Welcome friends, family and vistors, to another Wednesday Writing Wisdom.
As many of you may know, I’m about to publish my YA Urban Paranormal story Believe. It’s the first in the trilogy called Hierarchy about a girl rise to power in a world she knows little about. I’ve been talking about this book for some time now and although it’s not out yet, I’ve already thought about how to market and publicize it—yes, before it’s published.
I’ve read several articles that suggest you get your
platform in place before the actual published book is out and on the bookstands,
or Ebook stands. As Indie Authors we
don’t have the luxury of a publisher that would take care of the publicity for
your book, so you have to do it yourself.
Learning how to promote your book is critical in todays
every increasing Ebook market. So you can never stop promoting, and you can
never start too earlier to get the word out.
There are so many things that an author should know and what
they should and shouldn’t do while promoting their books. The blog Book
Marketing BuzzBlog is a unique blog dedicated to covering the worlds of
book publishing and the news media. I suggest you read her article on Making
your book more Promotable.
I found this informative post about The
Do's and Don'ts of Self-Published Book Promotion and came away with a few very key ideas that
I want to share with you. I also suggest you read this article in its entirety.
I’ve narrow the list down to 6 keys to Successfully
Promoting.
1)
Treat your writing as a business- As with any
business you need to do your homework. Come up with a marketing plan, a budget
and operating capital. Don’t just write a book and think you’ve done such a
wonderful job, that the world will be at your feet. Wake up and stop dreaming. It’s your business
so get out there and work it.
2)
Produce an outstanding product- Everyday there is
more competition for that stop on a reader’s bookshelf or Kindle. Edited and
proof, even a “good story" can't compete if it’s littered with errors. Don’t have the money for an editor; ask a
college student or literary graduate. There might even be a barter system you
could utilize.
3)
Judge a Book- We all do it, what catches the eye
draws us to a book. So why not make your cover the best it can be. If you can’t afford a professional, ask
around. Perhaps there are people that know people that will do it for the
advertisement.
4)
Tell everyone you know- Talk about your book to friends and family who in
turn will talk to others about your book. Start a book club, with your book. Add a small blurb about it at the bottom of
your emails. Post of Facebook, Pinterest, Linkin and other sites. Talk to generate buzz.
5)
Get Free Coverage- Hit as many outlets as you can, Blog interviews,
features, book reviews, magazine features, etc. You want to cast a wide net to
catch the broadest fraction to draw people’s attention. Remember this is marketing at its best so
offer free stuff, reads, books etc., even contest to build urgency.
6)
Don’t
waste your time- Target your audience. Don’t
waste effort, time, or money on people who aren’t interested in your story. Do
a realistic assessment of which people your book will appeal to and target that
group.
7)
Promote
others- This sounds strange I know, but by promoting other authors in your
genre. By sharing their blog posts, reviewing their books and the like, you will
build good-will and a strong network of peer support for your current and
future projects.
Self-publishing is on the rise and many people are striking
out on their own. Getting your book
noticed is a big challenge but with the right resources and connections you can
grow your readership as you write your book, and when it’s time to launch
you’ll be already, because you’ve already
invested in your business and gained an eager audience that’s waiting your launch.
Along with the above tips, I've also linked to other
articles I've read on this topic.
Copyright © 2013 Glynis Rankin
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