Seven Ways to Market a Self-Published Book

When you self-publish a book, you’re responsible for 100% of the book’s marketing. If you want to make sales, you have to get the word out there. Here are seven different ways you can market your book.

#1: Go to Book Festivals

Go to book festivals, where avid readers and other authors congregate. This is a fantastic place to set up a booth and sell some of your books, as well as a great opportunity to network.

Talk to other authors about how they marketed their books and look for opportunities to generate publicity.

#2: Get on Amazon Lists

Get on Amazon using either the CreateSpace program or the Amazon Advantage program. Then push to have your book hit the Amazon bestseller list in a specific category. Do this by having all your followers buy your book on the same day.

If you manage to get on the bestseller lists, that can easily drive a lot of sales.

#3: HARO

Get on the Help a Reporter Out (HARO) list. Look for opportunities to be interviewed by reporters who’re looking for sources on their stories.

#4: Speak at Related Events

Get in touch with event organizers in your industry. Let them know that you’re a published author on a topic and that you’d be interested in speaking at the event.

You might have to pay your own airfare and hotel costs, and you might not make up the costs through book sales alone. But speaking does a lot more than just sell books. You build a reputation, build connections, get people talking about you and set yourself up for other opportunities.

#5: Do Consignment Sales

Go to small bookstores in your area and offer to have them sell your book on consignment. A lot of small bookstores would love the chance to sell a book without having to pay out of pocket to stock it.

#6: Befriend Bloggers and Online Influencers

Go to events like BlogWorld and SXSW and meet influential bloggers and online influencers. Try to find influencers who blog about your field of expertise. Befriend them and see if you can get them to send some of their network your way.

#7: Hire a Publicist

Publicists are expensive, but a good one can really work wonders for your book. A publicist will help you find TV opportunities, find radio interview opportunities and help you get featured in press pieces. More modern publicists can also help you in getting more online influence.

These are some of the many ways you can get more exposure for your book and generate more sales. Don’t expect your sales to come to you. With self-publishing, you really do have to hustle and create buzz to get things going.

Originally posted 2013-12-07 03:12:00.