Do you have a self-published book marketing plan?
Is your book self-published? Have you figured out your self-published book marketing plan?
With the introduction of the Kindle in 2007 (only 7 years ago?) the publishing industry changed. It’s still changing. I believe the big city publishers continue to work their way through how they can survive. This means they’re skittish on taking chances on unknown writers – that’s you. Self-publishing may be the only way to get your work to the readers.
Assuming you’ve published to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, etc, how do you market your book? This new venue has resulted in thousands of more books becoming available to readers. How do you stand out in the crowd?
Here are some tips on how to market your self-published book.
- Make sure it’s well written. Polish, polish, polish and have it edited by someone who not only can find grammatical and punctuation errors, but can spot plot holes, characterization problems and continuity lapses. If you’re going to forgo the NYC publishing process, make your work look like it hasn’t.
- Find your reader. Yeah, easier said than done, but you know the type of audience who will read your book because that person is you. Where do you hang out? Where do you go to find new reads? Target those areas and you’ll find your readers. I know I’ve overlooked a couple of places where I could publish my books, hitting my target audience right in their pocketbooks.
- Brand yourself. I’ve made a concentrated effort to increase my brand awareness. I write paranormal romantic comedies, and try to capitalize on the “Extraordinary romances set in an alternate realities” that I have at the top of this blog.
- Use free internet marketing. This means Facebook and other social media. Don’t participate in every avenue there is, or you’ll stretch your time (better spent writing) too thin. Pick two or three venues that you enjoy. Comment on others’ posts. Be a presence. Be an authority on your niche. I have a Pinterest board dedicated to book marketing, check it out.
Making a plan and having goals are useless if they are not implemented. Break the goals down into manageable steps, create a calendar and find someone who can hold you accountable. Use the points listed above to reorient your self-published book marketing plan. You’ll see a steady increase in sales.
All the best!
Cheryl
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