Build a community. I don't mean literally build a village, but rather to try bond with your readers, at least some of them. Try to connect with a core group that will be loyal to you no matter what, readers who will see your name and buy your book, because readers like that don't need to be drawn to your books with other marketing techniques.
This community will include readers, but it'll also include your editor, someone you should try to at least have a phone conversation with. Your editor is the person who can polish your story, bring it to levels you could never reach and couldn't hope to reach on your own. They read and improve stories for a living! I've met the woman I consider my editor (Jan) once, and I intend to visit her again before my second book comes out. As editors are concerned, I don't have much experience, but she is a rock star.
More people! Every author, especially a self-published author, needs beta readers. These are readers who will read your book for you and tell you what major plot points need to be improved. It's important to remember that even the best beta readers can't substitute for an editor, but they are valuable all the same. If your core group of readers also includes your beta readers, all the better. Then you'll have a team that knows your series and what is going on, so there's less to explain to them.
There are other people that are also important, like cover designers, maybe a marketing team, your teachers and anyone who believes in and encourages you, and that special someone who keeps you supplied with coffee and chocolate during the long hours editing, and the person you bounce ideas off of, and the first person to read your stories, and and and... the list is endless. Community is important. I fill some of these roles for myself, but it's helpful and refreshing to know that there are people behind me that will help and support me.
Next week we'll talk about what can happen if you don't let anyone else read your book! Have a good week!
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