These easy book marketing tips for self-published authors will set you on the right path to becoming a successful writer. So many people go into this process by looking at complex marketing strategies and they miss out on the fundamentals that are the cornerstone for success.
Most first-time authors go into the publishing process without a marketing plan, which is a huge mistake. I’m not saying that you need to create a complex marketing plan with your first book, but going into publishing without a plan of some kind will lead to miss opportunities.
This blog post will review some easy book marketing tips for self-published authors that you can use to create an elementary marketing plan.
Step 1: Make Sure your Book is Listed Correctly
Believe it or not, imprecise book listings are common among first-time authors. Make sure you write a powerful, keyword rich description and select the right categories for your book. Amazon allows you to list your book in two categories and it’s essential that you get this right.
Also be sure that you have an Amazon Author Central account so you can link it to your book page. It gives you more listing options like editorial reviews and front cover material.
Step 2: Create a Book Landing Page
A website is a necessary marketing tool for authors so you might as well add a book landing page to it. This will include links to your book’s sales page, a description, and cover image. However, you can also link other books you’ve written to this page. Be sure you have an email subscription form somewhere here as well, preferably using one of the side widgets.
This is the page you should send readers to when using social media marketing. The reason is because even readers who might not buy your book could still potentially sign up to receive emails or they might buy another of your books. Sending an audience to your website provides more value that simply linking directly to your book’s sales page.
Step 3: Make it Easier to Discover your Book
My final piece of advice is to stop trying to directly sell your book. Readers don’t buy a book because it’s pitched to them. They buy a book when they discover it. So your job is to market in a way that makes your book more discoverable.
Think about where your audience might be and then make sure people can find your book on those platforms. If readers are buying books in your niche on LinkedIn, then make sure you have a profile on there with a link to your book. It’s the same with all other forms of social media.
Easy Book Marketing Tips for Self-Published Authors
Always put discoverability above selling. If you build a reputation and have your book listed, then readers will find it. If they find it, they are likely to buy it.
Finally, set your own discoverability as a priority above individual books. Readers buy books based on the author more often than they buy based on the topic.