Tips To Market Your Book

Tips To Successfully Market Your Book

As an Indie Author I wanted to get myself out there and meet like minded people,  new authors,  people as frustrated as I was with trying to get my name out there.  Now my first book is nothing to jump up and down about,  but it was my first published novel and I was excited.  When I couldn't even get a review for the book,  I almost gave up rendering this particular adventure just wasn't for me.  So what changed my mind?.....

You all did.  I met some pretty frustrated authors along my journeys.  First it was with the publishing process,  then it was the price of the book,  then it was the marketing itself.  No publisher can truly prepare you for what is in store for you as an Indie Author.  Not even close.

So what can we as authors do to help our sales and to get our names known to the public?  Well,  I will share with you the top 10 things I've learned along the way.

1.  First and foremost - treat it like a business.  The minute you got your book published,  you went into business for yourself.  Now you must always act professional and always try to sell yourself.

2.  Research your publisher well - Not only were the many authors and myself utterly confused by our contracts,  we really thought we would be getting services that we did not.  Now I won't mention any names for the publishing house,  but I will say if I knew back then what I know now,  I really would have done things differently.

3.  Edit, revise, edit,  and revise some more - because you are now in business for yourself,  you want your product to be just as professional as you are.  Find yourself a good editor,  let them find your mistakes and critque your work.  Never take criticism as bad.  Keep your head held high and keep moving forward.

4.  Publish in both print and E-format - E-books are becoming the meat of our industry.  They are cheaper and easier to accesss.  People can search online and find the book they want,  buy it,  and have immediate access without ever leaving the comfort of their homes.  E-books could very well be the gold mine of your sales,  don't throw that away.

5.  Make friends - find people that are in the industry.  There are so many book blogs,  other Indie Authors,  websites,  books even for you to find other authors such as yourself to befriend.  Once you make some friends,  you will realize you're not alone and when a road block presents itself,  it will be that much easier to cope because you have back-up.  People who've already been there.

6.  Get yourself some Reviews - there are a ton of Review sites on the internet.  Not all will accept E-book format or a PDF,  but there are a lot that do.  Do your research and find the sites that take PDF's.  Once you find them,  find their review policy and submission guidelines and inquire about a review.  Once you get a yes,  send them your book.  Many reviewers are able to post to Amazon and Barnes & Noble,  and this will only help your sales.

7.  Social network your new book - Use facebook,  twitter,  author groups,  email lists.  Let people know you have a new book released and what it's about.  You can even ask for reviewers this way.  Build a website about the book and/or a blog.  Refer people to these sites.  I have sites all over the place,  and if you google my name,  you will see that I am actually everywhere.  Keep talking about it and you will get some responses I guarantee.

8.  Inquire about being Interviewed - some of these new book blogs you are finding also host author interviews.  Don't be afraid to ask them if they would be interested in interviewing you about your new release.  You'd be surprised how many yes's you will get.  Bloggers love to interview authors.

9.  Join an author group such as Authors Supporting Authors (http://grou.ps/authorsnetwork)  or Book Blogs on Ning.  Once you have access to these groups,  you will
find they have sub-groups for reviewers,  bloggers that want guest posts and interviews,  book festivals that you can submit your book to,  radio shows, live chats.  The possibilities are endless.

10.  Take your book on Virtual Tour - virtual book tours are becoming the next big thing in book marketing and promotion.  People are finding it easier to appear on a blog for a day with greater exposure rates than sitting in a bookstore and hoping people will show up for your book signing.  You simply find an organization that sets up tours,  look at their packages,  and book your tour.  You will then hop from blog to blog over a span of one month to 3 months,  selling yourself and your book.  It's a fantastic way to promote your work and gain some publicity.

That is what I've found to be the top ten steps to successful book promotion.  I've had a lot of fun making this journey,  and I'm happy to pave the path to make it that much easier for the newest Indie Author on the market.  It wasn't always easy,  but I must say that I now am being paid my royalties every month,  and many times I've not even tried to sell my books and yet the money is still coming in.