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How to Promote Your Book the Smart Way
Sunfire
CONTENTS
Introduction
All authors, regardless if they went with a traditional publisher or opted to self-publish it, have to do one thing that will help them move copies. This is more true for the latter, as their livelihood depends on people buying their books. That one thing is to promote and this article takes a deep dive into how to promote your book in a way that motivates people to buy it.
Promoting a book is king in the publishing world. It’s the only way people learn about the novel you worked so hard to create. If you thought you didn’t need to do anything and that the masses would be clamoring to buy it, think again. No successful author ever sold a lot of copies by not doing any promoting at all.
A popular method in how to promote your book is to use the tried-and-true tactics that have worked for decades. Tactics such as going on radio shows to discuss your book are still heavily prominent in the digital age. Using these tactic is a surefire way to reach potential customers who prefer traditional marketing.
Though traditional marketing is still important, you still want to promote your novel digitally. More and more people than ever are using their computers, smartphones, and smart tablets to search for and purchase things online. Many authors are following suit as they recognize the power of this ever-growing market.
Despite these two avenues, there’s a sizable number of authors who eschew the typical way to promote their books. Instead, they unleash their inner creativity to come up with innovative ideas that enable them to stand out no matter what. Sometimes the revolutionary techniques they use catch fire and become the standard.
This is the fifty-fourth article in the writing a fantasy book series. If you like this one and are interested in seeing our other ones, check out our blog page where you’ll find one that catches your eye!
The Old-Fashioned Way in How to Promote Your Book
For many decades, authors seeking to promote their books had to work with the traditional publishers who dictated the methods in which they promoted them. The rise of the digital age may have changed how they did it but these methods are still essential in this day and age. As such, they ought to be a cornerstone in your arsenal.
One great strategy to use in how to promote your book is to organize and go on a book tour. You can crisscross the country and meet different people in different cities and towns. You can hold events where you sign copies at the local bookstores. The people who attend your events have their own networks that they can use to reach people you otherwise couldn’t. They can persuade their family and friends to buy your book.
Another technique is to appear on local radio shows. Authors like to pitch their books to the audience as well as interact with those who call to ask questions about their works. Additionally, the disc jockeys interview them and they can also use their clout in the community to persuade their viewers to go out and get them.
Besides appearing on radio shows, authors can also be on the local news channels. This is one of the best traditional tactics to use in how to promote your book since their viewers get to see you live as you talk about it. Appearing on these channels humanizes you and makes it easy for people to form a connection with you, increasing the odds they’ll buy a copy of your book.
There’s a literary/book club pretty much everywhere and these clubs are the perfect place for authors to promote their books. They’re meeting with people who love to read and discuss novels which gives them the perfect chance to talk about their books. It enables them to showcase their expertise in the field and persuade the club members to get their books.
Some authors like to host parties or galas where instead of them having to go out and meet with people, the people come to them. These parties are typically invitation-only and are sent out to the local media outlets and prominent members of the literary community. They use the positive coverage they generate from them to raise their profile and reach out to prospective customers.
How to Promote Your Book Digitally
The power of the digital world cannot be understated. It’s changed pretty much everything we do and the same is true when it comes to how to promote your book. Thus, knowing how to do so digitally is key to success.
The most important thing to remember about promoting your book digitally is that how you do it will determine whether your book is a success or a flop. Knowing where your target audience is enables you to craft and deploy an effective marketing strategy. You have to do your homework to find out where they’re going.
All authors have an online presence and social media is one of their best tools they have at their disposal. Places like X enable them to speak with their followers in realtime to build a meaningful relationship with their community and promote their books. The smart ones promote them every now and then as to not bombard the people following them since that’s not why they’re following them.
Email marketing is among the best methods to use in how to promote your book. You already have subscribers, people who are interested in your content, and not all of them will have bought your book. You can create personalized messages promoting your novel to them and that personal connection can increase the chances of them getting it. Don’t constantly bombard them about promoting your book; do so sporadically.
Some authors have their own websites and blogs where they promote their digital content and post articles. Among their content, they feature their published novels, usually on the pages with the highest visibility like the home page and the store page near the top since it’s the first thing people will see when they arrive there. While they take up quite a bit of space, they’re not intrusive to the point where people leave.
Online ads with retailers like Amazon are a powerful way to reach people who don’t know about your novel. With all the traffic these sites get everyday, you can place ads in places where your target audience go like when they’re looking for new books to read which will raise your novel’s visibility and increase the odds of making some sales. Keep in mind, you may have to run ads multiple times to make it worth it.
How to Promote Your Book Using Your Creativity
While relying on both traditional and digital marketing can help you move copies, the thing of it is that’s what everyone else is doing. If you’re seeking to distinguish yourself from everyone else, you’ll have to do something different. You can use your creativity to your advantage to come up with something that catches people’s attention.
A good way to help your book stand out is to create an unique marketing campaign that gets people talking. Instead of telling people what your book is about, you could go with a campaign that evokes the feeling someone gets when he’s reading a story he can’t put down. You can even allude to your novel as one of them. Only your imagination is the limit when it comes to putting together a marketing campaign like this!
A tactic to use in how to promote your book creatively is to think outside the box in terms of marketing. You can create pamphlets and brochures that detail what your book is about and go to places where your target audience go like the literary clubs or shopping malls and pass them out to everyone who’s interested. For the ones interested, you can engage with them with the hope that they’ll wind up buying a copy of your book. As a bonus, they can even use the pamphlets and brochures to spread word about your novel to other people!
Podcasting is a fairly new phenomenon that’s just now gaining mainstream popularity. Many authors only go with those that have the largest audience like national podcasters but a smart one would speak with those that are local or are geared specifically for his target audience. These podcasters can help you promote your book as they interview you. You can even be a guest for the entire podcast!
Hosting digital events enable authors to speak with people from all over the world instantly. One such event would be holding a workshop where they highlight the challenges of writing their book and what they did to overcome them. This makes them more relatable and gives them the chance to engage with their viewers in a more intimate setting.
Tying it all Together
Knowing how to promote your book is a multifaceted process. It’s not simply a one-time only thing. You have to keep at it so that it can continue selling which in turn leads to more money in your pocket. You start promoting before launch day and continue long afterwards.
Traditional promoting is still relevant in the modern era. Authors use these tried-and-true techniques to reach a different segment of the market that don’t spend a lot of time online. Techniques such as appearing on local news channels is a great way to raise your novel’s profile.
Nowadays, many authors promote their book digitally using a variety of tactics. One such is their social media platforms where they let their followers know about their newly-published novel and where they can buy it. These tactics reach a large number of people quickly though you have to do your homework so that you can find the best places to target your market. Basically you have to know where they are so that you can craft the right ads to spur their interest.
Knowing how to promote your book the smart way is key to success. Without it, all the hard work you put in could very well be for nothing but with it, it can lead to you being able to make a living off it.
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Thanks for reading this and until the next time,
Sunfire
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