How Can I Market My Book?
As noted in our post Do I Need Marketing?, without some marketing, there will be no sales: No one will know that your book is out there. So the reality is that some fireworks are needed if you expect to achieve any level of sales success.
There are entire books written and YouTube videos posted about this subject, pushing all sorts of advice (some good, some not so good).
Let’s just look at a few ideas to serve as food for thought.
First tier: Basic marketing
For a less aggressive author, the bare minimum should include an author and book page on Amazon, which are required if the book will be sold on Amazon.
The author page typically includes a brief bio of the author with a photo, includes what’s relevant in the author’s experience to the subject of the book, and also lists any other books that the author has written.
For the book page, the objective is to attract customers based on how the book will fill some need of the reader. This is a critical area where many self-published authors (SPAs) fail. Few people care about listings of awards or accolades the book has received (many of which are dubious at best in the SPA world). Reviews are another matter: Generating genuine, honest reviews from those who have bought and read the book is a key aspect that shouldn’t be dismissed. It may also be advisable to establish a presence on Goodreads.
Second Tier: Social media
The next level should include everything in the first tier, plus ensuring that an online social-media presence is established: Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, BookTok, TikTok.
This second tier could also include the creation and posting of promotional videos promoting the book. (Virtus can assist with that.)
Third Tier: Podcasts, Blogging, Paid Ads
To achieve a full-suite of marketing efforts, SPAs may consider conducting podcasts related to the book, which could be promoted on social media. Blogging is another area worth exploring, depending on the type of book, as well as the ability of the SPA to generate relevant, engaging content on an ongoing basis.
The last piece of the puzzle is paid advertising: This should be approached with caution because it can be very expensive. It’s advisable to engage professionals to assist in this area because the correct approach with regard to ad placement and frequency can be difficult to assess.
At Virtus, we can assist you with your marketing efforts based on your needs, your own level of expertise, and your expectations.
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