Most authors type the last full stop and heave a sigh of relief. All the hard work is done, now they can send the manuscript to the publisher and wait for their precious book to land in their hand.
Sorry, but you’re just getting started – not at the end!
It doesn’t matter how you’re publishing your book, the marketing will be mostly down to you. Even the big publishing houses do minimal publicity (unless you’re already famous). They’re publishers, not marketers.
Independent publishers and hybrid publishing houses may offer some marketing as part of your package, but there’s a limit to what they can do. Consider, even if they only have 100 books in their portfolio, at 2 social media posts a day, you’ll only end up with 6 or 7 posts A YEAR!! That’s not going to make much difference. They’ll probably let their list know about forthcoming publications, but the amount of blurb will be limited.
If you want your book to succeed, you need a robust marketing plan to get your book in front of the audience you wrote it for.
If you’ve done the book development properly, you will have already identified what an ideal reader looks like, who they are, what they’re interested in and where to find them. This is where that research will come into its own.
Social media
Pre-launch you need a campaign that announces your launch day – with posts two days out of three. And if you’ve got a launch day bonus, that’s a great way to get attention.
Once launch day has passed, you’ll need an ongoing promotion campaign.
Ideally, you’ll already have a list of people who are on your email list, that have shown interest in what you do. A campaign for a few weeks before the launch will get them engaged – and, of course, ongoing reminders about the book.
Advertising
Facebook ads are a great way to put your book in front of a specific audience. Google ads are also a good method of reaching exactly the audience you want. If you’re not already familiar with using these tools, get some expert help, so you don’t end up spending a lot of money with little return.
Special interest groups
This might be in forums, in social media groups on LinkedIn or Facebook (but make sure you’re permitted to promote products or you’ll get kicked out). Or it might be your professional association, or networking groups. Don’t be shy; be proud and ensure they all know about your book – why you wrote it and who it’s for. You might even do a special discount for them.
People you already know are more likely to write reviews too.
Speak up
Being an author will often give you opportunities to speak in front of other people’s audiences. The book will give you the material for your speech and people often purchase books, back-of-room, when they’ve enjoyed your presentation.
Get networked
Who else do you know who has a similar audience? This might be another business that complements yours or a bigger company that serves the same audience. Or get together with other authors who have written for the same audience and co-promote each other’s books.
It’s all about being creative, but it will need to be a regular activity, if your book doesn’t simply make a splash on launch day and then sink with barely a trace.
