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How to Launch a Book With No Platform: Your Lean Launch Plan

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Having a solid platform and network in place before you launch your book gives you and your book a powerful advantage. 

Having a ready-made fan base will significantly increase the odds that your book launch will be successful—and that the goals you’ve set for yourself and your book will be reached or surpassed. 

Yet, despite this, many authors find themselves with the launch of their book imminent, and no platform or community in sight. 

With a book in hand (or nearly so), and no time for the long-term, slow-and-steady platform-building approach, what’s a panicked author to do? 

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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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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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Using Audiobooks As Part Of Your Author Marketing Strategy

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Using Audiobooks As Part of Your Author Marketing Strategy | YourWriterPlatform.com

In this guest post, professional editor, Ashley Halsey, walks us through some of the benefits of adding audiobooks to your marketing mix. If you’re ready to take your author business to the next level, adding audiobooks to your marketing strategy may be the next logical step.

Many of us love audiobooks. They are a great innovation, can save time, and are a desirable option for those who would not normally be inclined to pick up a print book.

They’re also immensely helpful for people with certain disabilities, getting kids engaged with literature from a young age, and increasing comprehension and focus.

So if you’re considering using audiobooks as a means of getting your work to a broader audience, you may be on the right track.

The audiobook industry is growing rapidly. Audiobook sales rocketed by 43% in 2018, while those of print books declined (by 5%) for the first time in five years.

If you choose to take the plunge, you’ll be tapping into the fastest-growing segment in the publishing industry.

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Best Practices for Authors Looking to Optimize Their Marketing Strategy

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Best Practices for Authors Looking to Optimize Their Marketing Strategy | YourWriterPlatform.com

Ilan Nass and his company have consistently helped businesses launch, track, and improve their social media marketing and ad campaigns. In this guest post, he’ll share his expertise and social strategies, outlining simple ways authors can optimize their marketing strategy to grow their network and increase book sales.

It’s an unfortunate truth that writing a good book doesn’t guarantee an author’s success.

With so many others vying for readers’ attention, it’s important to implement an effective marketing strategy. Various brands rely on best practices instilled by a Facebook advertising specialist or Instagram expert to promote their products, and authors may consider doing the same to attract a broader audience.

However, if hiring a professional is not currently in the budget, the onus is on authors to understand which marketing channels are available, and which will fit best with their marketing objectives.

Popular options include various social media platforms, a website, and email marketing. The tips here will help you sell more books by explaining how to independently optimize each channel.

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Authors with Platforms Sell Books.

It’s that simple.

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