Ready to sell your self-published book?
Keep reading.
Book marketing is a big stumbling block for many indie authors, but with a bit of outside-the-box-kinda-thinking and a few tips from yours truly, your book might just get the breakthrough it deserves.
(And you thought writing your book was the tricky part!)
Grab yourself a notebook and pen, work through these quick and easy book promo ideas and see which ones work for you.
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Write a blog about your book
Write a blog about your book; the idea behind your book, the time it took to write, the changes you made from the first seed to what it finally looks like now and the publishing journey. As a writer, you’ll have heaps of stories about your book to share, so get book blogging as regularly as possible!
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Guest blogging can help you sell your book
if you’ve written a non-fiction book, create a few guest blogs around that topic and submit to well-known/reputable sites, and include a short link to your book in the bio. NB: I’m always open to accepting guest blogs and helping fellow indie authors out – get in touch if you’d like to be considered.
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Interview other authors or indie authors and add the written content to your blog/website
An author website or blogging platform is a great opportunity to widen your reach and broaden your visibility as an author. The interviewee will tell their crowd about their interview with you, too, which will increase your traffic. You could consider recording the interview and turning it into a podcast or a Facebook Live as well.
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Social Media
You can talk about your book before you’ve published (even as early as the writing process), during the publication process and as much as you like afterwards. Schedule it into your social media content regularly because different people will see it on different days. If you’re stuck for content ideas you might like to read through one of my other blogs: Social Media Content Ideas to Promote Your Book.
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Add a hyperlink to your book on your email signature
Have you written a business book? Put a link to your book in your email signature so that everyone you’re in contact with can easily click through to the book’s sales page. Simple but effective.
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Write a press release
If you have a local newspaper or radio station in your town, then tell them about your book. Write a press release which details the ‘Who, What, Why, When & How’ of your book and submit it to the editor. As they say in my neck of the woods, shy bairns get nowt! And believe me, the local media are always looking to champion local people.
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Share your book news with your email subscribers
Once your book is published (or on pre-order) let your email list know how to grab a copy. If you’ve done your job properly and warmed them up, they’ll be ready to buy your book.
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Create an author website
it doesn’t have to be complicated, all you need is a basic site which shares links to your books, tells your web visitors (and potential book-buyers) a bit about you and how they can make that all-important purchase.
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Bag yourself a speaking gig
Whether it’s at a local business networking group, your own writing group or book club, or even the WI, talking about your book in front of an eager audience is a sure-fire way to sell your book.
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Organise a virtual book launch
Set up your own online book launch and host it on social media. Drum up plenty of interest beforehand by hyping up your social media followers/email list subscribers and read extracts from the book to pique their interest.
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Give your book away with Goodreads Giveaways
Obviously, you shouldn’t give too many away for free but this could potentially get hundreds, if not thousands, of eyes on your book. Find out more about Goodreads Giveaways here: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway
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Set up a YouTube channel
Do you know that Google owns YouTube? That’s why setting up your own YouTube channel and sharing videos isn’t just about connecting with your reader, it’s also a fab SEO opportunity for driving traffic to your website and consequently boosting your book sales figures.
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Ask for reviews
Ensure you have a page in your book which makes it easy for your readers to leave you a review. Either get them to share it on Amazon, or on your Author Facebook Page, or by word of mouth to friends, family and colleagues or on Goodreads. Offer them an incentive if needs be, like a snippet from the first chapters of your next book.
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Reach out to your audience on their territory
If you’ve written in a particular genre, join a few book forums such as: http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk and if and when the opportunity strikes to talk about your book do so. If you’ve created a business book, consider LinkedIn as a way of getting in front of potential buyers.
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Advertise
Even if your budget is small, you shouldn’t underestimate the power of advertising. Consider boosting a post on Facebook or Twitter and set your own maximum daily payment. As with all of these suggestions, see which work for you and which don’t before you start actioning.
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Approach local outlets to sell your book
Have you created a book which is location-specific? IE, have you written a children’s book set in the Lake District, for example? Are there tourist centres which may consider selling your book for free or a small commission? What about local coffee shops or gift shops?
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Book-signings
Organise a local book-signing/reading at your local library. Not only could it potentially result in book sales, but it’s also an opportunity to encourage more footfall through the library doors (and that’s something every library in the country needs support with).
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Print some business cards or bookmarks
As a provider of self-publishing services, I’ve gone for bookmarks over business cards and they always receive a smile when I hand them out at networking events. They don’t have to cost very much either (try www.vistaprint.com to get you started).
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Research key influencers in your genre
And once you’ve created a list of, say, the top 50/100 follow them (I said ‘follow’ not ‘stalk’ by the way) on social media, comment on their blogs and posts and get your virtual foot in the door.
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Set up your Amazon Author Central page
If your book is on Kindle/KDP then make sure you set up your Amazon Author Central page. This will also improve your Google rankings too.
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Organise book readings
Have you written a memoir which would appeal to a specific age group or lifestyle group? Could you organise a reading in a care home, for example? Or have you written a children’s book and could you organise a reading hour at a local school / scouts group / brownies? This is a great way to boost your book sales.
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Check out the options available with Amazon KDP
Read all about KDP Select – many self-published/indie authors swear by using this as a way to sell more books and gain more followers: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201723090
Ready to promote your book now? And boost those KDP royalties?
As you’ve probably found out for yourself by now, marketing your self-published book must be an ongoing process. Some days you’ll have a breakthrough and then other days, well… you’ll need to be patient.
Overnight success is a rarity but if you keep sharing and plodding consistently, keep doing something to promote your book (instead of just wishing today will be the day someone really important spots it on Amazon!) and those sales will keep trickling.
Check out my book – 77 Book Marketing Ideas for Self-Published Authors on a Tight Budget.
Available in Kindle and paperback (which is also a workbook). Don’t leave your book marketing to chance. Get to work on it today!
I’d love to hear from you if you’ve tried and tested any of these methods to promote your book.
Michelle Emerson
Self-Publishing Services UK
