- Get your book reviewed by influential writers and bloggers. Getting your book reviewed by these influential people can give you the needed exposure. ...
- Create an author website with your bio, book description, and other information about you ...
- Write a blog post about the topic of your book or what inspired you to write it and share it on social media. ...
- Speak at Writer's events, conferences, etc. and offer your books there.
Notes from Katie Klein
I enjoy using Twitter for marketing. The concise nature of the posts is most appealing, but I also like that I can add hashtags to expand my reach. I typically schedule my tweets in advance, so there’s always a handful of posts ready to go in case I get too busy to log on during the day. I do promote my own books, but most of my tweets are for writers. I love posting inspiring/motivational quotes and writing tips. My system over there is set, so now I’m just trying to get better at interacting with others because social media promotion is always a two-way street: you have to give to get. :)
And SE White offers some in-depth thoughts...
In this day and age, authors have to put ourselves out there to market our books, hanging weightless in cyberspace with multiple tentacles dangling into the ether. We need a platform. We’ve got to have an online presence. It’s necessary to network. All fun, exotic concepts brought to us courtesy of the internet. There are websites, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, podcasts, all asking for your online attention. There are writer’s associations, critique groups, pitch fests, twitter pitch fests, conferences, panels, and other writing related events needing your digital presence. None of it is a bad thing, per se. I'm not railing against social media. It's a very effective marketing tool. 
I'm just saying that not being a very social skills person puts me at something of an automatic disadvantage in this arena. (Comment trolls DEFINITELY do not help.) In sum: the social media beast requires multiple sacrifices from introverts like me. Here are some tips, from one introvert to any others, about how to minimize the pain while maximizing your social media interaction.
- Learn to love the Internet. The internet is perfect for us! We can interact with almost limitless amounts of people while never actually having to see them face-to-face.
- But! Pick the niche that works best for you and focus on it. Don't feel you have to expose yourself on every social site, ever. This is a quality over quantity situation. And
- Your active participation is how you add value, and get value at the same time. It's like magic! The deeper and more authentic your relationships on the platform, the more you get out of them. It's easier to interact if it's something you feel passionate about.
Final tidbits from me, your humble moderator.
The writing journey is full of pitfalls, setbacks, and hurdles. But writers keep writing and put everything we have into a fantastic story and do what it takes to share it with hungry readers. We have to figure out what works for us and put ourselves out there.
Personally, I have sold the most by going out to book events, but also at vendor events where I'm the only author. Every event is a risk, and I weigh the odds of how many books I might sell verses the price of the events -- free ones are obviously the best but hardest to get into. And many book events require you to have published traditionally or at least published a new book recently. And when I go, I have a fun, freebie-filled display to draw readers in, then strike up a discussion about my books. Sometimes they sell, sometimes they don't. But the greatest things I've found interacting with readers and other writers are making connections and learning about their experiences.
I wish you well in the upcoming holiday season - Happy Writing!
Brought to you by...
IWSG Anthology #7
Romance – Clean & Wholesome/Contemporary/Historical
2 comments:
It's always good to see so many suggestions for marketing from a variety of writers. And Sylvia, I am a big believer in those reviews, too.
Thanks for the tips and for putting this series together, Tara!
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