Self-published authors, by definition also responsible for their own book promotion, often feel overwhelmed by the number of marketing opportunities available on and off line. Which to choose?
To help you hit the best balance between writing and marketing, and to cherry-pick the best marketing tools that will work for you, each Saturday's ALLi blogs on the theme of “Reaching Readers”. Each post is written by someone who has tried and tested a particular marketing method, sharing their results and recommendations so that you can decide quickly and easily whether it will work for you and your book. Below is a round-up of some of the best of these posts from 2013. If you'd like to read them all, click here.
It's worth scrolling down to the bottom of each post to find out more about the author, to see how closely their work aligns with yours – and also to catch the lively comment threads that usually develop, with other writers sharing their experience of the technique featured in the post.
- Using Amazon Categories – by David Gaughran
- Using Facebook Author Interviews – by Jessica Bell
- How to Use Bookcrossing – by Catriona Troth
- How to Write the Best Press Release – by Bronwyn Hemus
- Smart Tweet Scheduling – by Karen Lotter
- Cutting the Price of the First Book in a Series – by Alison Morton
- Innovative Guest Blog Slots: The Undercover Soundtrack – by Roz Morris
- How to Build A Reader Community – by Matthew Wayne Selznick
- Sales Success in the Age of the Algorithm – by Jane Friedman
- Using Apps to Sell More Books – by Marisha Pink
And there are plenty more of equal interest and calibre, covering topics such as the use of book evaluation sites, book promotion services, how to get indie books into bricks-and-mortar stores. If you'd like to see them all, please click here.
Editor's Note: I'd like to thank all the authors who have shared their marketing experience in these posts, which often include sensitive sales statistics and other personal information, and failures as well as successes. The generosity of the self-publishing community and the willingness of its authors to share information for the greater good and growth of us all is truly remarkable.
This is a great resource! It’s great that these authors were willing to be so open about their experiences. By reviewing these tactics, and the results, new authors can determine what avenues will be best for them.