After FB, I would say having my own blog/website. For physical tools, my laptop is the easy answer.
He also shared some practical advice, urging writers to interact with readers as much as possible:
I didn’t market Wool at all in the beginning. It wasn’t until the sales started shooting up that I began throwing logs on the fire. I did promotion days where I gave the first book away for free (it’s now set to free permanently). The best promotion, I’ve found, is to interact with existing readers (which is enjoyable) rather than browbeat new people into reading (which nobody likes). If the work is making people happy, they’ll tell others. That’s the best promotion.
He responded to hundreds of readers, sharing the secret of how he got 1,200 reader reviews on Amazon. Surprisingly, it involved some dancing…
I shall reveal all of my secrets! The trick is quite simple: I dance for reviews. And since those crazy judges on So You Think You Can Dance neglected to include me on this year’s season (Nigel, you are SO MEAN!) the only way to see my sick moves is to read and review my books. This is me on Broadway. Literally. You see? It’s like taking coins from strangers. All you need is a monkey in a funny hat. Which would be me. Now, I’m trusting you good people with my diabolical schemes. Use them for evil or hilarity, never for good.
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