I could write a thousand books, but if I don’t tell anyone about them, I’ll never be able to earn a living. Self-publishing means self-promotion. There’s a lot I can do.
Before you go on, please read the first five articles in my series: Creating the eBook, Uploading, Rights, Royalty and Pricing, KDP Select, and Income Tax Considerations (especially for those not living in the United States)
Social media
This should be a no-brainer. Social media is important for connecting with my fans and sharing my nuggets of wisdom (if I can call it that.) All authors should have at least a Facebook page (not profile) and a Twitter feed that are contributed to on a regular basis. It wouldn’t hurt to also have an Instagram and Pinterest account. In my case, I don’t do Instagram because I don’t have a cellphone.
Website and blog
You’re looking at it! I have a very basic webpage that lists the books I’ve authored, and this blog that details my day-to-day process. My blog is broadcast to Facebook and Twitter through IFTTT, plus its RSS feed is pushed through Google’s FeedBurner (link). RSS is useful since it can be connected through my Amazon author page and my GoodReads author profile.
Promotional sites
There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of promotional sites targeting writers. Some cost money and some do not. Some sites that allow free promotion are:
- Reddit.com
- KBoards.com (in special forum)
- MobileRead.com (in special forum)
- GoodReads.com
Before posting promotional material, I make sure to read the site’s specific guidelines.
Book bloggers and reviewers
There are many people on the internet who love to read and blog about books. Some charge for this service and some do not. When choosing a book blogger/reviewer, I take care to vet them properly, looking at past work. And of course I send them a complimentary review copy of the book they’re interested in reviewing.
Giveaways
You can also hold contests to give away a set amount of books. If you have gone through a print-on-demand service such as Amazon’s CreateSpace. It is easier to facilitate giveaways. Anyone can read a physical book. GoodReads can help facilitate giveaways. Currently, there is not easy way to do an ebook giveaway.
Mailing lists
I’ve set up a Mailchimp opt-in mailing list for those people that do not use social media. It isn’t my main source of subscribers due to email losing favour to texting and social messaging as time marches forward.
Constant vigilance
Self-promotion requires work. Some of the work can be automated (like scheduling posts and messages for future delivery). I try and make my blog useful so people will return and (hopefully) learn something.
It all boils down to building an audience by giving them stuff of value they wouldn’t normally see. I give my time to write articles and collect information, all of which I don’t charge for. Once an audience is built and loyally returning my site, it is easier for them to decide to buy something from me, namely my books! If they enjoy the books, perhaps they tell a friend, and on we go.
Paid Advertising
There are many ways to advertise your book. The top of the list are Facebook ads, Amazon ads, BookBub Featured Deals and ads, and paid newsletters. I could “rewrite” the wheel, but instead I direct you to a great resource at DavidGaughran.com. He covers this stuff far better than I could.
Always be willing to learn more
Whew. Thanks for joining me. To end this series, I’ll leave you with two very detailed and informative articles by Catherine Ryan Howard: How Self-Published Books are Made, Part 1 and Part 2.
[UPDATE – July 2020]
- I no longer publish my blog to Facebook and Twitter via IFTTT.
- Giveaways are possible through Amazon.com for U.S. citizens. You can also facilitate giveaways through services like BookFunnel and Storyorigin.
- Createspace no longer exists and was merged into KDP Print.
- I now use MailerLite for my email list as I find it much more user-friendly and intuitive.
