You’ve written your book, proofread it, don’t some editing, created a book cover in Canva that you’re happy with and you’ve uploaded it to Amazon.
Congratulations.
You’re now going to be a published author.
However, as a self-published author, your work has only just begun, especially if you’d like to make some money from your book.
There are thousands of self-publishing authors out there, some very experienced, so if you want to sell some copies then you are going to have to start marketing it. (Actually, you should have started marketing your book as soon as it was finished!)
Whilst you may not have the tools and public relations staff that a publisher or established author may have, and you don’t have a publisher setting up a book tour, you still have some tools available to you which can be very effective.
1. Your website
As an author, you really must have a website. It can tell people about you, tell people about your book and keep them up to date with future books that you publish. Some author even becomes authorpreneurs helping their audience by providing courses, coaching and other services to supplement their income.
2. Your email list
Once you have your website, your next stop is to start building your email list. You can keep your readers up to date with what you’re writing, the release dates for your book and even offer them a lower launch price to entice them to buy your book when it’s released and tell their friends too.
3. Your blog
Technically, your blog is part of your website, but it can also be like your newsletter and email list: letting your audience know some of the background to your book or demonstrate your expertise. The goal is to let your audience get to know you.
4. Social media
There are loads of social media channels available to you, allowing you to tailor your content to your audience. It does however give you the option of running competitions for signed copies of your book, virtual book tours and live q and a’s via live video.
Some authors also have Facebook groups to support their audience and sell other products around the premise of their book.
5. YouTube
YouTube is one of the biggest social media channels and can allow you to market your book through the power of video. This could be in the form of a trailer, like an advert for your book, it could be that you develop your own channel talking about your area of expertise. At the end of each video, you could include a call to action to buy your book or another product or service that you have.
6. Press Release
Write and distribute a press release for your book. Make sure that it’s newsworthy and talk about how your book’s topic solves a problem for your audience. Book press releases can help build awareness for your book and possibly generate media attention.
7. Book Groups
There are a number of groups available online that are specific to authors and readers. Look for relevant groups and join. Start connecting, sharing, and promoting one another’s books online. Goodreads is a good place to start
Marketing your book can take as much time and energy as writing it, if not more. However, your book won’t sell itself.
If you want to sell more books, you’ll have to invest a bit of time into creating a marketing strategy and then following it through.
Monitor your different marketing tools to see which ones work best for you.
Get to know your audience, see what they like and what they need to hear, and then tailor your content to them.
It takes time to get comfortable with this, but it’s worth the effort and gets easier over time.
If you’d like to have a chat about your book, or your idea for a book, book a call.