Outside-The-Box Book Marketing Strategies ∣ Self-Publishing Relief

by | Marketing and Promotion | 1 comment

Outside-The-Box Book Marketing Strategies ∣ Self-Publishing Relief

Most writers are not marketing experts, but when you’re self-publishing your own book, all the promotional tasks fall directly on your shoulders. Being your own marketing manager may seem daunting—but it doesn’t have to be! The marketing experts at Self-Publishing Relief have some effective, outside-the-box book marketing strategies you can use that are easy to put into action.

   

Creative Book Marketing Strategies For Writers

Have An Author Website

Your author website will act as your online hub for everything about your writing and your book. And you don’t have to wait until your book is finished to build an author website! Even before your book is published, you can start building your audience with updates on any publishing credits and blog articles. Then, once your book is published, you’ll have a ready marketing platform as well as built-in buyers! Don’t wait—get started on your author website today! Bonus tip: Web Design Relief builds beautiful, affordable author websites for writers. Check it out!

Get Book Reviews

Your fans can promote your book for you! Having lots of positive reviews and great buzz will raise the profile of your book above thousands of others and can boost your book sales. You can also contact book bloggers and send free copies with a polite request to review your book. Make sure you have an author profile on Goodreads and that your book is listed so readers can post reviews and recommendations to fellow readers using this platform.

And don’t forget to ask your followers on social media to write reviews and post recommendations for your book!

Offer Giveaways

Everyone loves getting something for free! Grab a few copies of your book and launch a giveaway contest. The contest itself will generate buzz around your book, and you know that the copies you do send out will find eager readers. Just be sure you’re checking the rules of the social media platform you choose to host the giveaway on, like these Facebook guidelines.

   

Write Guest Blog Posts

Contact your favorite book-related blogs and ask if you can write a guest post. But you shouldn’t treat the blog post as an opportunity to simply say “buy my book!” for 500 words. No one wants to read a flagrant promotion piece. Consider topics like “What music you listen to when you’re writing” or “What you believe a good book should do”—then segue naturally into your latest book for sale. By writing guest blog posts, you’ll reach a new audience and gain more exposure for your author brand and your book.

Appear On Podcasts

A podcast appearance is another way for you to reach more potential readers. The idea of speaking into a microphone might be a little scary for some introverted writers, but you’ll find lots of great interview tips that will have you interacting like a pro with the host and the audience. Podcasts about books are a good place to start, but keep local podcasts in mind— they’ll love a story about a local writer who made good!

Use Social Media

Promoting your book on social media may seem obvious and not so outside-the-box, but we’re suggesting you go beyond the basic “book for sale” tweet or post to your followers. You can run paid ads on Facebook, Twitter, and even Instagram to target potential readers who don’t follow you on social media—and without breaking the bank. And think outside the box by looking into niche social media platforms like Litsy.

These are just some of the ways you can market your self-published book—the possibilities are only limited by your imagination! If you’d like more ideas for promoting your book and boosting your sales, read these 99 Virtually Free Marketing Ideas For Self-Published Writers.

 

Question: What is the most effective way you’ve promoted your self-published book?

1 Comment

  1. Sandra Sealy

    Great piece! Working my way through all of these.
    Though my book “Chronicles Of A Seawoman” was technically released on Nov 2019, it was only in the last couple months that I was able to re-energize my #bookmarketing (2020 – need I say more?)
    I am treating it as an online book tour using all of these tools until I can safely “launch” in person.

    Thanks for your great tips!

    Reply

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