Do you do most of your book marketing on social media?

If you are a published author, how much time do you spend on my marketing relative to writing?

Marketing can be daunting for many authors. But your books will not sell on their own without a sound strategy. These are a few things that you can do to help along. But you need to invest time to sell books.

Build Your Author Platform

In some cases, writers even limit their social media presence because it takes away from their writing. Well social media should be part of your author platform. I’m not suggesting creating an account for every app. Decide which social media apps work best for you. Each is quite different and needs to match your style. For example, if you enjoy creating videos, then Tiktok and YouTube should be included in your mix. But your author platform needs to be more robust than this. You need to create a website, blog and an email list to reach as many potential readers as possible.

Giveaways

Giveaways are a great way to build buzz and promote your book. You can give away copies of your book, or e-books. I’ve done them to celebrate my birthday, a book birthday or any other milestone. This can be a great way to reach new readers and encourage people to share your book with their friends. There are platforms like Rafflecopter to organize a giveaway or you kind try to go it alone.

Reader Magnets

I’ve also used used giveaways (also called reader magnets) to build my email list like the recent Joke book I wrote. By offering a reader magnet, such as a free e-book, tips, resources, or a discount on a book, authors can attract people who are interested in their writing and get them to take the first step toward becoming loyal readers. In addition to helping authors build their audience, reader magnets can also help authors sell more books. By staying in touch with readers through an email list or other means, authors can keep their readers informed about new releases, promotions, and other events related to their writing. Again, Bookfunnel is an excellent tool that I use. In a future post I will discuss how I use Bookfunnel to gradually build an email list.

Build an Author Brand

I have spent many years on branding. I am confident that when readers see my name, they associate it with humour. I know that this is a confusing aspect of marketing. You know what you are about, but how to others know? I know an author who writes historical romance books and dresses up in vintage costumes. Maybe your social media screen name can be worked into your brand. Branding helps you connect with your ideal readers, curate value-added content, and set expectations for readers.

Guest Blogging and Podcasting

Guest blogging and podcasting can be great for reaching a wider audience and promoting your book. Podcasting seems to be extremely popular at the moment Reach out to bloggers and podcast hosts in your niche and offer to write a guest post or be a guest on their show. This can be a great way to introduce yourself and your book to a new audience and build relationships with other bloggers and podcasters in your niche.