How To Promote A Self-Published Book

Every writer takes a different approach to how he or she will promote their book. Self-published and new writers generally need to understand that book promotion does not happen accidentally or by virtue of magic elves.  You will almost certainly need lead time of about six (6) months to get your act together – and there will be still more to do once your book comes out.   

 This article will give you some direction as to what you should do and when you should do it, in order to give your book a chance to stand out in the market.

 MONTH ONE 

 *  Sit down with paper and pen and make a budget and a “To Do” list.   

 *  Decide on a firm date of publication.  Once you have that date fixed, you can add information (like, “Coming Soon!”) about your book to your email signature. 

 *  FREE banners can be made by using online banner makers (to find one, put, “free, banner generator” in the search box).  

 *  Finish editing and proofing your book and committing to your cover design, then get it to the printer.  None of the rest of this will matter if you have no product to offer.

 MONTH TWO

 *  If you don’t already have one, you will need a website.  Opt for a basic FREE website if money is tight and you need to direct your funds elsewhere – don’t worry about removing the advertising from the page. 

 *  Think about offering FREE chapters for reading on an associated FREE site.  Offering the free chapters draws both the fans of your writing, the fans of the genre, and it widens your reader base.  The end result is that it all translates into sales as people gain quick and lasting exposure.  Additionally, having that associated page means that the more often the web can find your name and the name of your books, the higher your ranking, and the easier you are to find.   

 *  If you don’t have money set aside for promotion, begin to figure out what you can do for FREE, after that, look at what you can do for VERY reasonable amounts and the time frames in which you can do them.  These are things that need to be accomplished before your book is out.   

 *  Book trailers have become a very popular book promotion tool.  If you can afford to have one made, now is the time to order it.  If you will be making your own, it can take anywhere from a few hours to a week to complete, so now would be the time to collect your pictures and layout your trailer.  You can use Windows Movie Maker to put it together.     

 *  Get a post office box.  You will need to post contact information on your book, your website, and your business cards, as well as any other written material.  You don’t want to use your home address because it looks unprofessional and can also expose you and your family to unwanted and uninvited contact.  

 *  Develop a press kit.  This should include a recent photo, your brief bio, a list of your publications, contact information, and should accompany your ARC or book for any review request.  It should also accompany your press releases, and be available to book signing venues.  

MONTH THREE

 *  You're going to need about five (5) real reviews – not stuff from your next door neighbor or the lady across the street.  Real reviewers have followings and will provide word of mouth publicity for your book.  These reviews can also be used in your press releases, on your website, and copied into the front pages of your book.

 *  Check the websites of people who write similar books to yours and take note of the individuals and groups who have reviewed them.  Use this list of reviewers and send out ARCs (Author Reading Copies) of your manuscript.  They can be mailed at the "book rate", which is also waaaay cheaper than first class.  Know that good reviews will help promote and sell your books. 

 *  Contact everyone in your online groups who has a book blog or site that reviews and/or interviews writers like you.  Reach out to them and get yourself interviewed.  Just because they didn’t call you first doesn’t mean that they don’t have space to fill. 

 *  Send information about your book to your former high school and college alumnae associations, sorority or fraternity, church, local liraries, etc.  

MONTH FOUR

 *  Do an online search to find sites that specialize in providing FREE book listings for authors and include descriptions for ALL of your completed titles – there are at least ten sites. 

 * Your email list is ESSENTIAL to promotion, mostly because it's FREE!  You need to go to online book club registries to find book clubs around the country that you can forward book announcements to.  Aim for a list of five hundred (500) plus contacts. 

 *  Perfect your email message -- this means writing and rewriting it, checking for spelling and grammar errors, checking punctuation and syntax, getting it spaced correctly on the "page", and figuring what will send and what will end up as a blank box with a little red "x" in it.  You want this to look good because people have an option.  They will either delete it, or they will take it seriously and pass it on.   If they take it seriously, you may have just sold a book.

 *  If you have full control of your book and know with an ABSOLUTE certainty that you can deliver as promised, begin taking “Preorders” for your book from your website. 

 *  BE SURE to send out a “Special Announcement” via email to announce the sale.  You can use an email “blast” service or even a regular email to accomplish this.  

 MONTH FIVE 

 *  Publishers ask that writers come up with two or three good “blurbs”, so that the same one won’t be seen everywhere in the book’s advertising.  When people see one on your email, a different one on sites like GoodReads, LibraryThing, or Shelfari, and then something else on sites like B&N.com, AMAZON, and in your other written communications, they pay attention to the author’s name and the title.  Put them EVERYWHERE. 

 *  Look at what other people are doing to promote their work and pick out the stuff that you can do or imitate most cost effectively.  If you can’t (initially) afford it, this may mean spending a few dollars for ink and heavy paper for bookmarks, business cards, and postcards (your least expensive "giveaways") that you can make on your computer and hand out. 

 *  Your email list is ESSENTIAL to promotion, mostly because it's FREE!  You need to go to online book club registries to find book clubs around the country that you can forward book announcements to.  Aim for a list of five hundred (500) plus contacts. 

 *  Perfect your email message -- this means writing and rewriting it, checking for spelling and grammar errors, checking punctuation and syntax, getting it spaced correctly on the "page", and figuring what will send and what will end up as a blank box with a little red "x" in it.  You want this to look good because people have an option.  They will either delete it, or they will take it seriously and pass it on.   If they take it seriously, you may have just sold a book.

 *  Contact bookstores and other venues to schedule book signings.

 MONTH SIX 

 * Time to release your book!

 A FEW FINAL WORDS . . .

ALWAYS be sure to look good on paper – that is often your first contact with people who will read and/or buy your book, and it won’t do you any good if they are just throwing your stuff away because it looks like a third grade craft project. Put some real effort into getting you paper stuff together -- bookmarks, brochures, letters to bookstores, postcards etc.

If you have the money for giveaway items, do a search for “cheap”, “low-cost”, and “discount” promotional materials.  On occasion, you will find items that you can buy for as little as a penny or two each (though you may have to buy 100 of the item).  Sometimes, you may even find FREE samples of stuff that you can give away at signings or as gifts from your website.   When you do find these things, don’t forget to add your book and contact information!

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