How Do You Promote Your Books

[suspensewriter 5,690]

I was curious how so many of you promote your books?  Or if you haven't yet published a book, how you plan to promote?

[HK1 2,126]

To be honest, I'm still experimenting with the whole marketing process. I've been using my website. I'm also on Goodreads. And I've been querying bloggers to read and review my books.

[Zee 2,293]

Same here. What do you do, @suspensewriter?

[Chris Brown 167]

I couldn't possibly give every detail, but a few basic things...

 

1.) Get endorsements before you publish. Use them in launch promotion, and get endorsers to give you a mention when you launch.

2.) Maintain website/social media presence

3.) Launch party! Or just a book signing at your local independent bookstore.

4.) Advertise on FB, Amazon, BookBub, etc. if you have the money and want to. Ymmv on the results.

5.) Do discount promotions on all the discount sites (Free/BargainBooksy, ENT, Fussy Librarian, Book Raid, etc. etc.) periodically - stack them for effect.

6.) Get some bloggers/Christian reviewers to review your book (try to do this for launch with ARCs).

7.) Media appearances - TV, local radio, podcasts, etc.

8.) Live events, speaking engagements, conferences where you can set up a table, etc.

9.) Get your book on the shelf at independent bookstores.

10.) If you have a series, make sure each book links the next, consider making book one permafree or perma-99cents to build audience and hope you get good readthrough. 

11.) Free reader magnet of some kind to build audience and get people connected to your media.

[Chris Brown 167]

Almost forgot about awards... I got some mileage out of a minor award I won with my first book. 

[suspensewriter 5,690]

Honestly, since I have been published by a traditional publisher, I don't promote much.  With the exception of LinkedIn, where I've 10,000 followers now.  

 

I also have a YouTube channel where i do writing videos.  I also post on Rumble, BitChute and several other channels where I've got lots of followers.

 

I don't do anything on Facebook since I consider it pretty well useless and I don't believe anything I read on it.

 

Also, I do a podcast that I promote my writing on also.

Edited March 3 by suspensewriter

[EBraten 1,527]

16 hours ago, suspensewriter said:

I was curious how so many of you promote your books?

 

The primary way I promote my books is by offering free samples of my work. I do this in a few different ways:

 

1. The first book in my series is free. I use newsletter services such as Fussy Librarian, BookCave, BookDoggy, etc. to advertise this free book. People download the free book and go on to buy the others in the series. I also make use of special promotions on online retailers. For example, my free book was featured on Kobo's in-house series starter promotion, and it led to a lot of follow-up sales to my other books. Another side-effect has been that the book has been picked up and reviewed by Bookstagrammers, who've promoted it to their platforms.

 

2. I also have a free novella that's exclusively available to people who sign up to my newsletter. I promote this novella on my website and in cross-promotion campaigns with other authors. We share our freebies to each others' subscribers and, in that way, pick up new readers.

 

I have a mailing list, to which I send a weekly newsletter. I have a blog and I post once daily on Instagram and on my Facebook page. There is a lot more I plan to do, all related to content marketing. God willing, I want to begin podcasting later this year as well.

 

I haven't done much pay-per-click advertising and will hold off on that for a while yet.

[suspensewriter 5,690]

That's interesting, @EBraten.  Good luck on your podcasting!  I think that's an interesting way to get the word out.

[EBraten 1,527]

21 minutes ago, suspensewriter said:

Good luck on your podcasting!  I think that's an interesting way to get the word out.

Thanks! It's a space where there aren't yet many fiction writers, so I'm excited to try it. I expect it will take a lot of patience and putting out content consistently before it gains any traction.

[suspensewriter 5,690]

Any luck, @HK1?  Let us know.

[HK1 2,126]

4 hours ago, suspensewriter said:

Any luck, @HK1?  Let us know.

I've sold a few books, and I've gotten a few bloggers to read and review my books as well. It's a slow start, but I'm getting there!  

[Jeff Potts 632]

6 hours ago, EBraten said:

I also have a free novella that's exclusively available to people who sign up to my newsletter. I promote this novella on my website

 

I'm taking that route.

 

6 hours ago, EBraten said:

God willing, I want to begin podcasting later this year as well.

I've seriously thought about doing that.  The only problem is - depending on the topic - that I either have the personality of paste, or one that's like rubbing salt into a gaping wound.

[suspensewriter 5,690]

1 hour ago, Jeff Potts said:

've seriously thought about doing that.  The only problem is - depending on the topic - that I either have the personality of paste, or one that's like rubbing salt into a gaping wound.

 

I think that makes you more interesting to the audience, Jeff.

[MartinM 8]

I have an ad in the Revival Fires Christian newspaper that some churches subscribe to and give to their members for free. I am not sure if that’s working though as I haven’t had many sales. 

[suspensewriter 5,690]

That's still an interesting way to promote, Martin.  Are you trying anything else?

[MartinM 8]

Other than sharing on social media and telling family and people at church, no.

[suspensewriter 5,690]

Have you tried YouTube videos describing your work or podcasting?

[Nicola 1,741]

I'm just finishing a crowd funding campaign. That raised awareness. 

I did a showcase with a Mat-leave support group! 

Tomorrow I'm having a zoom party to detail progress toward publishing. 

At the party, I'm launching an internet treasure hunt with the ultra cool Tassanara Typeface created for me by @TravisWilliams. 

 

I've joined Third Culture Kid facebook groups since they are my audience. 

[MartinM 8]

I have a YouTube channel but it’s a video podcast. I have a podcast which is a weekly devotional “Dive Into Scripture” yes, in my outtro I invite people to check out my website, books, blog and so on. I post every Monday. This coming week will be episode 5. 

[suspensewriter 5,690]

You are smoking, Nicola!!

[suspensewriter 5,690]

Wow--so are you, Martin!!

[Celebrianne 93]

Now I want to find you on LinkedIn, @suspensewriter! I'm Cheri Fields on there, I just joined here before I'd decided to throw caution to the wind and use my own name.  

These are some great ideas and so important. It seems to be an age-old irony that those with the most creativity have the hardest time with publicity. And how do you sell books if you aren't making any money from them to invest in help?

I'm almost ready for beta readers with my first full length nonfiction book I want to sell rather than give away. It's starting to scare me thinking about how to get the word out, especially since I take a strong, but rarely held view of eschatology.  The only reason I jumped at writing this besides the mental health it has provided me the past few months is that I have a cyber friend who has turned this view into his full time ministry. I expect a slow steady trickle from having him offer my book alongside his more in-depth books. 

I'm going to need to see what else I can do to expand my audience, but I'm still nervous about becoming well known for being more controversial than I was as a young earth creationist!

 

[suspensewriter 5,690]

1 hour ago, Celebrianne said:

I'm going to need to see what else I can do to expand my audience, but I'm still nervous about becoming well known for being more controversial than I was as a young earth creationist!

 

Wow!  That is really cool, @Celebrianne!

[EClayRowe 868]

I'm working on a WordPress site, mainly about science and science fiction.  There will be a weekly book club post, science articles. I'm going to be cross-promoting that on social media platforms. And trying to write short stories for a while so I can get some of my ideas finished.

[suspensewriter 5,690]

That's cool, @EClayRowe!  What's your web address?