Your book is about to drop and you need a marketing plan fast?
After you use our handy outline to start the book marketing process, remember: marketing is about engaging your audience consistently.
Consider your readership a vision of beauty across the room waiting for YOU to swoop in and woo her…or him. Your audience has to find you, discover your book, and then become devoted readers. In order to get them there, as a savvy authorpreneur, you’ll have to do some courting.
So let the road to engagement begin!
Here are thirty-five fool-proof tips that you should implement in the first 90 days to show your readers that you’re in it with them for the long haul:
1. Ask. Ask your network to help you spread the word. Tip: Post updates about your book to Facebook twice a week for the first six months. Ask your friends to forward any contacts that might help you sell your book.
2. Post updates. No matter how small, document your experience as a new author. Post pictures of your book events and share the highlights of your achievements. Even share the disappointments and challenges. Your audience will be compelled to encourage you and might even have ideas.
3. Give books away. Create a list of 10 to 25 people/resources that will help your book long term: associations, libraries, networking groups, universities, booksellers, and media. Tip. Enter the Goodreads Giveaway Program for authors.
If I’m going to write or publish a book, then I’m going to do my best to make sure that anyone and everyone who might benefit from the book gets a chance to read the book. -John Kremer
4. Become a speaker. Seek opportunities to speak. Book signings, readings, or as a presenter at a conference adds credibility and exposure for your book
5. Go to a conference. Conferences offer networking opportunities. Tip: Try to get a booth or table for selling your book.
6. Join a networking group. Toastmasters, BNI, Rotary, and other networking groups are pivotal in helping you attract speaking and promotion opportunities.
7. Guest blog. Select one to two blogs in the first 90 days of your release to provide a guest blog to. Connect your blogs to the solutions/intriguing content in your book.
8. Create a workshop or seminar. Events draw a crowd and ones that educate, position you as the expert. Tip: Continuing education programs or an online class are both good places to start.
9. Create a video or book trailer. A video or book trailer that can be viewed on your website or YouTube is spreadable and good conversation starter.
10. Start a newsletter. Gather photos, tips, book excerpts, and testimonials into a newsletter and send monthly to your contacts list.
11. Add “author” to all of your bios. Make sure your LinkedIn, Facebook, and all other bios, online or out in the world, include author.
12. Add your email, Twitter handle, Facebook URL, and website to all marketing materials. Make it easy for a stranger to know the various ways to contact you.
13. Create book business cards. Business cards are spreadable. Leave stacks at bookstores, coffee shops, libraries, and at events.
14. Invite readers to contact you. Make it clear in your book and on your website that you want to hear from readers. Create an email account just for your fans to contact you.
15. Take your book everywhere. Whether travelling on vacation or going to the grocery store, have your book accessible at a moments notice.
16. Update your website. Keep your website fresh with your events, testimonials, and photos. Your audience needs to know there is ongoing activity.
There is no secret formula for success. It’s simply a good item for which there is a need, at the right price, offered to the right market. -Dan Poynter
17. Introduce yourself as an author. Make it known when meeting someone new that you’re an author. Have your author business cards and your book ready to show.
18. Write articles for IPBA, Indie Writers Network, or Ezine Articles. These resources are available to you and are free.
19. Collect email addresses. At signings, events, readings, and on your website, capture the email addresses of everyone who comes to support you and keep them recorded in a single location for email blasts, event invites, promotions, and updates.
20. Follow up. Anyone who makes a connection with you should be followed up on. If only to thank them for reaching out, acknowledge every effort made to contact you and pursue all leads and referrals.
21. Seek reviews. Encourage your friends, family members, and the fans you will meet over time to post reviews. Also send your book to reviewers. Inviting folks to review your book invests them more in your book and increases their chances of telling someone verbally about it.
22. Visit bookstores and libraries. Make it a habit to visit the bookstores and libraries within a 50-mile radius of where you live. They want to meet local authors and networking with them will likely lead to promotion opportunities. You’ll also meet potential readers for your book.
23. Donate your expertise. Make it known to local non-profits, small businesses, schools, community centers, universities, and to your personal network, that you’re willing to donate your time and and a few copies of your book.
