We all have our own systems for managing our lives. For example, I use a paper calendar and not the calendar on my phone. I know that's old school, but I love my paper calendar! I also have a paper to-do list that I keep on my desk, and I constantly have alarms going off on my phone to remind me of things on my to do list when I'm not at my desk. It's a hodgepodge system, but it works for me, which is the most important thing.
When it comes to book marketing, I adhere to the same philosophy: It doesn't matter what system you use, as long as you use a system. The more you do to spread the word about your books, the more moving parts there are, which makes it easy for things to fall through the cracks.
Here are two ways I keep track of my various marketing efforts:
Pitching media and bloggers for book reviews or inclusion in roundups such as beach/holiday/spring break reads can be fun at first, but it can also quickly become overwhelming if you don't keep track of whom you pitched and when, with what result. I use a color-coded system, e.g. yellow cells for things that need following up, green cells for secured reviews, red cells for passes. That way I can quickly scan the spreadsheet to see what needs to be done.
I try to keep my in-box as small as possible, yet I never move or delete a message until I've done whatever action it requires. Years ago I tried moving messages into various folders (e.g. "articles to read"), but then I learned that I would rarely (actually, never) go into those folders. So I changed the system to one that works for me.
What systems do you use to keep organized? Please let me know in the comments!
-Maria
Maria Murnane writes bestselling novels about life, love and friendship. Have questions? You can find her at www.mariamurnane.com.
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