Are you deep in the rabbit hole of marketing?

Do you sometimes feel that you keep doing and trying and doing and trying but nothing seems to be working? There are so many things going on around you, you don't know where to start or end and it's like a maze of confusion? Well, I guess you feel like Alice in Wonderland at this time or have been for a while and you are at your wits end, not knowing where to turn or what to do next. The good thing is that while Alice ended up in a maze of confusion, she did learn along the way and ended up a bit smarter and more mature in the end.

So let's try to use some of Alice's lessons in our own life and approach to book marketing. There are some famous quotes from the book that those who have read it, will immediately identify with. Even if you are unfamiliar, it's OK, by the end of this article, you would have felt you read the book.

I think the best place to start is with this conversation between Alice and the Cat:

"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.

"Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."

"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.

"You must be," said the Cat, or you wouldn't have come here."

Why I chose to start with this quote? Because I do think for you to be an author, you have to be mad. You must think I have gone bonkers. No, I haven't. I really do think you have to be mad, because for you to be brave and bold enough to write what you feel and are compelled to say and worse, share it with the world without being sure that the world wants to hear it, you must be mad. And being mad is an OK thing, once you recognise that and are willing to stand up and support what you wrote. I also think you must be mad, because so-called mad people see things differently and being a creative person adds to that type of thinking and vision that is sometimes misunderstood or misread. The good thing is that people like you are the ones who are curious, investigative, innovative and pioneering and we need more "mad" people like that in the world. So if you think you are mad, feel good about it, you are in a small but elite group.

"I can't go back to yesterday because I was a different person then."

That's right! When you have recognised that you are different and you have taken a seldom-trod path and people raise their eyebrows at you, it's hard to go back. Back to the norm? I think not! To top it all off, the type of activities you are required to do now to get your book promoted and into the hands of your readers is totally out of traditional thinking of the yesteryears. Things like ebooks, blogs, Virtual book tours, Amazon best-seller campaigns, book trailers, and the like, certainly beats out the usual back-of-room sales or placing on a store's bookshelf, right?

"You used to be much more... 'muchier'. You've lost your muchness."

Tell the truth! When you wrote your first book, you were so excited, you couldn't contain yourself, and you were ready to do any and everything to build momentum and get sales for your book. So why has that waned? You have lost your "muchness" when it comes to marketing your book and that includes yourself. Marketing is not a start-and-stop kind of activity.

Yes, there are times when there are temporary pauses, but the key word here is temporary! Nothing longer than a day should go by without marketing yourself and your book.

There are many apps, software or plug-ins that allow for automatic generation of what you need done. It's like having your marketing on autopilot. One thing that comes to mind is social networks. Things such as Tweetdeck and Hootsuite allows you to schedule all your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and other social networks messages to your fan base.

"Take some more tea," the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.

"I've had nothing yet," Alice replied in an offended tone, "so I can't take more."

"You mean you can't take less," said the Hatter: "it's very easy to take more than nothing."

What immediately comes to mind, is, are you someone who looks at the glass half full or half empty? Everything is perspective and perception. If you approach your marketing endeavour with a negative or doubting mindset, then it will only offer you negative results. If you have nothing now, as a new author, or lacking in "muchness", the only way to go is up! But you have to be a believer; you have to have the faith that, in time, with consistent and persistent efforts, it will reap you the benefits you deserve.

"If everybody minded their own business, the world would go around a great deal faster than it does."

This quote is applicable in all circumstances. Don't you agree? Don't worry about what others may be doing to promote their book. Your book is not theirs, and while some activities may be common between you, the fact is that the approach to marketing each and every book should be a customised one suited to your needs and your target audience. So the cookie-cutter approach is not the way to go. Be open to trying something new; something that is out of your comfort zone - innovative even - it might bring you some pleasantly unexpected results.

And I will end with this quote from Lewis Carroll's book, that should send a resounding reminder to all new and aspiring authors:

[Italics] "Speak English!' said the Eaglet. 'I don't know the meaning of half those long words, and I don't believe you do either!" [Italics]

Keep it simple, and keep your readers in mind when you are writing. Standard English, good grammar and sentence construction are always welcome and appreciated. If you don't understand what you wrote yourself, how can others? And how will it affect the way you are perceived? For some tips on promoting your book during this holiday season, check out my book. It's the first in a series titled: Holiday Series on Book Marketing - Lessons from Santa: 12 Tips and Secrets for Authors. Get your copy now! Go to 'Buy now with 1-Click' on Amazon to get it at the lower price. Here is the link http://www.amazon.com/dp/ B00AFJXSG4.

A handy tool to have in your arsenal, this concise book is available now as an ebook and helps the traditional and aspiring author to consider other creative, not-so-typical, out-of-the-box ways to marketing themselves and their books. By learning from the environment, culture and figures associated with the holiday seasons, this book is written in a light-hearted yet practical way that will leave you thinking and asking yourself "what will she think of next?"

Corine La Font is a certified author assistant and online book marketing specialist. Tune in to her radio programme at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ helpdeskja. She can be reached at info@theselfpublishingcenter.com or corine@helpdeskja.com or visit her website at www.helpdeskja.com.