Guerilla Marketing 101 – Shamelessness

When your Horoscope closes with, “Put on your best face and get ready to say hello, because you’ve got people to meet and they are just dying to get to know you[,]” I, for one, may not take it literally, but I take it seriously.

So, now that we are in full Christmas Shopping season, I would really like use my best lipstick on a pig face to say hello to all of those strangers who are potential friends and make a concerted effort to sell copies of the now complete(?) five novel set of The Claire Saga. Make them all potential readers.

With the publication of the fifth and final segment of this initial series – Where The Ley Lines Meet – I have provided the raison dêtre for why Claire and Jimmy first connected at Casa Claire. Why each member of the mystical motley crew were drawn into Claire’s gravity over the five books. Why this interdimensional and intergalactic assembly came together to save the earth. There is a reason. Pretty timely if you pay attention to Congressional hearings and the news.

And while you can read and enjoy each book on its own, the magic occurs when you binge read all five of them in order – TWA, AAA, KMAG, FJM and WTLLM. A perfect diversion from family interaction over the holidays, accompanied by hot coco or your favorite beverage of choice. Find that inviting nook, sit down, get comfy, and turn the page.

I am not pushing this group sale because selling books will put any real money in my pocket, it doesn’t. Ask most writers. Unless you are a darling of Oprah or the New York Times Sunday edition, you don’t make any decent money from the books. No advances and literally pennies of royalty per sale which get quickly gobbled up when you add in new and recurring marketing expenses. And you always have to spend money to be selling. The competition for the attention and money of the masses is stiff, brutal.

When you are like me – someone who hates being the guy to handle a sales transaction – I give most of my copies away as bread on the water marketing, like a first free hit of crack – and as my patient wife often reminds me – being a writer is the most expensive hobby I have ever had.

So, publishing five best sellers has not gotten me beyond the barely break even stage.

Why do I do it?

Simple answer is I like to entertain people with stories. I am great at cocktail parties.

I like to make people laugh, and occasionally, cathartically cry.

I like to offer readers an opportunity to escape the stresses of daily life. I like to foreshadow imaginative possibilities that often bleed over into reality. That prophetic voice in the wilderness.

I like to invite readers to become part of something different. To join the crew. To step through the pages and receive that silent nod and wink in a tacit greeting from one of the characters and become part of the imaginary collective. To be standing there as living witnesses after the events have occurred when the smoke finally clears.

I want to cause people to put down any one and hopefully all of the books at different points just to tell a friend, “you are never going to believe what I just read.”

And I want each and every reader to love Claire the Mule as much as I do.

Knowing I achieved these lofty goals would allow me to die a very happy writer indeed.

But, as I promise Lisa each day, there is a financial method to my madness.

Every time an individual reads TCS in its entirety I am one person closer to reaching the six-degrees-of separation connection to Hollywood, whose fuck you money in exchange for the film rights I control to TCS – the next LOTR or Harry Potter franchise – would actually free me financially and creatively to continue writing as a living, as opposed to keeping it as my moonlighting side gig.

Someone who loves to read is going to tell their west coast [or maybe a Southie in Nevada] non-literate cousin, brother/sister-in-law, or college bestie that they just read a series of books that is so cinematic it will blow your mind. Breathtaking and fun.

So, every day I wake up and wonder what else I can do to get my books in front of potential readers in a way that is not going to bankrupt me. Guerilla Marketing 101.

Yesterday, when I read that Horoscope, I decided to record another video – acting like the small town carnival barker – hawking The Claire Saga with my wonderfully annoying Bronx accent to the strangers on the Internet.

Like my books. No script, one take, Pure me.

I posted it on my regular social media accounts FB, Nextdoor, Linked in and X. (I still cannot master Instagram). That is usually good for a few dozen views across all platforms. But then I decided to post it on TikTok, where I’m good for a few hundred clicks.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/NxBqf5gDyVg1RRCt

And then TikTok reached out yesterday and offered to share it 9,000 times in 24 hours for sixty bucks.

I figured, “what the fuck do I have to lose?!”

https://www.tiktok.com/@wisecelt?lang=en

When I went to bed last night, I was thrilled to see that the video already had garnered 6616 views.

Okay, that is probably more looks over a one day stretch than my books have ever received. And just slightly more than the existing Amazon ratings for TWA, Book One of TCS.

But when I woke up this morning a few hours later, that number had jumped again, reaching Tik Tok’s promise to me. 9509.

https://www.tiktok.com/@wisecelt/video/7444569517096815918?lang=en

I hold all five books on screen for the entire video so that the titles sink in through osmosis.

I don’t know if any of this will translate into more sales, but it can’t hurt. And hopefully some TikTok junky will extend his/her attention span this one time and watch the entire minute plus video, and maybe tell a friend, and so on and so on . . . .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hyxmj1Yf6Dk

Because that is how The Claire Saga has gotten this far. Budget whisper campaigns in the modern day elevator of social media. Thirty seconds to place a bug in someone’s ear. Getting people to talk about it.

Because if I can get someone to pick up TWA, Claire works her magic and does the rest.

Well, there is no time to rest on my laurels, a new day dawns and it’s time to figure out one more way to get these books in front of potential buyers.

Maybe I’ll do another shameless dance.

Or better yet, maybe Claire will dance again,

However, if any of you fine, five readers have read all five books in The Claire Saga, help this old writer out and let’s see if we can get Hollywood and Amazon to take notice this Christmas. Tell someone you meet today all about your pleasant experience being immersed in the Universe and Heaven of Claire the Mule.

Tell them whatever moves you. That’s my recipe.

Well, I need to go cuddle some kitties and make my rounds.

You fine, five readers go wrap up your work week efforts by Thursday COB.

We need to leave Friday free for planning our Christmas shopping this weekend.

But, no matter what else we get up to, let us make today a great one.