A Few Marketing Tips For Authors Looking to Sell Their Books
I find myself in a constant tug of war between writing and marketing. I’m either writing/editing a project or doing whatever I can to market my books. It’s almost overwhelming when I think about trying to build a readership as an unknown writer. I’m lucky to have an amazing agent, a wonderful publisher and two published books under my belt. But the hustle is real when it comes trying to stand out among millions of other writers out there. It’s been a practice in trial and error on my part as well as countless hours spent talking with other authors and researching online to find out what works best and what might be the equivalent of throwing money out the car window.
When I was a kid I thought one of my favorite movies, Romancing the Stone, gave a fairly accurate description of what life was like for a writer.
Unlike the main character Joan Wilder, I haven’t been on a Columbian adventure with a roguish lothario with a heart of gold. Nor do I own any cats. But the long hours of solitary writing are true enough as is being so preoccupied with work that I occasionally forget to buy the everyday necessities such as toilet paper and food.
But unless you are with one of the big five publishing companies or their imprints, indie writers** can’t rely on their agents and publishing houses alone for marketing. We must hustle like crazy to spread the word about our work. With fewer advertising dollars to spend, what is the best way to capture the interest of readers to purchase their next book?
While I don’t have all the answers, I’m lucky enough to have my books on the websites of booksellers around the world and in many libraries. I am happy to share what I’ve learned so far.
Virtual Book Tours
Far and away one of the best investments I’ve made in my career as an author are virtual book tours. I’ve been fortunate to work with some amazing tour organizers who have put my book into the hands of some of the best book bloggers out there (Random Things Through My Letter Box, R&R Book Tours, Kaleidoscopic Book Tours are amazing). Varying in length and cost, virtual book tours can save you the time and cost of travel while exposing you to innumerable potential readers via reviews from book bloggers with established audiences around the globe.
Be specific when speaking with your organizer before setting up your tour – are you happy with the blogger shining a spotlight on your book for a day (usually a post with the book cover, a book blurb, your bio and links to where you can buy the book)? Are you open to guest posts or interviews or are you only interested in reviews? Some book bloggers prefer physical books which can become costly if your tour is overseas. But many bloggers are fine with reading e-books. Some reviewers cannot or will not post their tour review on Amazon or Goodreads, but some will. A word of warning – be patient. Sometimes a blogger must delay a scheduled post for personal reasons or technical issues. Please do not harass your tour organizer about the missed post. The issue is usually resolved in twenty-four hours or the organizer will find an alternative blogger for the missed post.
A Little SWAG Goes A Long Wag
Just wander the aisles of your nearest warehouse superstore to confirm just how much people love free stuff. Whether it’s a sample of gluten-free granola, an after-dinner mint or an impossible meatball, a free sample or gift makes people feel special. Whenever I send books out to reviewers or I have a book event, I include a few promotional items. It can make the reader consider your book in a new light (What a cute paper crown! I wonder how it relates to this book about a teen pop singer?). SWAG also can give your book a little more credibility (Wait, you not only wrote a book, but you took the time to come up with marketing tools as well? Now I’m intrigued…) And if you choose your SWAG just right, it can be free advertising long after the book has been read. While it’s tempting to get carried away with ordering customized items to promote your book, keep in mind that unless you’ve written the next Twilight series, you have to weigh cost of promo items with return. Try browsing the party aisle for inexpensive favors that ties with your book theme. Print up postcards or stickers if you have the budget – they are easy to mail and can double as bookmarks. Also author-signed bookplates are great giveaways. You can create amazing ones on apps like Canva and print them at home.
Social Media
Gah! This necessary evil haunts my world. I was never on any social media before I became an author. But my savvy agent insisted that I start building a following on several platforms in order to build a readership. And she was right! I’m on all the usual platforms, switching up my hashtags and doing my best to stay on top of trends and posts. But it can become overwhelming and sometimes even take away from the job of writing. Finding a balance between posting and writing is key for building a growing platform as well as maintaining your mental health.
I have found that videos where I appear usually garner more likes than generic posts which can be hard for someone like me who is private person. Personally, I choose to limit what I share because I don’t like living my life in the public eye. While this might slow the process of growing my audience online, it’s what I am comfortable with. Whatever you are most comfortable is the path you should take. Also, while I’m open to hopping on trends, not every trend is meant for me. I’m comfortable missing out thousands of hits if it means posting a video I find embarrassing or uncomfortable. Staying authentic will be the best path toward building a lasting audience.
