I’ve no idea. That’s the truth. Because I’ve got a full time job and writing books is a passion project, a hobby, rather than my source of income, so the truth is, I’m not even half-assing it.
Years ago I did try harder and I invested a bit more, but the time and money I could dedicate were by no means matched by the income. And when the budget got tighter, I had to decide what I would rather pay for and I prioritized my web page (which I love) and, now that I’m more settled, cover designs.
But that’s beside the point.
In any case, this time around because I lack wisdom or hands-on experience on the topic, I’ll turn to others’ suggestions and guidance. Keep in mind that I can’t back up any of these things as I haven’t tried them out (or I have but not to the extent suggested), yet they seem like good starting points in case you’re looking for more info.
I’ll be referring to tips for self-published authors, as the structure built around traditional publishers might be somewhat similar but it’s also run by others.
I’ve gathered suggestions from Editage, Forbes, PublishDrive, Gatekeeper Press, and Launch My Book and am sharing the main (mostly overlapping) tips. Of course, you can check out any of these websites for the information to be a lot more detailed, with even more sources.
The tips are in no particular order.
Have your own website and/or blog. Have a clear idea of your target audience, what your brand is, what you want to say, and how you want to say it. How much of yourself do you want to share, and how will this match what you’re trying to promote or sell? How can the visual aspects, like colors, design, patterns, fonts, best reflect your brand? With your blog, find the topics that will also work to complement what you’re trying to do, what you’re focused on. (A website is an investment, but keep in mind that there are free platforms where you can share your blog posts too.)
A blog can also be a commitment if you want to post regularly. How often can you do it?
Have a social media presence. Be it Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, MySpace, whatever the youths are opting for nowadays, they’re useful means to reach a wider audience. That said, the content should reflect your brand. And again, this can be time consuming, so finding the best frequency is important—you don’t want to spend more time on social media than you do writing, to you?
Interact! Everything applies: reply to comments on your posts, repost or share content that’s relevant to your brand, write guest blog posts for others (and have them do the same for your site), contribute on forums, interview (or ask to be interviewed by) someone with a relevant and/or significant media presence…
Have a newsletter. Once you’ve got an established presence, set up a mailing list to keep your readers informed, with added value. While social media can help with teasers and regular posts, it’s important not to overdo it with the newsletter, so you can share more important information on it, like…
Promote before you publish. Set up a pre-order option, tease the cover, the blurb, and the title, let readers know what’s to come and when. Send advanced reader copies (ARCs), which you can set up through some platforms, so that when it’s publishing day, you’ve already got some traction. If possible, have a giveaway promotion.
After you’ve published, keep up the promotions. From including the information on a newsletter, blog, and social media post, to book tours (in presence or digital), in addition to having your book on resellers and book platforms (e.g. Goodreads), it’s important to claim your book.
Advertise. This will mostly be trial and error, but you don’t need to start with a huge investment. You can boost social media posts and specify your target audience or advertise. Don’t expect immediate results, though. Keep in mind that there can be more goals than just selling books: getting more awareness, generating more visits to your website, and other long-term objectives.
Get reviews. Easy breezy, said no writer ever. There are professional reviewers who offer their services at a fee or platforms like NetGalley, where you can upload a digital copy of your book (also with a fee) and readers can read and then review and give feedback on it, but you can also reach out to readers through social media—just don’t be annoying about it. Also, drop a line or two at the end of your book, kindly asking readers for their opinion. It won’t hurt.
Test price promotions. If your book is signed up to KDP, for example, you can have temporary promotions to either decrease or make your e-book free, and this can help if you’ve got a series and you’re trying to entice readers by giving away free copies of the first book.
There you have it, although remember that different goals will change how you approach these things and they’re really, really general.
