The most powerful and essential steps you can take toward promoting your book begin long before the actual writing of the book. Plan out exactly how youre going to market your book, using the tools above as laserfocused weapons to slice through the existing noise of everyone elses self published book. Chances are, youre working with a smaller publisher that. To market a book, identify your target audience and publish content like blog posts, photos, and tweets at least twice weekly to build up a fan base. These fun, short videos are a fun way for readers to get to know you better, which is really key in figuring out how to market a self. A grand but overused tactic to improve kindle book sales is to spread your books amazon sale page link to as many free and paid book promotion sites as possible. Here are 9 uncommon tips that ive used to turn my books into bestsellers, including my selfpublished. Even the most fabulous self published book will not sell itself. Your book may also appear in shopping cart recommendations, frequently bought together, and many other places on the amazon website. Create those video shorts for your amazon book page. I just published my first kindle e book and working on my second. It took a lot of time and effort to write and publish it.
Well help you learn how to market a selfpublished book with these basic tips. The biggest thing to remember when marketing your selfpublished book is that amazon is your friend. Social media is a must to promote your book or short stories. Its hard to command that kind of following before your book has been published. If you would like to sell your selfpublished book on amazon, youll need to know how to get it listed for sale on the website. Promote your book online without spending a lot of money.
The title of this post should be credited because i have been asked how to market a selfpublished book or how to promote a book, so many times. In general, the function of a book marketing department in a traditional publishing house is to help the various sales departments get your book in front of bookstore buyers, book distributors and other channels, to make sure your book is available and ideally displayed and promoted through them to the consumer public. In that time, do everything you can to get the word out so that as many people as possible download your. Then do your very best to implement the basics of book. The time to think about promoting your book is before it comes out. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Author julie broad explains the 5 best ways she used to sell her books. How to market your book and make it a bestseller dextra. Its equally important to inform people about your book and its benefits for them. Be wary of marketing consultants who offer to help. Jul 19, 2018 put a link to your book in your email signature and if youre a bestselling author, then make sure you say that. Whether youre working with a traditional publisher or youre going the self publishing route, one things the same. This is a vital step in the promotion and marketing of your book, andif done rightwill make the rest of the process infinitely easier. Apr 02, 2020 whether you have 1 book or 20, find out the exact launch, tactics, and blueprints the top 1% of authors use to generate reliable royalties, market your book effectively with less effort, and beat the amazon algorithm to increase your book s visibility.
When you publish a book on kdp, amazon starts merchandising your book for you right away. Check out the list of articles ive compiled below to learn more about how to begin your book marketing campaign. Dec 17, 2016 karen inglis is a successful selfpublished childrens author with close to 10,000 sales across five titles. Top tips for how to market your book on amazon and facebook. Three years before the book is publishedif you canstart building a network of. Promoting a self published book is hard work and there are no shortcuts. How to market and sell your book in five steps forbes. Jul 08, 2014 your selfpublished book wont sell itself. Promoting a selfpublished book is hard work and there are no shortcuts. How to market a selfpublished book while youre living. Chances are, youre working with a smaller publisher that has an even smaller marketing. Self publishing is on the rise and many people are bypassing the traditional route of seeking the affirmation of publication worthiness via commercial publishers and are striking out on their own, with. I wont, however, because it would end up being a very long list of credits. Book marketing for selfpublished authors marketing takes planning, organization, and consistent action.
How to publish a book and sell your first 1,000 copies. This is a vital step in the promotion and marketing of your book. Some other ways to market suggested here may appear unnecessary. How to market your kindle ebook in 10 steps business 2. How to selfpublish and market your book books for writers 1 kindle edition by penn, joanna. Mar 15, 2016 marketing a book on amazon is a very specific task and can be different from general book marketing, since you have to play by amazons rules. Place an ad in a local paper or magazine announcing that your book is for sale. For a selfpublished author, marketing the book can be more important than writing it. There are two main methods for getting your book listed for sale on amazon, as well as a couple of ways to make your book more attractive to readers. How to market your selfpublished book and support wordofmouth sales. There are a ton of tactics and resources that amazon alone provides to help you successfully market. In my opinion, writing and publishing your book is only half the battle.
Ideally, you should start talking about your book when you begin writing. Your friends, family, and core readers should never have to buy a book. Self publishing is on the rise and many people are bypassing the traditional route of seeking the. Marketing selfpublished books explained in 9 basic steps. How to market your book is a question that haunts many authors and writers. Places where amazon markets your book to customers on the amazon website may include. But the good news is that marketing is also about fostering connections and relationships, which can be rewarding to you and your fan base.
Weve also provided the programs in the table below to help you. Whether youre working with a traditional publisher or youre going the selfpublishing route, one things the same. To get your book into local physical book stores like barnes and noble, you will be required by the book store giant to submit a viable marketing plan along with your book. Find out who your book appeals to, get to know those people well, and be where they are, both online and off. Three years before the book is publishedif you canstart building a. Nov 05, 20 even the most fabulous self published book will not sell itself. How much money are you able and willing to spend marketing. This may seem oldfashioned, but it can make a difference. Marketing is the one aspect authors, again and again, lament gives them the biggest headaches. How to market selfpublished books in the digital world. Weve also provided the programs in the table below. Book marketing creates awareness for a specific book among booksellers and consumers. When youve just spent time finishing a project, that can be hard to remember.
Jan 17, 2018 your cover photo is premium real estate to market your book. Aug 01, 20 promote and market your book like a master. Marketing a book is not something that a lot of writers are aware of. Five tips on how to promote your selfpublished book. Here are 9 uncommon tips that ive used to turn my books into bestsellers, including my self published wall. Most published authors, especially of the first time variety, wont have access to a fullsuite of marketing. Dont enable the digital rights management option in your kdp dashboard. My friend mike worley works with publishers to market books, and he told me he can predict sales three months later by the number of copies he gives away today. Selling your selfpublished book can be a challenge, especially if youre publishing for the first time and youre not quite sure how to promote your book. Heres what you need to understand in order to jumpstart your book marketing campaign on facebook.
