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8 Marketing Strategies for Self-Publishing Authors that Get Results

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In this post, guest author Helene Cue covers eight of the most effective marketing strategies for self-publishing authors to help you finally get some results and grow your writing career.

If you want to become a successful self-published author, you need to have both a talent for writing as well as some practical marketing skills. You must know (or must learn) how to present your books to your audience in a way that makes them sit up and take notice.

Got the writing talent, but lack a background in marketing? No worries! If you genuinely want to become self-published, you can quickly learn basic marketing strategies and start using them to promote your work and your author brand. 

Here are eight powerful marketing strategies you can start implementing today.

1 // Identify Your Ideal Reader 

If you want to promote your book effectively, start with a clear understanding of who your target audience is.

Identifying your ideal reader is an essential step in developing a marketing plan. How do you describe your readers? Who are they?

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Why Every Author Needs a Book Sales Funnel and How to Get Started Today

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author sales funnel

A book sales funnel is a series of steps carefully designed to guide readers toward your book, your brand, and ultimately toward making the decision to purchase from you. In this guest post, bestselling author and co-founder of BookAds.co, Brian Berni, shares his insights on why book sales funnels are a critical component to growing your book sales (while still allowing time to write).

Most writers got into the game to write, not spend every waking hour of the day promoting their books. 

However, there is a way to sell more books, reach new readers, and build your audience, all while giving you more time to write. 

It’s through building a book sales funnel.

Ultimately, the goal of a book sales funnel is to bring new readers into your world. A solid book sales funnel will help you get reader email addresses, so you can stay in touch, build a connection, and sell more books with ease.

Below you’ll learn how book funnels can help your author career, and the steps you can take to build a funnel today.

Why You Need a Book Sales Funnel

Imagine spending hours pouring over your new book. You’ve done rounds of editing, have the cover designed, book copy all finished up, now it’s time to launch your book to the world. 

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Marketing your Book and Author Brand During COVID-19

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This is a guest post by Yen Cabag, blog writer of TCK Publishing. In this post, she shares her recommendations on how authors can balance their book marketing and promotional needs with the current heightened need for public safety and social distancing.

Building your author platform is a must-do for anyone wanting to become a successful author.

After all, if you believe in the importance of the message or the experience you offer with your book, you shouldn’t be hesitant about getting it in front of other people.

Authors aren’t just writers – you also need to be intentional at marketing and selling your book, too. 

There are many ways to market your book, including exciting things like book tours and book signings, as well as more mundane tasks like keeping up a presence on social media. And, of course, many experts recommend you start building your author platform even before you get your book out.

But, with the coronavirus pandemic upon us, what’s an author to do? 

First things first: you definitely don’t want to capitalize on people’s fear by feeding on their uncertainty.

Unfortunately, some writers have done so in order to grab attention and short-term sales. But this strategy never works in the long-term, and can often backfire on the author rather spectacularly.

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Book Marketing 101: The Crucial Basics of Promoting Your Book

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book marketing 101

Karen Ferreira’s creative agency specializes in providing high-quality, affordable illustration services for authors. 

As a keynote speaker at her annual conference, Children’s Book Mastery, Karen interviewed me about the crucial basics of promoting your book.

We explored the following:

  • What mindset should authors adopt when promoting their book?
  • What are the most crucial elements of promoting your book?
  • What are some creative and unusual ways to promote your book?
  • How can authors come up with their own marketing ideas?
  • How can an author create a promo kit for themselves?

Because book promotion is such an important – but challenging – topic, Karen generously provided a transcribed copy of our discussion to use here on the blog.

We wrapped up our chat with Karen asking me what my top tip is to help authors succeed. (You’ll have to scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to find my answer. ??)

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Book Promotion Ideas for Authors: How to Plan Events in Unique Venues

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If you’ve been considering hosting a local author event in a unique or non-traditional venue, this guest post by Beatrice Beard will be a big help. By getting out into the community, building relationships with local businesses, clubs and organizations, you can strategically create some buzz and excitement around your book AND create a win for the venue, as well.

If you’re trying to come up with creative or unique ways to promote your book through events, there are a lot of options.

The reality is, you can book an event for book promotion at nearly any kind of venue. From coffee shops to craft beer breweries, there are so many options out there.

One of the great benefits of doing an event in a non-bookstore venue is that there won’t be any author competition.

Here’s what you should keep in mind when you consider your next venue.

Be Creative

There are many venue options if you want to do an event in a non-bookstore market. If it makes sense for your buyer audience and the venue’s customers, then it should be considered.

[Read more…]

Authors with Platforms Sell Books.

It’s that simple.

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