After months of writing blog posts, I've come to realize that many authors agree on one thing; they hate marketing their books. I can understand why. Marketing isn't an easy job. You spend all of your time and energy writing an amazing book, and still there's so much work to do after that to ensure that your baby makes it into the world.
I'm by no means an expert when it comes to marketing, but I've learned a few tricks through my own experiences and also reading articles/blogs from experts in the field. I would definitely suggest looking into Jenn DePaula of Mixtus Media. She's actually running a sale on her Book Marketing Foundations class. Also, check out Alexa Bigwarfe from Write. Publish, Sell who also provides valuable information and courses in marketing.
Build a Community: Whether this is through social media, readings and signings, conventions, or gushing over a book, make connections with writers and readers in your genre. Building connections helps open you to other opportunities in the literary world, like signings you never heard about. It's also just nice to make new friends. Try to focus on those in your genre because they will be the people you sell to later. It's better to have a smaller group of interested people than a large group of followers who won't take a second look at your book.
Social Media: As much as some people hate it, social media is important. It's how your readers get to know you. You can share information about your story or your everyday life. Keep in mind, you don't have to do all social venues. Pick the ones that work well for you. Maybe update a blog every week, or keep a twitter account active. Don't try to do everything, otherwise you might become overwhelmed. Just make sure people have a place to find you, buy your book, and learn more about you. Readers want to feel connected with the author.
Author Website: Going along with social media, you want to be able to market your book through an author website. You can get one for free through Wordpress, or you can spend a little money on it through sites like squarespace. Here's mine for example. Make it unique. Make it you. The best thing about this is you can store all of your social media links, your appearances, your purchase links, etc in one location. And if working on a lot of social media platforms is too daunting, this is a good place to focus your attention.
Author Signings: As much as we would like to stay behind the computer screen, it's important to participate in author signings. An author named Alexandra Penn says she sells most of her books through in-person signings. To prepare for it, have your elevator pitch ready. Know how to explain your book in 30 seconds or two sentences so you can keep the people engaged. Decorate your table to make it eye catching. Also, consider holding raffles or special sales at in-person signings. It might attract more attention.
Swag: Seriously, people love swag. Bookmarks especially tend to go over well with people because they have a dual use. Character stickers, postcards, small journals, key chains, etc. All of these things can be used to promote your book. You can either make the items yourself or enlist others to help you like Sarah Cunningham who made a lot of my swag.
Press Releases: When your book is about to come out (or even if it is out), it doesn't hurt to write a press release and send it in to your local newspaper, radio show, or tv station. Contact your local newspaper company (or go on their website) to find out where to send a press release.
Interviews: Look for authors or bloggers who are hosting interviews of other authors. This is your chance to talk about your book and introduce yourself to your readers. If you have a book coming out, make sure you get some interviews out around that same time. I host author interviews on my own website here.
These are just a few ideas to get you started. If you have any marketing tips, please feel free to post them down below!
Cheers!
Erin