Being a successful author in today’s world doesn’t stop at just writing a book. Whether you are self-published or have signed a traditional publishing contract, you will still be expected to carry most of the marketing load. This is a surprise to a lot of newly published authors who believe that writing their book is the most time-consuming step. But that’s simply not true. You’ll quickly find that marketing will take just as much work as writing the book itself. This post is going to look at several book marketing tips that will ensure that you’re taking the right steps to make your book a success.
Book Marketing Tip #1: You Must Have a Website
You can create an author website, a book website, or both. In many cases, having an author website is going to be much more manageable. You can just create a page for your book on the website and then create a blog as a way to showcase your expertize.
A website builds credibility, which is important to readers. They want to make sure that your book is worth their money and time. It will also serve as a funnel to introduce your new book to an audience. Think of a website like a gateway that introduces potential readers (and publishers) to your overall work as an author.
Book Marketing Tip #2: Focus on YOU
Many authors make the mistake of making all of their marketing all about their book and not themselves. Readers want to know why they should read something written by you so it’s important to discuss yourself. Tweet about your interests and hobbies. Showcase your expertise by helping people through your blog. Then bridge that into a pitch about your book.
Book Marketing Tip #3: Build an Email List
This should start the moment you begin writing your book. Your email list is the most powerful marketing tool on your belt so it’s important that you fill it with people who are interested in hearing from you. The problem is that it takes a long time to build an email list and you must offer incentives. Give away a free short eBook or send out a monthly/bi-monthly newsletter. Free content is the best way to convince people to join your email list.
It’s also essential that you nurture your list the right way. Send them important information. Try to help them and entertain them. Don’t send a constant stream of pitches trying to sell them stuff. I highly recommend newsletters as a way to keep your readers engaged. These are fairly easy to manage. The key is to develop a mindset where you nurture these followers by helping them. Then when you do make a sales pitch, they are more likely to consider your offer.
Use these book marketing tips to help you get started on your journey to becoming a bestselling author.