Start Here: Book Marketing Basics – The Self-Published Author’s Guide to How to Market Books
If you want your book to fly you need to become a pilot. If you are new to the self-publishing world and you don’t know much about book marketing, publicity or promotion, you are in the right place. Here are the very basics that self-published authors need to know to get their book into the hands of readers. This is book pilot school 101! The fact is, self-publishing a book can be relatively easy, but finding readers for your book takes an awful lot of work. But, if you lean into that work, take the time to learn how the publishing industry works and get to know your fellow authors and publishing colleagues it can be an immensely rewarding process. But, at this point you probably don’t even know what you don’t know. Here is a brief overview of the best book marketing strategies that you have at your disposal. Each of these topics is a world of its own – so think of this as your index to the book marketing basics. Author Platform Your author platform is how you present yourself to the world. This can include your website, social media accounts, group memberships, written articles and more. Think of it as an extended online CV, made up of your expertise, writing, video clips, links to relevant media and your own personal interests and outlook. Don’t be shy about discussing your accomplishments and what you have to offer. Author Website An author website really is a must for any author. It doesn’t have to be fancy or extensive (particularly if you are just starting out), but it does need to be a repository of information about you and your books – a place where readers and journalists are able to find out everything that they need to know. Your website can also offer a mailing list sign-up so that you are able to interact with you readers, give them special offers and more. Social Media It’s important for authors to connect with readers in the long term and social media is a way to do that which is convenient and largely free. While it can be time consuming and difficult to attract followers, personal, direct interaction can really give readers a sense of who you are. Author Biography An important part of your image as an author, your biography is needed on your Amazon profile, website, book information, press releases and elsewhere. Your biography isn’t a full resume of everything that you have done – it should be a concise and readable summary of your background, interests and accomplishments. Publicity Publicity is about spreading the word about your book via the media – and it can be and immensely powerful form of promotion. Reviews, interviews, news and features create bestselling books and are a vital part of your book marketing process. If you are comfortable talking about your book (and yourself) you can do publicity yourself, but keep in mind that it is a very time-consuming process to find the right people to talk to (let alone get to know them). Alternatively you can hire a publicity company to do it all for you. You can find out more about what to expect from a book publicity campaign here: https://cameronpm.co.uk/2023/06/26/book-publicity-isnt-only-about-book-sales-its-about-opportunity/ Reader Interaction There is no substitute for direct contact with authors. Use these opportunities to build excitement and to find out what readers like, want and need. Events Events, including speaking engagements, book festivals and launch parties, can build your profile and credibility as an author. They also provide photo and video opportunities that you can share on social media, your website and other places. Mailing Lists and Newsletters Build a mailing list through your website and social media accounts and send your audience regular updates or newsletters. Newsletters and mailing lists also give you the opportunity to offer competitions, additional content, special offers and incentives to those who follow you. Over time you can build an enthusiastic fanbase. Social Media (Again) The one part of your author platform that relies on interaction with readers (and potential readers). Take advantage of the chance to find out what your audience is after and learn from your fellow authors. Push marketing How you show the world what you have to offer. Book Cover Your book cover absolutely is a marketing tool. Never think of it as anything other than a marketing tool, as tempting as it may be to bring your own personal aesthetic opinion to it. The three elements of your book cover are title, design and description blub. The title and design (including any imagery) exist to capture the attention of the reader and encourage them to read the description (on the back cover or website sales page). The description exists to entice the reader to buy the book. Book Advertising For the vast majority of self-published authors, print, outdoor and broadcast advertising are too expensive to make a profit on. Books are relatively inexpensive products, and sales need to be extremely high in order to recoup the cost. As always there are exceptions for specialist content (a psychology book advertised in a psychology magazine – maybe?) but it certainly is not a route you are likely to go down for a novel or a general-interest book. What can work, under the right circumstances, is book advertising on Amazon, Facebook and other online platforms. Even here, though, it is easy to waste money and the margins can be small. Online advertising tends to work best for books where there is a clear segmented audience or for a series (so potential buyers may end up purchasing more than one book). Do your research before you spend! Book Promotion Don’t be afraid to play with the price of your book. You (and your publisher if you have one) need to ensure that the book is not sold at a loss, but sometime a little discount here and there can go a long way – such as at live events
Author Advice: Book Publicity Isn’t Only About Book Sales – It’s About Opportunity!
The question that I get asked most is: How many books will I sell if you run a media publicity campaign for me? And I will always be open and say that there is no clear answer – I simply do not know. It depends on a lot of things, such as what happens in the course of the campaign, how people respond to the cover, how much people like the book and how easily readers can find and buy the book. But while it is the one question that I cannot answer, I am always pleased when an author asks it. It means that they are thinking about their book as a business and business is about creating opportunity.
Ready to Launch! The Self Published Book Marketing & Publicity Timeline
The publication date of your book isn’t just the day when your book becomes available for readers to buy, it is also a target date for all of your pre-publication marketing and publicity activities. Plan well ahead and try to get as much of your activity as possible.
We Are All Book Reviewers Now! How to Get Reviews for Self-Published Books
There is no area of book publicity that has changed more over the last few years then the ‘book review’.
Author Advice: 7 Steps to a Great Radio or Podcast Author Interview
Everybody worries about upcoming interviews, from first-timers who do not know what lies ahead to experienced pros who have done it all before but still feel that flutter of nerves as the time approaches.
Book Promotion Advice: How to Get Your Book onto Television
Television is the Holy Grail of book publicity. The BBC Breakfast show has an audience of five million viewers and even a regional television show, such as Meridian Tonight, has an audience of about 350,000 people every night. Television publicity is simply the best way to reach as many people at one time as possible.
Author Advice: How to Write a Book Blurb – 10 Top Tips
The last words that you write for your book will be the first that your audience reads. You’ve finished writing your book, it’s edited, designed and is just about ready to go to press.
5 Ways to Re-energise Your Backlist Books
Promotional opportunities are almost always aimed at new books – the media, retailers and readers all love to have the latest reads. So how do you keep the momentum going with your older titles? They are, after all, just as good as when you first published them.
Crowdfunding: It’s Not Just About The Money
Crowdfunding has revolutionised other industries and it is now starting to impact the publishing world. Like indie publishing, crowdfunding is is about creating accessibility to book publishing for everyone.
Book Marketing Advice: Train Your Book Publicity Brain
You are an author because you enjoy writing. You enjoy the creativity, the freedom, the solitude (within limits). If you write fiction, you may enjoy creating vivid characters and making imaginary places real. If you writing non-fiction you enjoy explaining,…