An Expensive Mistake

When I first saw this ad for my book, I was thrilled … and full of hope. Now it just makes me feel sick.

As I’ve mentioned before, I love writing but have no idea about marketing. So when I heard about the new Readalot Magazine which was going to promote books and authors Australia-wide, I was immediately interested. I did lots of research, including phone calls with a person called Raechel, and was impressed by the company’s extensive distribution channels and strong background in marketing. I signed up, handing over $2,300 for multiple ads in the magazine for my books, a podcast, several advertorials about me as an author amongst other things. I knew I needed help and frankly, I was desperately happy to pay experts for this help.

Well, basically, in the end, all I got was the design for this one ad. Readalot Magazine never came out. I endured eight months of torment as hope turned to worry, before I had the news that the company had gone into receivership. Naturally I was upset about the waste of money, and of course I feel incredibly stupid for trusting these people. But actually, it’s the demise of my entire marketing strategy that continues to be the most upsetting. For I had relied on Readalot to promote my precious books to potential new readers, and now I have to figure out a whole different way to do this.