Modern Author = A Digital Marketing expert & Talented Writer
Long gone are the days, where writer's could recluse and solely focus on writing. Nowadays, in order to succeed as an author you have to maintain a well oiled digital marketing machine. This is probably why we see significantly less classic material being produced. No more Robinson Crusoe. The world has gone deep into fast consuming commercialism and short term monetization. It's not enough that the author is an extremely talented writer but he/she must be a digital media expert as well. What are the chances of that happening?
Obviously there are the exceptions, the lucky few whose work get's noticed above the noise and is picked up by a traditional publishing house or goes viral within self publishing platforms. However, we are talking here about a handful within a million or more people. Even if you are relying in being picked up by a traditional publishing house, they will still expect you to promote your own work online.
Since the majority, if not all of us, have to do both. Let's discuss what media channels are an absolute must to drive interest and sales for your novel.
Author Website (An Absolute must - Shopify or Wix)
Blog (Post daily)
Buzzfeed (Post regularly)
Reditt (Post Regularly)
Pinterest (Post Regularly)
This is a pretty exhaustive list and obviously not all. No wonder many writer's get swept away by the digital media tidal wave. This is a double edged sword, because on the one hand you can get much more global exposure than in the past. On the flip side, the quality of writing will definitely suffer and we get swamped with commercialized junk.
Look on the bright side, if you manage to succeed in any of these digital marketing mediums, then the world is your oyster. You will succeed in any business, not just writing.
Thanks for reading.