After navigating all the complex ins and outs of the self-publishing process, you’ve finally pressed “publish” and your book is available for sale. Yay, you! But, like many self-published authors, you may soon be surprised that your book isn’t flying off the virtual bookshelf and into the hands of eager buyers. At Self-Publishing Relief, our marketing experts know that writers—both traditionally published and self-published—need to be actively involved in promoting their books. If your sales are in a slump, here’s how to improve your self-published book sales.

8 Ways To Improve Sales Of Your Self-Published Book

Schedule an event! Even if you’ve already held a book launch party, you can still host another event (or two, or three!). Talk to a bookstore or your local library about holding a reading for your book, and consider teaming up with a few other authors to draw a potentially even bigger crowd. There are also great cross-promotion possibilities and unexpected, great locations where you can attract potential buyers. If your book is about a crime-solving pastry chef, your local bakery might be a clever choice for a book reading. Or, if your protagonist enjoys a good glass of wine, perhaps a winery would be open to the idea of a combination book reading/wine tasting event. There are lots of ways to create an event that will draw a crowd—and hopefully boost your book sales!

Promote a dramatic price drop. You don’t want to continuously sell your book for much less than it’s worth, because readers might suspect it’s because your book isn’t very good. But a one-day sale, or a sale that coincides with holiday shopping, can attract more new buyers looking for a good read and a bargain. Plan for a short-term price drop on your book—and be sure you advertise it beforehand.

Offer freebies. People love getting free stuff! Hold a contest offering a free copy of your book, or give away a copy of your first chapter or a related short story. And if you stick to digital promos, you’ll be able to entice readers without putting a big dent in your wallet!

Share excerpts or teasers. A short teaser from your book—maybe a dramatic quote from one of the characters, or a few intriguing lines—can be very effective on social media. You’ll be able to generate some interest and include a link to where readers can learn more and buy your book.

You might also post an attention-grabbing excerpt on your author website, with links to your sales page.

Tweak your existing marketing strategy. If you do have a marketing plan in place but it’s not having the impact you hoped it would, a few smart tweaks can make a difference! Check out our list of 45 changes you can make to help build your fan base and improve your sales.

Create “word of mouth” opportunities. Getting people to talk about your book is one of the best ways to boost sales. Paid ads and promotions get word out about your book, but the social proof provided by actual reader comments is vital to building interest. Check out our best tips for how to generate word-of-mouth sales.

Support a cause! Did you know you can donate a portion of the proceeds of your book to a good cause—and also create new marketing opportunities to boost your sales? Cause marketing is often a win-win for both authors and the charities they support. Donating to a charity gives you a unique reason to talk about and market your book and opens you up to a new audience. If the charity ties into your book’s subject, even better! If your protagonist has a clever canine sidekick, you might donate some of your profits to an animal shelter. If you tie in with a good cause, readers will feel even better about buying your book.

Rack up some good reviews. Much like word of mouth, good reviews can really help build interest in your book. When shoppers are looking for their next read, good reviews can be the tipping point that makes them hit the “buy” button. And if you’ve self-published through Amazon’s KDP, you’re in luck, because it’s easier than ever to share reviews of your book!

By following these tips from our marketing experts, you’ll grab more attention and generate new sources of interest for your self-published book—which can help boost your sales numbers!

Question: How do you boost your self-published book sales?