24. Thank your readers. Seek ways to thank readers, such as on Facebook, “thank you” emails/cards, or a periodic “thank you” blog or message in your newsletter. Gratitude goes a long way. Tip: If you have another product (book, seminar, short story, etc.) raffle that off as a thank you.
25. Become a resource. Research the resource avenues searched by your audience, such as association websites, how-to blogs, etc and have your book listed in those places.
26. Advertise. Facebook, Goodreads, and genre blogs are generally the best and most cost-effective avenues for authors to advertise.
27. Post solutions or quotes to Twitter and Facebook. For quick and ongoing engagement, pull nuggets in the form of quotes or tips from your book and filter them through Facebook and Twitter.
28. Say yes. Accept every offer to promote your book in its first few months. Even if few people will attend an event you’ve been invited to, do it anyway. Every point of contact counts when your book is first launched.
29. Interview experts. You’ll gain confidence and have more wisdom to share with your readers.
30. Collect evangelists. Seek opportunities to turn readers into evangelists. Recognize the supporters who go over and beyond just reading your book and find ways to encourage others to read it too. Tip: Create “invite-only” events for your VIPs or evangelists to acknowledge their efforts and also to energize them further as they spread the word about your book.
31. Repurpose your content. Creatively use your content beyond the book, such as through blogging, podcasts, presentations, workshops, audio books, and other sellable products.
32. Genuinely take an interest in your readers. Readers are more committed to authors whom they form connections with. Seek engagement with them where you learn about them. Make sure every connection isn’t about you.
33. Share the tough stuff. Meet your audience where they are. Share the pitfalls of publishing. Use personal stories that include mistakes you’ve made, touch decisions you’ve encountered, and challenges you’ve faced. Readers are more likely to engage with a relatable author, someone who is imperfect and transparent.
34. Promote other authors. Don’t overlook the power of engaging other authors in your book’s success. Build community with others writing on similar topics.
35. Design a professional website. Your website is often the first point of contact a reader has to get to know you. Make it a user-friendly site where they find what they need quickly.
AND as a bonus…
36 . Offer multiple ways to access your book. Offer your book as an e-book available on multiple e-readers. Offer ways to buy your book online through your website and other online book retailers like Amazon. Also make sure your book is accessible through libraries. Remember readers have various preferences for how they want to read new books: Smartphone, e-book, printed books, etc. Ask yourself continuously, “What do my readers want?” and provide it.
So very timely considering the stage I am at with Gunshot Glitter! Thank you ; ) Have tweeted and shared on my Facebook too, to spread the smarts x
Thanks Yasmin! This was a fun post to write because it served as a good reminder that there’s plenty to do to keep the marketing going. All the best on your book!
You have really good pointers here. If I could add to what you said in No. 19: Please collect email addresses. I self-published my first book ten years ago. I attended author events and did great promotion to eventually land a book deal. But I made one huge mistake. I did not collect a mailing list. Well, I did, but I didn’t. I collected email addresses at events, but was not disciplined about adding them to my database and as a result, I lost many of those addresses.
I have a mailing list now and readers are responsive, but I also missed opportunities to put people on the list who requested to be there early on, because I didn’t take that part seriously enough.
Your mailing list is your most prized possession. Build it. From the start.
Thank you so much for your feedback on number 19 and for sharing your experience! Such a great way to drive it home. Like you said, it takes enormous discipline to collect those addresses, but indie authors’ greatest asset is the community they build around their book and an email list helps do that. Thanks again for stopping by!
I’m in a local writing group, and promotion is a perennial topic. I sent a link to your list along the vine. Thanks for the compilation.
All the best,
Helen
Thanks, Helen! We appreciate it! Hope it helps.
Wow, I just wanted you to know that this resource list is still innovating young indie authors to this day. I just forwarded it to my older cousin because we’ve been mutually brainstorming on ways to bring in more audience! Thank you so much!
Wow Jasemine! Thank you for that compliment. It means a ton. Good luck to both of you! Let Wise Ink know if there’s anything else we can suggest.
Great advice! Many tips I have already began incorporating, but many were pointers that I hadn’t thought of yet. Thanks for sharing!