Are you stuck for book promotion ideas? As you know, publishing your book is half the battle. The second part is getting word about your book out there to willing and eager buyers. As a self-published writer, you’re in charge of your own marketing and promotion. That’s incredible freedom, but it also means you’re responsible for coming up with—and paying for—the marketing plan. Here are some tips and ideas to get you out of your book promotion rut.
1. Start Strong with a Book Promotion Launch
Before you publish your book, develop a launch strategy that will help your book get noticed before it’s published. This is one of the top book promotion ideas, but it does require some advance work.
Start by developing advertising materials, including posters and flyers, with reproductions of your book cover. Include your contact information, author website, and review excerpts.
Create a marketing package that includes:
- A press release about your book
- Author photo
- Author bio
- Full-color reproduction of the cover
Use this package when you approach potential reviewers, book signing venues, and anywhere else you want to talk about your book. Book promotion ideas can strike anytime, so be ready with a marketing package.
2. Build an Author Website
If you’re promoting your book in today’s market, you must use social media. While you shouldn’t rely on it as your only marketing strategy, social media is an essential element in any plan. To get started, you need an attractive author website as your base. You want a functioning website where you can send potential readers.
Your author website should feature your author photo, author bio, list of your published works, reviews, and any other information that might interest readers. You may also want to include an online store so people can order books directly from your site.
Beginner-friendly DIY sites make it easy
If the thought of building a website scares you, don’t let it. There are dozens of beginner-friendly sites where you can build a good-looking, highly functional site easily. These sites use ready-made templates, drag-and-drop design features, automatic email functions, and more. They also offer low-cost hosting for your site. They make it possible for anyone to create a website in a few hours of focused work.
Some sites to try:
- Weebly
- GoDaddy
- Shopify
- SquareSpace
- HostGator
When you write posts or join discussion groups, include a link to your website if the subject turns to books, publishing, or the topic of your book. Please note that some sites don’t allow you to post links to websites because they don’t allow advertising. Check the rules and if links are allowed, go ahead and post them.
3. Use Social Media for Book Promotion
Social media is part of any book promotion campaign. Don’t rely exclusively on it, but make good use of any connections you’ve already established online. If you have an active account on Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok, use it to talk about your book. Use the months before your book’s publication date to build an audience on one or two social media sites.
4. Promote Subscriptions to Your Website
An email list is a powerful marketing tool. Once people visit your website, offer them a reason to leave their name and email address on your site. Use that email list to send out subscriber-exclusive content. To increase the odds they’ll do so, make the subscription free.
What will make them sign up? There are many things you can offer as incentives. Here are some ideas that published writers have used successfully to get subscribers:
- Weekly email about upcoming movies and news related to a favorite streaming channel.
- Sample chapters of upcoming books
- Free coasters or beer cozies with a graphic from the book
- Biweekly email about political figures or celebrities
- Free downloadable booklets
Building an email list is one of the top book promotion ideas. The bigger it gets, the easier it is to promote your book and everything else you’re working on.
Here are some other ways to build your subscription numbers:
- Share a link in your book.
- Post information about your website on Facebook groups
- Hand out business cards with a website address at book signings or public speaking events
5. Get Book Reviews
Good reviews are a key part of any book promotion plan. The best time to get book reviews is before you publish your book. Start trying to get reviews four to six months before your book is published. The second-best time is right after you publish.
Start by identifying your target reader. If you’ve written a fiction book, your potential audience is anyone who reads in that genre. If your book is nonfiction, your target reader is someone who’s interested in the topic of your book.
Next, begin building a list of potential reviewers. For a first-time writer, your best bet is probably book bloggers or websites related to writing and publishing. You can also approach book-related podcasts, magazines, and online discussion groups.
Read the reviews for other books in your genre. Where did those reviews appear? Were they in mainstream media, online blogs, trade publications, or online book discussion sites? Approach those same places, and offer free advance copies of your book in exchange for a review.
6. Book Signings Are Still a Good Book Promotion Strategy
A book signing is one of the most time-honored book promotion ideas. Unfortunately, some writers ignore this idea because they say they can’t get big audiences. While that’s true, it’s important to approach a book signing with the right expectations.
While it’s true that you’re unlikely to attract big crowds or sell lots of books at a signing, it’s still an important way to get your name out to the public. A book signing allows you to connect with your favorite independent bookstores, your local community, and potential readers.
Approach a book signing with a realistic attitude, and follow these tips for success:
- Be realistic. You are unlikely to sell more than a couple of books. Most first-time, self-published writers consider 10 books a huge sale at a signing. Don’t worry about the numbers right now. The goal is to get your name out to your local reading community.
- Be creative about your venue choice. A small, independent bookstore is more likely to host a first-time writer than a large chain store. But bookstores aren’t the only possibility. Try to think creatively about other venues that might welcome a book signing. Consider holding it at a church, school, community center, clubhouse, senior center, or other place where people meet.
- Do your own book promotion. Have business cards and copies of the book ready to go. Ask about seating and a table, or supply your own. Create a ready-made sign with a picture of your book cover and an announcement about the signing, its date, and the time. Most venues prefer to keep a signing to two hours. Advertise the signing at least a week in advance, and use your social media network to spread the word.
Work with a Professional Printer
We hope you found these book promotion ideas useful. If you’re a first-time, independent writer, work with a printer who understand your unique needs and challenges. Dazzle Printing has been trusted by thousands of first-time authors who praise our customer service and attention to detail.
