Seed marketing a self-published book

As a new year's resolution this year, I would like to write a book.

Nothing too complicated, something small that helps software engineers learn to make homemade ramen from scratch. I'd love to package what I know into something I can hand friends when they're in a funk, eating too much processed food, and spending lots of time alone.

In 'Write useful books', Rob Fitzpatrick emphasizes the importance of books that offer a specific group a tangible outcome they care about. Useful books like this markets themselves through recommendations.

For this approach to work, you still need to get the book into enough people's hands when it launches. From this perspective, book marketing is really about seeding a book to its first 1000 ideal readers.

Rob reckons there are only 4 reliable ways to approach seed marketing:
• podcast appearances
• amazon ads
• event giveaways
• building an author platform.

Amazon ads are great, but there's a finite number of clicks to be bought. So it's more of a boost than a sustainable strategy.

Event giveaways, also great, but cold emailing an event organizer about a book giveaway probably won't get you anywhere. Success largely boils down to who you know.

Podcast appearances help you get in front of other people's audiences. Apparently, getting that first appearance is the hardest. With a foot in the door, it gets easier and easier to leverage past appearances to get ones.

Podcasting scares me. I don't feel like I have anything to say. I'm guessing this will change once I have a first draft of the book, but it all feels very intimidating.

This just leaves building an author platform. It takes the longest, but anyone can do it because it involves writing the book in public.

Easier said than done.