Rather than spending months trying to land a literary agent, and then waiting many additional months to be traditionally published, more writers are choosing to fast-track and self-publish their books. But the more books that writers self-publish, the more choices readers have, and the harder it can be to get your self-published book noticed. The marketing experts at Self-Publishing Relief have some tips on how to make it easier for readers to discover your self-published book in this quickly expanding market.

How To Help Readers Discover Your Self-Published Book And Boost Sales

Know Your Audience

If you want to improve the odds of your self-published book finding an audience, the first thing you must do is know who that audience is. If you’re marketing your violent thriller to romance readers, or your historic fiction to cozy mystery fans, you’re wasting time and missing out on opportunities. Research your genre and determine what clicks with your potential buyer.

Be Active On Social Media

It’s not enough to put up an occasional post on social media—the algorithms demand that you be consistently active if you want to gain or keep an audience. Your posts don’t have to be long or complicated, but they should be made on a regular schedule. Know where your audience hangs out online: Are they all on Facebook, or do they prefer Instagram? The bigger you grow your following, the more readers you can reach with news about your book! (If you need some inspiration for what to post, we’ve got lots of great ideas for Twitter and Facebook.)

Choose The Best Categories and Keywords

Categories and keywords will determine how your book shows up in Internet searches, so it’s important to choose those carefully. Having the right keywords on your sales page will make sure your book appears in searches when your audience members are looking for their next great read. Check out authors and books that are similar to you and yours and see what searches they turn up in.

You want to select categories and keywords that fit your book, but that aren’t too broad or too specific. If the categories are too general, your book likely won’t float to the top of the list in most searches. And if the keywords are too specific, there won’t be many searches performed using those terms.

Be sure your keywords and categories match your readers’ expectations. Even after you’ve made your selection, you should revisit your selected keywords and categories from time to time to see if they need to be updated. You can always update or change your categories and keywords on KDP—and it’s actually very smart to do so.

Encourage Reviews

Book reviews and word of mouth are the best ways to boost your self-published book’s discoverability! Positive reviews will raise your self-published book’s profile among the millions of other books competing for your buyer’s attention. Book vendors use ratings and reviews to determine the quality and popularity of a book, so books with more four- and five-star reviews will populate first in keyword searches. And when readers see that others enjoyed your book, they’ll be more inclined to click “buy.”

By following these important tips, you’ll make it easier for readers to discover your self-published book by getting it in front of more potential buyers. For more helpful tips, check out our Self-Publishing Relief blog for additional articles on how to best promote your self-published book.

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