Marketing your book for selfpublishers and indie authors. Sometimes it helps to look at book marketing as what it really is a business. With a few key steps, an author can build a loyal following, get the word out about his or her work, and get. So a serious fiction writer may realize that it takes several novels to reach that pointand that building a fictionwriting career likely will take years. May 17, 2018 a number of self published australian authors, including dionne lister, a b patterson and lisa fleetwood have pledged their support for a campaign to have self publishing recognised and included in australian literary festival programming. O nce a book gets published, some authors think their books journey has ended. So a serious fiction writer may realize that it takes several. Then do your very best to implement the basics of book.
Self published book marketing for authors smith publicity. The danger in having control over all aspects of publishing is that youre not an. With the information and links contained in the scoreit. Heres how to do it, with book promotion lessons learned from bestselling. I had no clue what to make of it, valsakumar says with a. Id used some of the strategies you offer as a basis for successful marketing and publicity campaigns. One of the best things an author can do to market their book and generate publicity for it, particularly if it is selfpublished, is to tie the book into something in the news. Jan 15, 2016 five marketing models for self publishing success. Your budget is often more of a shoestring, mainstream media doesnt have room for you, and you struggle to get your book the exposure it needs to do well. Advertising on amazon via amazon marketing services is not new, however, it is still, largely, an untapped resource for authors. How to promote a selfpublished ebook selling books. Creating a book marketing and publicity plan is necessary for all authors, whether your publisher is a traditional house or youre trying to selfpublish.
The most important thing to remember publishing your. One of the best things an author can do to market their book and generate publicity for it, particularly if it is self published, is to tie the book into something in the news. Best book marketing campaigns for selfpublishing authors. Featured below are five quick self promotion tips for the independent author. Book publishing companies have been working for centuries to create effective book marketing campaigns. She is the publisher of the hot sheet, the essential newsletter on the publishing industry for authors, and was named publishing commentator of the year by digital book world in 2019 in addition to being a columnist for publishers weekly.
In this guest post, indie author eliot peper explains how he tried it out, and what the results were. Includes tips on building mailing lists, running promotions and advertising. It is wellnigh impossible to get decent attention for your book if you start the pr campaign after publication. Notion press once published a book in english for a south korean author on operating a specific type of sophisticated machinery. Most importantly, have a fantastic cover, a killer book description, and get your categories and keywords. Beginning in may 2017, she began working with smith to promote her book work it. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading successful self publishing.
In my latest column at publishers weekly, i address the many indie authors who seek shortterm solutions to their book marketing challenges. Promoting a self published book is hard work and there are no shortcuts. To put things into context first, here is one clear way of thinking about how to promote a selfpublished book. All you need to know about self publishing times of india. Denise dudley is a good example of a smith publicity selfhelp author. Marketing selfpublished books explained in 9 basic steps. Generally speaking, you will be able to find selfpublishing companies who offer services such as book trailers, press releases, targeted adverts, social.
How to self publish and market your book books for writers 1 kindle edition by penn, joanna. One of the advantages of being published by a major, traditional publisher is that youll have the support of the publishers inhouse publicity department. Best book marketing campaigns for selfpublishing authors i. Marketing and promotion archives selfpublishing relief. Mar 24, 2014 as a publicist, i get a lot of calls from folks who are interested in getting publicity for their selfpublished book. For a self published author, marketing the book can be more important than writing it. That is the first, most essential step to marketing your book. How large the publicity campaign depends on many factors, but here are the basic elements that an inhouse publicity department will likely provide. Id used some of the strategies you offer as a basis for successful marketing. Book promotion is designed to get people to find your book, and not, to find people to get your book.
Five simple ways to promote your selfpublished book. Can selfpublishing lead to a traditional publishing contract. She is the publisher of the hot sheet, the essential newsletter on the publishing industry for authors, and was named publishing commentator of the year by digital book world in 2019. Literary agents open the door to selfpublished writers. The book marketing services at outskirts press help authors promote highquality books with exceptional book marketing services. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Sep 19, 2017 this story was originally published 7212016 and has been updated. Many book publicists dont work with selfpublished authors there are a lot of us freelance publicists out there who work with selfpublished authors if the book is of high quality. The other day i got a call from a lovely older lady, well call her esther. I dont know if much work was done or what was done as promised, as there is zero proof on it, and refused to provide. Self publishing is on the rise and many people are bypassing the traditional route of seeking the affirmation of publication worthiness via commercial. After that just follow the plan, make adjustments when necessary, and listen to your readers. Ive set up a facebook page where you are welcome to also advertise your book be it self published or traditional publishing. Book publicity kickstart campaign self publishing self.
Ultimately, when you study what fuels the success of established selfpublished authors, it has nothing to do with buying marketing packages or publicity helprather, such authors adopt a longterm strategy that pays off over time. A brilliant book is the first and most important thing. Books marketing and promotion authoramp is an uk based book pr agency that has years of experience in promoting books, managing book marketing campaigns, promoting books online and is the best among other book promotion companies. Book discovery is the biggest challenge in the world of book publishing and scoreit. As a publicist for several self published authors the tips that you include here are extremely valuable. Without book publicists and selfpromoting or selfpublished. Our experience and the wide array of our author pr services is unmatched in the industry our self published authors have appeared on nearly every major radio and television show and enjoyed feature. This can vary with different selfpublishing companies. Beginning in may 2017, she began working with smith to promote her book. Indeed some literary agents have switched to work with just indie publishers because they recognize the importance of promoting good work we work with both. Running ads for your kdp books can help you reach new customers. Dec 16, 20 hello all, ive recently self published my book and have been struggling to get free marketingadvertising.
