When I signed my first book contract I was swept away by the excitement of becoming a traditionally published author and I imagined a world of fame and fortune, book signings and elite invitations. I had worked on that first book for 13 tumultuous years and publication was my Holy Grail, the reward at the end of the journey. It was thrilling beyond belief! Who knew that marketing it was going to be so demanding?

Whether you are traditionally-published or self-published, the task of moving copies of your book into the hands of the book-buying public is a big one. It requires an investment of time and money. It requires ingenuity and dedication. And it’s entirely your responsibility. Your publishing company might support you through their web presence, catalogues and social media accounts. But you can’t wiggle away from the fact that you are ultimately the one in charge of your own book marketing.

15 Ideas to Help You with Marketing Your Book

1. Get yourself an Author Web Page. With my first book I made the mistake of keying a new website around the book itself. It was beautifully themed to match that book perfectly. This was great until my second book came along. It was completely unrelated to the first one and, as a marketing tool, it was pretty much useless.

2. Set up social media profiles and use them to broadcast news of your book, funnel buyers to Amazon, and build and communicate with a network of people who might find your book valuable.

3. Create a professional video book trailer about your book and upload it to YouTube, your Amazon Author page, and any other online properties you own.

4. Harness your email database and invite people to purchase your book through occasional emails highlighting the benefits of purchasing the book.

5. Seek opportunities to speak about your topic area, ensuring you will be allowed to sell copies of your book at your events.

6. Ask your local library if they will host a book-related speaking event for you. Ensure they have copies of your book on their shelves!

7. Let your Alma Mater’s alumni association know that you have a book coming out and, if they have a section in their regular publication to highlight books written by alumni, make sure you are included in an upcoming edition.

8. Reach out to the heads of departments at colleges and universities that might have an interest in the subject of your book and open a discussion with them about including your book on their reading list.

9. Blog about your book, either on your own website or as a guest blogger on the blogs of people whose target audience is the same as your ideal reader.

10. Create a Slideshare presentation about your book

11. Develop a publicity campaign to promote your book. You’ll need a press release, a great headshot and bio, and a list of publications (online and offline) that might be interested in your book’s subject matter.

12. Ask everyone you know to review your book and post the review to Amazon.

13. Create videos about your book and post them to YouTube (link to them from your website, as well!)

14. Add a link to your book’s Amazon page to your email signature.

15. Organize book signings at local bookstores and promote your appearances on your blog and through your social media platforms.

Good Luck! There are countless other ways to marketing your book, but those should get you off to a good start. If you’d like to find out more about how the Awakening Author can support you in your book marketing journey, please get in touch with us at info@crossmancommunications.com.