Here on Bound to Writing, I love indie authors! I’m an indie author myself and I have such admiration for what we all can accomplish. It is a lonely world. But together, we are stronger. Though when it comes to book marketing techniques, we can sometimes be at a loss of what to do.
Let’s face it, we wrote the book, edited the book, hired people to help design, format, and proofread the book. Now the book is on the market. Anyone can buy it, but no one is. Why is that?
It’s because some of us are not the best at book marketing. And that’s okay!
In today’s post, I’m going to cover some of the basic ways you can market your book. Unfortunately, there is no set formula for any of these to work. Keep on trying until your formula is perfected and you’re reaching the goals you’ve set out for yourself.
Are you ready to learn some marketing techniques?
#1 Cover Design
The first thing anyone notices about your book is your cover. If it doesn’t directly relate to the topic or genre of your book, than people will be less-likely to pick it up. I’ve already discussed the Best Cover Design Elements in a previous post. Now to make sure your cover gives a good first impression:
- Pleasing to the eye
- Fits the genre of your book
- Everything is spelled correctly
- Has a centralized theme
If you don’t think you can create a cover on your own, there are plenty of place to hire someone to design one for you. I used Fiverr.com for both of my book covers and I still get compliments on how amazing they are. Know your strengths, and if graphic design and Photoshop are not in your skillset, find someone that can help you. The benefit is a great cover that will help sell your book.
#2 Word of Mouth
At first, your family and friends are going to be your biggest fans. They will buy your book and tell their friends about your book. This word-of-mouth marketing can really help get you started on your journey of being a successful author. Convince your biggest supporters to tell more people and those people to tell people, and suddenly you’ll have a fan base that reaches further than just your family and friends.
Now this only works if you write within a genre that the people around you read, but you can always find people if you look hard enough. Someone you know wants to read your book. You just need to find them.
#3 Email Lists
Create an email list so those new readers have a way of keeping in touch with your upcoming releases and projects. It may take awhile to grow, but having something setup while you’re still small will make a big difference later on.
There are many low-cost and free email services that you can use. Currently, I use MailChimp which is free up to 2,000 subscribers. It’s a good way to slowly build your fan-based while you write your next book.
#4 Social Media
Being on social media feels as like a second job when all you want to do is write. It’s a hard task to step away once you start scrolling through the feed. But social media does have its benefits.
By being on social media, your readers are able to connect with you on a more personal level than through an email. Readers are also able to stay updated on your WIP and news related to your own works. There are many different social media channels to conquer, but don’t stress yourself out about them. Pick the ones your readers are on and only branch out to new channels if you feel it will help bring in more readers.
#5 Books for Honest Reviews
Now that you’re on social media, find some book bloggers. Book bloggers can review your book on their blog or their own social media channels. Many even provide the service for free. Be sure to check their review policy before reaching out.
Here is my Review Policy as an example.
It will show if the blogger is accepting reviews, the genres they read, and the information they require you to send to decide if your book is for them. Make sure you have the money to send paperback copies if that is the format you’re offering or a variety of e-files (ie. PDF, MOBI, and EPUB) to send to the book blogger if they accept.
#6 Giveaways
Another way to build interest around your book is to host a giveaway. Giveaways can be fun to host! You have a variety of tasks potential readers can complete and so much more. You can host a giveaway through any of your social media channels or on your blog. Anywhere that readers can find you.
What’s great about giveaways is that you’re able to give away anything you like. And as many somethings as you like. For example: first place can win a signed physical copy of your book and book swag, second place an ebook, and third place book swag. More on book swag later. Make sure if you’re hosting the giveaway to make it fun and inviting. Have people promote it too because you want all of your potential readers to be excited about the potential of reading your book.
I’ve found that Rafflecopter works for me when I host giveaways. It keeps a list of everyone that’s entered and has a random generator to select winners fairly. I’ve also self-hosted a giveaway on Instagram that is a bit more time consuming depending on your rules to enter. To learn more about creating giveaway check out my post on 4 Steps to Run Book Giveaways.
*Note: giving away a gift card will most likely not help gain readership, so stick to items that will gain you the readers you want.
#7 Multiple Formats
Not everyone likes to read a book in a certain way. Sometimes it’s easier for a person to read an ebook rather than a physical copy of a book. To get the best for your potential readers, offer a variety of formats for them to enjoy. Currently, I offer my books in Physical (paperback), Ebook (Kindle edition) and Audiobook (Audible) formats.
By offering multiple formats, you are able to appeal to all types of readers. You can meet a reader’s preference by having the format they enjoy readily available.
#8 Book Swag
Ever search out a bookmark or item specific to your favorite book? Well, create your own merchandise to give to your readers at events or for giveaways (as mentioned above). This does cost some money, so only do whatever is within your budget.
Example of book swag include:
- Bookmarks
- Posters
- Mugs with quotes from the book
- Character Sketches
- Postcards
- Artwork
- + Anything of interest or related to your book
By creating book swag for your book, you are able to allow your readers a fandom like any other popular traditionally published book have. Plus who doesn’t like a good themed bookmark?!
#9 Promotional Discounts
To help promote your book, run a discount for your book. I use KDP to published my books and if you’re enrolled in KDP Select you’re able to run free or discounted promotions for your ebooks. This is similar to giveaway, but instead of only a select free winners, anyone that comes across your book on Amazon can download your book for the free or discounted price.
This can help make people aware of your book or discover you as an author for the first time. Always plan ahead of time when you’ll be running these campaigns so that you can properly promote them to your audience and further your potential reach.
#10 Book Tours
The last paid marketing techniques you can use to promote your book is by using book tour services. Book tour services vary per company, however many of them are similar. A typical book tour runs anywhere from 1-10 days where the book tour service provider finds book bloggers and promoters willing to promote your book. Many also offer cover reveals and a release day blitz. This is a good way to get through to multiple audiences and promote your book without seeking out bloggers in your own time.
You can run your own but it is a lot of work to put together. If you have the time and knowledge then go for it. But if you want to free up some of your time and let someone else help you that has more knowledge of book promotion, then find a book tour service that meets your needs.
There you have it! 10 marketing techniques that can help you market your current or upcoming indie published book.
Do you have any questions? Any other tips that should be on this list? Talk book marketing tips with me in the comments below!
The Best Cover Design Elements
Top 5 Tips on Getting Book Reviews
Bound to Book Tours Announcement
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As an indie author, you need to ensure that your book should have impressive content, good cover design and also you need to focus on the marketing of the book. The techniques you mentioned are quite helpful. Thanks for sharing it.
A good cover is super important and so is a well-thought-out marketing plan.Thanks for stopping by Jacob! I’m glad you found my post useful.
What a great list! I love authors on twitter. Laura Weymouth in a great example of an author’s personality winning readers over. I wasn’t such a fan of her second book, but I will unfailingly check out everything she writes.
Thanks Dani! Social media can definitely sway people to reading your work.