As a self-published author I’m very active in our close knit community. During chats about how to market our books the complaint I hear the most is: It’s so hard to market my book! Saying this is absolutely correct but, marketing doesn’t have to be boring. It can be stressful trying to figure out the different marketing techniques that work. That’s why part of your job as a self-published author is to research, research, and research! However, everyone doesn’t have the time to research marketing techniques so, here are 3 of my favorite ways to market my book!
1. Being you on FB: FB for me has been one of my favorite marketing tools and I recommend every indie author use it as well. I will start off by saying I recommend using your personal page as your author page. Facebook has implemented a nasty rule that in order for all your author page members to see your work you have to pay. Using your personal page avoids all that! It’s ok to ask people to buy your book every now and then but being yourself is the best way to go. Don’t be afraid to share other people’s work, chat on other people’s statuses and post your own funny statuses (not book related). Building real relationships takes you further than just mindlessly posting for promotions. You are a writer and it is easy to get sucked in to being on it all day. However, just 20 minutes a day can make a huge difference in sales.
2. Have your own Blog: Back in November my blog turned a year old! Does it take a little time away from my writing? Yes! Is it totally worth it? Heck yes! I really believe every author should have a blog. What you decide to do with it is totally up to you however. You can write about your creative process, give book announcements or even help to promote other authors. My favorite thing to do on my blog is to promote other authors. There are so many talented authors out there and the beauty of the book world is that there is no need for competition because there is plenty of room for all of us. You are free to post about your book but why not do a book review or interview another author every now and then. I love working with other authors and learning about their work. This also builds real relationships with other authors and in turn they will be more likely to share your work.
3. Blog Tours are a Must: Blog tours are a lot of work and any author will tell you it can be very tiring. However, participating in these blog tours are a must. They are a great way to be open with readers, share your work and meeting new people. Don’t be afraid to be candid in your interviews, write intriguing guest posts and interact with the commenters! It is hard sometimes for me to write and get all the materials together but I’ve met new readers who I love on every tour and recommend all authors go on a blog tour. You can plan them yourself (it does take a lot of time though) or you can have someone plan it for you.
I’m always interested in learning new ways to promote my work. These are just a few of the ways I’ve learned. Let me know some ways you have marketed your work and tell me who how they worked for you!
advice for writers
blogging
book marketing
facebook
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Janiera Eldridge
Sould Sisters
Virtual book tours
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