Publishing a successful book – either through the medium of traditional publishing or self-publishing, demands a strong marketing plan to make your book successful. Regardless of what you want, i.e., whether you want to aim to become a best-selling author or just to receive a critical review, this post would entail tips on how to market your book.
These are the very same tips and tricks that eBook marketing services bring into action to marketing their client’s books. So, without further ado, let’s get started right away!
Tips for a Successful Book Marketing Plan
A book marketing plan is a multi-step course to getting your book in front of the right people at the right time and place, with the right budget. You can think of your marketing plan as a campaign to make your book a bestseller.
Defining Your Audience
So you have just finished writing your new book, and you want everyone in the world to read it. But realistically, only a certain demographic of people would be interested based on topic and genre. To maximize the number of readers, you have to target the audience who is likely to be interested.
To target the right audience flawlessly, you have to first figure out their interests that may be related to your book. You can think about your books/style and genre, then do a number of Google searches around those words to determine what words would be best. This way, knowing a few keywords can help you put digital ads in front of those most likely to be interested in your book.
You don’t need a pool of people to sell your book; you just have to find communities with interests related to your keywords. You would tap into the network of relevant readers which already exist online. Figure out where exactly your audience is residing – are they on Instagram, Tumblr, or Facebook? You might look for local groups that meet up, like groups that meet to discuss science-fiction books or young-adult-fiction book clubs.
Defining Your Budget
Before you dive into promoting your book, you have to know how much money you are willing to shell out. This will help you strategize your marketing moves and prepare for the expenses that come with them.
Think about your target audience – who are they, and how are you going to reach them? What kind of content will you need to create, and where is it going to live? Are you going to make a book trailer? Run some Facebook ads? Are you doing a print book, and have you factored in printing costs?
And don’t forget about travel expenses for book signings, conferences, readings, or speaking gigs. You have to think about all the potential costs. The smart approach would be creating a spreadsheet, listing out all your expenses, and crunching those numbers.
Build Your Online Presence
You might think it’s crazy to start marketing your book before it’s even out but trust us, it’s a game-changer! By starting early, you’ll have a loyal following ready to snag your book on day one.
Choose the social media platforms that fit your audience (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.) and start posting ASAP! Wondering about what you can share? Well, a lot of things, i.e., progress updates, sneak peeks, and genre-related content. Post frequently and consistently to grow your following.
Next, build an author website that showcases:
- Your bio
- Previous work
- Blog (share your expertise!)
- Press releases
- Sample chapters
- Podcast (share your voice!)
You can use your website to:
- Host all your content
- Encourage email sign-ups
- Track engagement
- Build launch excitement
Prepare Advertising Materials
When you are in the thick of marketing your book, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. You have got multiple channels to post to, engage with, and track. Don’t put yourself in that stressful spot. Rather, plan ahead, prepare your content, and schedule those posts in advance. This simple step will save you time, energy, and sanity.
Take a step back and think about the type of content that will get you the most engagement. Consider hosting giveaways for free books, where your followers tag their friends and follow your page for entries. You can also tease your cover design and eventually do a big book cover reveal across all your channels, which will hook your audience.
Get Early Reviews
You know the number of books we have today to read and so do have readers and they don’t want to waste their time digging, rather they rely on book reviews which are extremely important in convincing a reader this book is worth their time and money.
You can reach out to influencers, bloggers, fans of your genre, or popular reviewers and offer them a free copy for an honest on Amazon, Goodreads, your website, or anywhere else your book has the potential to be searched or sold.
Reviews on many different sites can help build the perception that your book is being talked about; word of mouth is a powerful tool for book sales.
Accept Interviews and Speaking Opportunities
If you want to sell books, you need to go out and do rigorous marketing of your book. When your audience meets you in person, and they hear how excited you are about your book, they will be much more hyped and will be more likely to buy it.
You can reach out to bookstores, libraries, schools, and other venues to plan book signings and guest lectures. You can consider talking to media outlets like newspapers, literary journals and organizations, and other popular websites to do an interview for your book.
Conclusion
We listed down the measures every eBook marketing agency uses to craft book marketing plans for their clients which are usually authors. While creating a book marketing plan, you have to be super strategic and smart with your approach and implement every step and every strategy without rushing and with a cool mind.