Exchange Reviews With Other Authors
Chances are you’ve already found a group of like-minded writers with whom you share your joys and miseries. I’ve found that exchanging reviews with other authors is a wonderful way to promote both of our work. These aren’t guaranteed five star reviews, but rather honest peer reviews from people who know about books. What better way to build credibility as an author and spread the word about your work? I’ve received some not so fantastic reviews from these exchanges, but that’s always a risk when anyone leaves a review. And let’s face it, being a writer isn’t for the weak, so you already know that not everyone is going to love your book. A few less than five-star reviews can give potential readers a spectrum of opinions about your book so they can truly see if it is something they would like.
You can either buy each other’s books or exchange e-books to keep costs down. It’s a good idea to make sure the book you’re agreeing to review is something you actually want to read. When I first started trading reviews I often agreed to review any book that came my way. Soon I found myself struggling to read genres that I didn’t enjoy. If you’re going to swap reviews, make sure you and the author you’re swapping with are open to reading each other’s genre. One reviewer once said, “I don’t like reading YA…” and preceded to shred my book. Lesson learned on my part; I should have probably not agreed to the exchange.
Invest The Time
I spend a lot of time reaching out to people – authors, store owners, libraries, bloggers and readers. I am constantly asking people to review my book, stock it on their shelves or if they are interested in author events or collaborations. I am of the belief that if you don’t ask for it, you won’t get it. It’s time consuming and exhausting, but it has paid off slowly but surely. I create posts to thank book sellers for carrying my book online or in their stores and I thank readers for great reviews. I try to respond to every comment on social media and every email I receive. I also engage with people online about the books I read and my experience as a writer. Building that connection with people who love books, and hopefully those who love your book, is invaluable. That human connection helps you understand what people like and what they don’t like, what they’re looking for and how your book might be exactly what they didn’t know they’re missing.
Find A Writing Community
I believe that there is room for everyone at the top – another writer’s success does not mean I am doomed to fail. I promote my fellow writers because I want them to achieve their dreams just as much as I to achieve my dreams. There might be thousands of novels about pop music, but not one of them will have my character Dani Truehart or the story I have created. Investing my time and energy into a community of fellow writers has been great. We lift each other up when needed, we cheer our successes and we laugh together about our crazy journeys through our projects. I learn from their experiences and I hope that they can learn something from mine, too. We’re all in this together and we thrive the more we can support one another. There is nothing more inspiring as finding another light in the dark – that’s how I feel about my writing community. People shining a light on their own journeys, finding common ground and lifting each other up.
Blogs, Newsletters and Podcasts
As if we don’t have enough to do, let’s explore a whole new avenue of work! But these are great low-cost ways to reach writers and readers. As you already know, I try to blog once a week unless I’m mired in a book project. It has been a challenge to come up with interesting, relevant topics on a weekly basis. But I enjoy coming creating my posts and have a new found appreciation for anyone who blogs regularly!
I’m not much of a public speaker, so hosting my own podcast sounds like a nightmare. But for someone who is outgoing or love interacting with people, a podcast might just be a wonderful way to reach new readers. Plus with so many writers trying to get the word out about their books, you’ll never have a shortage of guests for your show.
I’m dipping my toe into the newsletter world this summer thanks to Mail Chimp. I’ve been meaning to do it for years, but now is the time. I’ve been exploring the format Mail Chimp provides so I’m going to give it a whirl and see if I can make it work. I’ll let you know how it goes.
There are so many ways to shine a light on you work, But there are only so many hours in the day and so much money in your wallet. So choose one or two things you feel comfortable with and focus on those. It is a recipe for unhappiness to compare our marketing choices or books to what everyone else is doing on social media, so try not to get caught up in keeping up with what everyone else is doing.
At the end of the day, decide what success looks like for you. Is it finishing that story that’s been rattling around in your head or that half-written manuscript you haven’t look at in years? Is it publishing a physical book, having a book on a shelf in your local library or winning an award? I am guilty of moving my own ‘success goal posts’…every new achievement makes me want to strive for something more. There was a time when just finishing a manuscript seemed impossible. But with two books published, a third written and a couple of award certificates on my shelf I have to remind myself not to only to focus on what I want to achieve, but to appreciate how far I have come. I am right where I need to be and grateful for everything I have accomplished.
Success based on what is important to you the writer, not to what the anonymous world at large thinks, is a huge shift in thinking. But that new mindset has made me a much happier author and person.
Drop me a note if you want to share with readers a method that’s been successful for you. I’ll run a follow-up post to this blog and credit you with your suggestion.
Happy Tuesday. 🏖
**There is a debate among writers as to what constitutes an “indie writer”. Some feel indie writers are self-published writers who have no agent. I use the term to include lesser known writers such as myself who have agents and publishing contracts, but whose work has yet to become mainstream. As far as I am concerned, all writers have a seat at the table – whether you are with the big five, a smaller agency or you self-publish. I mean no disrespect to anyone when I use the term “indie writer”.
Writing is hard and I respect every writer.