For most writers, publishing a book seems to be one of the highlights of their career. Finally, there’s a product that showcases their years of experience, wealth of knowledge, and creativity.
Writers these days don’t even have to limit themselves to traditional publishers. They can already go to publishing companies. These businesses now work the same way as the old ones, except that authors have more control over their earnings and services they want to take advantage of.
They can even opt for on-demand release, which means they print books only when someone is ready to buy them. This way, writers save a lot of money on production costs while ensuring their work generates income.
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Marketing Your Book
But even after the writer gets published, they still have a lot of work ahead of them. These include marketing.
A book can be published, but it’s not enough. The writer has to make sure they have a following who would purchase the book immediately when it hits the shelves.
This is very different from traditional publishing, where publishers need to acquire demand for work before considering putting it out there. How do you make it easier for you? Consider these ideas:
- Take Advantage of the Publisher’s Marketing Services
Many publishers today, including self-publishing houses, offer both offline and online marketing services as a way of providing full-stack support for authors. In other words, you no longer have to do all the “dirty work” that comes with creating a book from start to finish.
Usually, publishers promote your books in the following ways:
- Your name and your books are listed in their catalogs and newsletters.
- They set up a web page for your book where readers can preview the first chapters, purchase it, or read reviews from other readers.
- They expand to social media such as Facebook and Twitter to promote your book’s release date and create a separate Facebook page where readers can become members.
- They distribute press releases to targeted media outlets about your book’s release.
- The publisher sends your book to active reviewers, so they can accept or reject it for review consideration.
If you’re considering signing up with a publisher, make sure they also offer marketing services or ask if these are available for an additional price.
- Join the Author’s Network
These are groups of self-published authors who support each other’s work. They often offer community service such as holding classes and seminars, helping members find freelancers for editing and promotional purposes, creating platforms where they can showcase their work, organizing events like book signings and meet-ups with fellow authors, and more.
Joining an author’s network helps you get established in the industry more quickly than trying to go on your own. And if you’re starting, it’s best to get acquainted with other writers and develop relationships that can work for both of you.
- Launch a YouTube Channel
YouTube is one of the most popular video-sharing sites today. According to Statista, 500 hours of videos are uploaded every minute. The site has 2 billion unique users per month, and they spend an average of 40 minutes watching videos on mobile devices.
You can capitalize on that to promote your book. For example, you can produce a book teaser or trailer. Book trailers are often filmed in movie format so viewers can see the characters and story unfold. You don’t need to spend too much on this, especially when you have a camera, an actor (you), and some simple video editing software. Think of relevant book themes and design a trailer accordingly.
Another option is to use your YouTube channel to update your following about the status of your book. Whether you’re working on the first draft or just about to publish, you can share your progress. For example, you can upload a video message asking for feedback and opinions about your book’s title and cover design.
You can also give away free copies of your book or ask subscribers to post reviews after reading it. You can use social media for advertising this.
Marketing is a challenging aspect of being an author. It can be overwhelming trying to reach out to millions of people via social media, online forums, and blogging sites that you don’t know where to start.
The best thing you can do is take advantage of the publisher’s marketing services and those from fellow authors who have been where you are right now. As you build momentum in becoming an established author, it will be easier for you to explore your marketing options without fear of failure.
