Seven Touches to Success
How I Sniff Out Opportunities and Grow My Audience
According to Social Media Today, “It is a basic marketing principle that it takes seven ‘touches’ before someone will internalize and/or act upon your call to action.”
I’ve heard this truism for decades—going back at least to my MBA program 42 years ago—and it remains one of the guiding principles of my career as an independent author. I do my best to create those touches consistently and authentically. Here are some of the ways I connect with potential readers:
Newsletter Advertising
I regularly advertise in newsletters that highlight free and discounted ebooks. Readers can subscribe for free to services like BookBub, Hello Books, and The Fussy Librarian, while I pay anywhere from over $1,000 (for a single ad in a competitive genre) to $25 or less for niche newsletters.
Newsletter Advertising
I regularly advertise in newsletters that highlight free and discounted ebooks. Readers can subscribe for free to services like BookBub, Hello Books, and The Fussy Librarian, while I pay anywhere from over $1,000 (for a single ad in a competitive genre) to $25 or less for niche newsletters.
A common strategy is stacking—advertising in several newsletters on the same day or in close succession. Some companies even bundle these services for you.
Another technique is offering the first book in a series free or deeply discounted to draw new readers in. Recently, I ran an audiobook promotion with Chirp and saw:
9,626 downloads of the free title In Dog We Trust
782 purchases of The Kingdom of Dog at $0.99
648 purchases of Dog Helps Those at $1.99
602 purchases of Dog Bless You at $2.99
That resulted in:
Royalty: $1,016.23
Distribution fee (20%): –$203.25
Net: $812.98, minus the $70 cost of the promotion
A great weekend!
Joint Promotions
I often participate in BookFunnel group promos—collections of books by authors in similar genres. They’re usually free and help everyone involved expand their readership. My only obligation is to share the promo with my own subscribers.
If you’ve read Death at the Dog Park or Santa and the Slay Dogs, you’ve seen another kind of joint promo in action. Joanna Campbell Slan and I each wrote a novella so our readers could discover the other’s work. We’ve given away and sold hundreds of copies through that collaboration.
Personal Appearances
Each year I attend reader-focused events like Malice Domestic, Space Coast Book Lovers, Bouchercon, and Left Coast Crime. I don’t always sell many books at these conventions, but they give me a chance to make face-to-face connections—another valuable touch. And with so many AI-generated books flooding online stores, in-person interactions reassure readers that I’m a real person writing real stories.
Social Media
Between 4,200 Facebook friends and 500+ LinkedIn connections, I have a wide network where I regularly share dog photos, news stories, and links to my Substack. These posts don’t always translate directly to sales, but they keep my name—and my books—consistently in front of readers.
Non-Fiction & Guest Posts
I write for Novelists Inc’s newsletter and contribute guest posts to other authors’ blogs. In January, for example, I’ll appear on Dru’s Book Musings with a feature on Yesenia Ubeda Goldstein from Dog Grant Me and the upcoming Dog’s Kitchen.
Dog’s Kitchen is up for pre-order now at Amazon and other vendors for a December 15 delivery. But next week I’ll announce a special e-edition with extra features, available from December 1-14 through BookFunnel.
I also adapted content from my nonfiction book After the Party for various Jewish community websites, including Being Jewish Now and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Some of these sites paid me; others offered exposure, visibility, and new subscribers. All of them count as touches.
Being an independent author involves far more than simply writing books—it’s a full ecosystem of creativity, outreach, and long-term connection.
And now, speaking of creativity… time to get back to fiction. There’s a new Rochester New Year’s Eve short story that needs editing to go in that special BookFunnel edition.
With love and gratitude,
Neil
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