Marketing a book doesn’t begin after the book is printed – it should start before. To help your book succeed, not only do you need an author brand, but also powerful marketing before the book is released. Keep these tips in mind for great online book marketing:
Use an Eye-Catching Cover
Selling a book begins the moment your potential buyer glances at the cover. Consequently, that cover must look interesting and professional when readers view it online through stores, or through your personal website. If the cover quality is bad, or even the quality of the photo, readers will assume the book’s content is bad too. See tips for designing a great cover here.
Social Media
Writing is your business, which means you’ll need a professional looking website where readers can easily find your work. In addition to a website, choose three forms of social media (to start with) where you can advertise your book. We recommend that at least one of these be a blog, since blogs are a powerful way to increase your products SEO, and make your book easier to find online.
Additional options are Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google+, or any of your other favorite social media sites. The key on these sights is to be social. Be human. Don’t just advertise your books here. Share other meaningful content relating to your book’s themes. Providing your readers with valuable information will help them trust you as a resource and create a deeper level of interest in your books.
Guest Blog Posts
Guest blog posts are a great way to spread the word about your upcoming release. When guest posting on another writer’s blog, posts can include advice about writing, behind the scenes information about your book, excerpts, or Q&A with readers. They can even include reviews by the guest blogger hosting you!
To make guest blogging easy, create your own promotional kit, in which you can include images such as blog tour banners, cover thumbnails, and links to your books, making it easy for the guest blogger to share your post, and providing consistency (author branding) for all the blogs that kindly host you as a guest.
Lastly, remember to return the favor! One reason that it’s so imperative to have a blog of your own is so that you, in turn, can host guest blog posts for authors whose books you have enjoyed!
Make Your Book Easy to Buy
On your social media sites, and especially on your blog and website, make sure you have links that are easy to see that lead directly to your book, making your books easy to buy. Potential readers will grow frustrated or loose interest if they have a hard time locating your book.
Giveaways and Discounts
Giveaways and discounts can be a great way to raise awareness of your book and create a sense of urgency. By offering a special deal for a limited amount of time, readers will be encouraged to purchase your book now, rather than wait and eventually forget about it.
Giveaways in particular can be a great way to earn reader reviews, especially when those giveaways are done through Goodreads. Goodreads puts it this way:
“Roughly 60% of the giveaway winners review the books they win. The more books you can offer, the more reviews you’re likely to get.” ~Goodreads
Book reviews will help establish trust within your brand and help you sell more books in the future. Learn more about using Goodreads to help promote your books here.
Don’t make the mistake of hosting giveaways or offering discounts too often, otherwise, readers will simply wait for the next offer to role around before making a purchase. All things in moderation.
Need Some Help?
Here at Alexander’s, we love to help budding Indie Authors create great products. If you’re looking for a printer to self publish with, we can help by providing you advice on cover design, paper type, and even the best types of book covers so that you can create a quality product that meets your needs and budget.