Have all of the above in place well before you launch your book. Jun 25, 2019 in general, the function of a book marketing department in a traditional publishing house is to help the various sales departments get your book in front of bookstore buyers, book distributors and other channels, to make sure your book is available and ideally displayed and promoted through them to the consumer public. How to market your book on facebook self publishing advisor. Mar 25, 2020 create those video shorts for your amazon book page. This short book top tips for how to market your book on amazon and facebook is a howto to quickly and correctly start using amazon and facebook as part of your book marketing efforts. There are a ton of tactics and resources that amazon alone provides to help you successfully market your book.
While it can take up to two years for your book to be published, thats how much time youll need to find and attract readers who will buy the book when its released. Prepare your book with a good cover and professional editing. So make sure you have a fantastic book first and foremost. Next, create an email list to directly reach fans and potential buyers on a regular basis. Lets go through a quick list of some tips and tricks you can employ to help make marketing your book more successful. Marketing plays a huge role in any books success, but this is especially true for selfpublished books. Nov 18, 2019 ideally, you should start talking about your book when you begin writing. If playback doesnt begin shortly, try restarting your device. Nov 18, 2014 have all of the above in place well before you launch your book.
How to market your selfpublished book without a budget or. Below are some key steps you need to take in order to learn how to market your book on amazon. Immediately after youve published your book, its time to get into marketing. At the very least, begin promoting your book as soon as you have the book deal. Whether you are traditionally published or self published, you can benefit from these free opportunities to market your book.
Whether you are traditionally published or selfpublished, you can benefit from these free opportunities to market your book. This lets you put the kindle version of your book for free for five out of every 90 days. In that time, do everything you can to get the word out so that as many people as possible download your book. Most published authors, especially of the first time variety. This was the number one suggestion for new authors by dan dillon at lulu. These fun, short videos are a fun way for readers to get to know you better, which is really key in figuring out how to market a selfpublished book successfully.
If theres one question that is eternal and ongoing in our author community, then its how to sell more books sales are always on our mind and wherever we. Learn how to how to market a self published book with these basic tips for marketing your book to both existing and new audiences. My first selfpublished book sold less than 100 copies in 10 years and has five. This short book top tips for how to market your book on amazon and. How to market a selfpublished book while youre living the. But if you are publishing by yourself and wish to be read by as many among your target audience as possible, you will have to learn an additional skillhow to market your books. I used nine techniques to promote my book, financial blogging. The biggest thing to remember when marketing your self published book is that amazon is your friend. Ask them to read it, and if they enjoy it, to share it with their friends.
Marketing a book on amazon is a very specific task and can be different from general book marketing, since you have to play by amazons rules. How to market your selfpublished book why selfpublishing is a longtail business the most important 15 seconds in the life of your book. Five simple ways to promote your selfpublished book. After publishing your book, youll want to promote it to prospective readers. Plan out exactly how youre going to market your book, using the tools above as laserfocused weapons to slice through the. Developing a promotional strategy webinar recording youtube.
How to market a selfpublished book gatekeeper press. Whether you have published your book with us or an outside publisher, we can help you find your market. Author julie broad explains the 5 best ways she used to sell her books including the combination that helped her get her book to. Book marketers also generally oversee online consumer promotion in some houses this falls to the publicity department. You have 851 x 315 pixels worth of space to market your book. Check out these tips and discover how to promote your book successfully. For a self published author, marketing the book can be more important than writing it. The goal of marketing, of course, is to generate book sales.
You want your book to show up in search listings when people search for keywords related to your book. Be wary of marketing consultants who offer to help you market your book for a fee. So i apologize to all those who have asked me these two. Many selfpublished authors have no interest in sales, advertising, or business in general, as they tend to be altruistically artistic. There are two main methods for getting your book listed for sale on. I will begin my advice on how to promote a selfpublished book with the three key. Jul 12, 2018 if you would like to sell your self published book on amazon, youll need to know how to get it listed for sale on the website. Here are five tips on how to promote your selfpublished book. Keep track of everyone you meet as you research and write the book.
Mar 29, 2019 to market a book, identify your target audience and publish content like blog posts, photos, and tweets at least twice weekly to build up a fan base. How to market your self published book and support wordofmouth sales. What does it take to promote your selfpublished book. You can promote your book yourself with email, websites, and other outreach.
Marketing your book for selfpublishers and indie authors. The title of this post should be credited because i have been asked how to market a selfpublished book or how to promote a book, so many. Top tips for how to market your book on amazon and. Yes you might find your book being given away on free sites but more sharing more people know about you.
But if you are publishing by yourself and wish to be read by as. Now that the sequel to my first travel memoir is in the works, i intend to implement what ive learned as i market my second book. How to list and sell your selfpublished book on amazon. Whether you have 1 book or 20, find out the exact launch, tactics, and blueprints the top 1% of authors use to generate reliable royalties, market your book effectively with less effort, and beat the. Writing is the best way to get ongoing publicity for your book. Nov 22, 2016 this lets you put the kindle version of your book for free for five out of every 90 days. Theres a big difference between making your own book and marketing it. Ive published two books by that route, and from my experience they dont do a lot of marketing either. I will spend the rest of my life marketing my book, and ive really only just begun. Then do your very best to implement the basics of book promotion that i have outlined above. With a few key steps, an author can build a loyal following, get the word out about his or her work, and get. This is a vital step in the promotion and marketing of your book, andif done rightwill make the rest of the process.