You you’ve created a unique and powerful novel that you know the world needs to read. You’ve poured months or years of your time into this unique creation and now it’s time for the payoff. In the old days, a publishing company handled everything. In modern times, a great author can go it online and use the Internet as a powerful marketing machine for their artistic vision. Here are 7 brief tips on how to get started marketing your novel online.
1. Word of mouth is still powerful
If you’ve taken the time to write a novel, chances are you’ve let more than a few people know about it. The first people who are aware of your book, who read it and love it, are always your most powerful and cheapest marketing machine. Invite them to comment on the book on their social media platforms. Let them tell others about it. While word of mouth is great, it’s typically best after a large number of people have read the book. It will play a powerful part in the success of your novel, but there are a handful of things you need to do to get the ball rolling. Make sure there are people out there who are reading your book. Let reviewers read it for free. Invite them to review it on their websites.
2. Tell your story as the author
A good author biography is imperative. People don’t just read books. They want to know more about the author. Who are you? What is your artistic vision? How does the material in the book relate to the course of your lifetime? Readers are almost always curious about who wrote the book they love. Give them a great author bio to read and it will only serve to further your cause.
3. Put it up for sale on many different platforms
If you’re an independent publisher, book sales platforms are going to be huge for you. You’ve crafted this digital content. Now you need to put it up for sale on the world’s largest book sells platforms. Let people read your author bio on these platforms, let them know what your book is about, and invite them to review it in the comments below your book. The more places your book is for sale, the better it’s going to sell. Make sure that you don’t overlook some of the great niche sites that sell digital books in your specific genre.
4. Establish strong social media connections
No matter what anyone thinks of it, social media platforms are huge in the success of independent book sales. Make sure that there is a social media account for your book on all of the major platforms. You’ll be able to keep your interested readers updated on release dates, book signings, events surrounding your book release, and much more. It’s your own personal connection to the people who are interested in the book you’ve created.
This is also a very powerful way to connect with potential readers because they will be able to offer feedback on your ideas and events. It allows you to create a hugely personal bond with your readers, your customers.
5. Create Press Releases
Chances are your book is going to be competing against literally millions of other books out there, both old and new. It can easily be overlooked in this sea of independent publishing and you might get lost beneath the fanfare of other books. Don’t let this unfortunate event happen. There is a multitude of places where you can create free press releases or even paid press releases so that everyone is aware your book is now available to the public.
Use your unique writing skills and your unique vision to create excitement for your book. No one press release is going to be read by everyone so make sure that anywhere you can create a press release, you do. It’s just more potential word of mouth advertising for you. Once people see a press release for a book they’re excited about, they’ll share this and do some of your marketing for you.
6. Start a website devoted to your book
Every book release should have at least a small website devoted to its lifetime. According to Chris Walker, this strategy is growing in importance for authors and publishers competing for increasingly sparse shelf space. Keep a steady blog of information flowing out about your book so that people will want to know more about it. Most of all, make the blog interactive so that people can leave comments. If you have social media accounts for the book, make sure readers know they can share the good news about the book on their own accounts. Many people love to share books they’re excited about. Yours might be one of them.
Consistent content is the most important thing. It needs to be regular. It needs to be enticing. You’ve crafted a book you believe in. Now document its lifetime on a website so that people will easily be able to learn more about it and share it with people they love. Make sure you know about SEO techniques that will increase the chances your readers will find the website.
7. Network
Offline networking never hurt anyone. Once you’ve got the finished product, sign up for book events, book signings, create your own events, and more. Depending on the subject matter of your book, you can rent venues and invite interested readers to spend time with you. If you have a loyal following already, invite them to book signings where they can meet with you and discuss your previous books and the excitement over the new one.
New authors might find this difficult at first, especially authors who tend to work in privacy and don’t like social events. Break out of your shell and bring your book into the real world. Don’t be afraid to do a little offline networking and build your following.
Get out there and market!
Marketing a book in the digital world can be a challenging and frustrating experience. There are millions of books being churned out at any given time. Thousands appear daily. Don’t let your book be lost among this flood of new information. You wrote the book. You believe in it. You want to share it with other people who love to read. Use the digital marketing tools at your disposal to let avid readers know that your material is available and it’s great.
Set a clear budget for your marketing plan and stick to it. Most people don’t write solely to earn money. They simply want to share something of themselves with the outside world. While this is a noble vision, make sure that you stick to your budget because even though it’s nice to have others read your book, it’s also wise to stay within the financial possibilities. Most people don’t have an infinite marketing budget for a book. Instead, create an intelligent marketing budget that enables you to reach out to readers and let them know, “My vision is here,” while at the same time enabling you to live within your means during marketing. Not everyone is going to get rich from book sales. What you can do is make sure your readers know you’re out there and want to share something important.