For example if you wrote a book on dieting or healthy eating, tie it into such ideas as healthy holiday eating tips or eating healthy for the summer. At reedsy, we like to stay on top of new marketing opportunities for authors. With that said, lets look at ways of promoting your book and getting people to find you as an author, and your books, of course. List of self published books score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. This post also comes with a free downloadable checklist to help you promote your book. May 05, 2020 book discovery is the biggest challenge in the world of book publishing and scoreit. Before the book is ever published, newman writers design an appropriate press kit and methodically strategize a book publicity game plan to be implemented prior. At smith publicity, weve implemented many book promotion campaigns for big publishing houses and small publishers. Book marketing services book marketing company authoramp, uk. You set the budget you want to spend and the maximum amount youre willing. In an insightful blog post, author kristine kathryn rusch succinctly sums up the difference between the authors experience of traditional and selfpublishing. Mar 25, 2020 many book publicists dont work with selfpublished authors there are a lot of us freelance publicists out there who work with selfpublished authors if the book is of high quality. We are experienced book marketing professionals who have been working with authors and publishers for years. Marketing and publicity if youre going down the selfpublishing route, then you need to know how to promote yourself and your work.
Publicity and marketing for a self published book by a london company, brought extremely disappointing results. There was a list of various publicity packages, options as to how the new book would look, and then a breakdown of how much it was all going to cost me. Identify your future readers so you can find the right way to reach them. May 01, 2017 however, if you dont get the following nine basics right first, you could be wasting a lot of your time, energy and money. Creating a book marketing and publicity plan is necessary for all authors, whether your publisher is a traditional house or youre trying to self publish. How to create a book marketing and publicity campaign.
Your publicist will create a press release for your approval and pitch targeted media to local, regional and national print. Then do your very best to implement the basics of book promotion that i have outlined above. Facebook twitter i talk a lot about book marketing for writers, but i still see selfpublishing authors make the same mistakes, so let me try to simplify things here. But if theres anything that can make things easier, its social media. Marketing and publicity if youre going down the self publishing route, then you need to know how to promote yourself and your work. Weve also promoted more self published books than any firm in the industry.
How i failed at promoting my novel with amazon advertising. Denise dudley is a good example of a smith publicity self help author. Jan 08, 2016 4 responses to 8 powerful and efficient strategies for marketing your selfpublished book eileen dandashi january 11, 2016 at 10. Great book marketing ideas that will get people snapping up your novel or nonfiction masterpiece. Marketing is essentially a communication between parties about what they stand to gain from making a deal. Longterm marketing models for selfpublished authors. Self publishing is on the rise and many people are bypassing the traditional route of seeking the affirmation of publication worthiness via commercial publishers and are striking out on their own, with. Jan 07, 2015 promoting your self published book or e book takes a lot of hard work and patience. The most important thing to remember publishing your book, is its not about you. This can vary with different self publishing companies.
What can you expect to pay for a book publicity campaign. Many, if not most authors who selfpublish for the first time make. It is the question that many publishers and selfpublished authors ask when thinking about taking their books to the mass market. Effective book publicity is vital to a robust book launch. Target by keywords and products to show your ads on search and detail pages to relevant shoppers. Aug 19, 2017 aspiring authors, after repeated rejections, are turning to selfpublishing. Esther is an 83yearold holocaust survivor who has quite a heroic tale of survival and rebirth in america. The top dog at one of the most successful literary agencies in new york says hes in hot pursuit of selfpublished books to represent to mainstream publishers.
But if you are publishing by yourself and wish to be read by as many among your target audience as possible, you will have to learn an additional skillhow to market your books. After that just follow the plan, make adjustments when necessary, and. February media experts in book publicity and promotion. This story was originally published 7212016 and has been updated. As a publicist, i get a lot of calls from folks who are interested in getting publicity for their selfpublished book. Ive set up a facebook page where you are welcome to also advertise your book. I talk a lot about book marketing for writers, but i still see selfpublishing authors make the same mistakes, so let me try to simplify things here. Congratulations, now youre a selfpublished author with your book floating around in the world. Aug 11, 2014 in response to recent reports on allis facebook forum from indie authors disappointed by poor results from professional pr campaigns, bestselling novelist linda gillard, a longstanding member of alli, draws on her own experience to explain why she thinks selfpublished authors dont need to splash out for such services and how they can build a large and loyal readership without them. How to selfpublish and market your book books for writers 1 kindle edition by penn, joanna. Jan 20, 2016 in my latest column at publishers weekly, i address the many indie authors who seek shortterm solutions to their book marketing challenges.
It is also carried by baker and taylor, plus included in the haverford, upper merion, and radnor township public libraries. Promoting a selfpublished book is hard work and there are no shortcuts. How to create an effective book publicity plan the reedsy blog. Authors who set up some personal market tactics to execute, whether standalone efforts or those in tandem with their publisher, sell more copies. Jun 19, 2012 in an insightful blog post, author kristine kathryn rusch succinctly sums up the difference between the authors experience of traditional and selfpublishing.
In another blog post, author lisa fleetwood said that a selfpublishing festival would give selfpublished authors a much needed avenue to connect with their readers. So make sure you have a fantastic book first and foremost. Book publicity can be tricky for some authors, but it helps promote your book. Generally speaking, you will be able to find self publishing companies who offer services such as book trailers, press releases, targeted adverts, social media management, event and book fair exhibition, author websites, as well as full publicity campaigns.
Book publicity full publicity campaigns newman communications. Promotion packages for selfpublishing authors thebookbag. If youre self publishing and this includes any situation where an author makes a contribution towards the cost of publication, promoting can be hard, hard work. Two years ago, i self published my first science fiction novel, where the hell is tesla.
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