Many people like to read and buy books (also, the holidays will soon be here again), but how will readers find your book and learn enough about it to know that your book is what they need? Unfortunately, books don’t sell themselves, no matter how high their quality may be, how timely the information or how entertaining the read.

If you’ve written and published a book (irrespective of how it’s been published), then you’ll need to consistently promote it in order to see those book sales you’ve been hoping for. Let me share with you four ways that you can use to promote your book.

Interviews

Media outlets are often looking for new and interesting content. Sitting down for interviews about you and your book will help to get the word out and amplify your voice among new and relatively large audiences. This may include interviews for podcasts, radio shows, TV, newspapers, magazines, websites or other media.

First, think about the existing, established contacts you have. Ask your contacts if their media outlet would be interested in an interview with you related to the topic of your book.

Next, pitch your idea for an interview to smaller media outlets, local media and/or niche media related to you or your book. Once you’ve gotten some successful interviews under your belt, then you can pitch the larger or more prestigious outlets.

One important thing to remember about media interviews is this: the interview is most often NOT about the fact that you have a book for sale! Focus on the information you provide that is valuable to the audience.

Content

Let’s imagine that we’re fishing. We add bait to the hook, drop the line in a location where we think there could be fish and then wait for the fish to bite. That’s what we can do with content (albeit, a much less lethal version!) to promote your book: lure readers with a tasty morsel of content that leads back to your book.

Consider doing the following: post regular messages on social media platforms, write and post blog posts for your own blog and/or as guest posts on others’ blogs, create and post YouTube videos.
Link the pieces of content to your author website where people can learn more about you and your book, or to a place where they can buy your book directly.

By strategically casting a wide net with interesting content, you can attract new readers over time.

Platform

Having a platform means that you are visible and trusted among a specific group of people who really connect with you and/or your work and will welcome your suggestions (such as to purchase your book). However, building a platform is a long-term process. You need regular contact that feeds the relationship and keeps the trust alive.

Some people are naturally influential. They recommend something to the people they know and those people immediately turn around and acquire that item. Other people may not be naturally influential, but through hard work and consciously cultivating their connections, they can grow their platform and be just as influential.

A platform can be constructed or kept alive with events, email lists, newsletters, forums, blogs, contacts in common, testimonials, etc. However, the key to building and benefitting from a platform is to forge a meaningful sense of connection with every member so that they feel like they belong.

Promotions

Most people love to get discounts or, even better, to get something for free. Promotions are a good, quick way to draw new attention to your book. While some people will essentially take the free stuff and run, others can make it worthwhile. They might leave a great book review, recommend the book to their friends and contacts, or buy a second copy for a Christmas present!

You might try a book giveaway on social media, such as giving away three copies of your book to the first person who correctly answers a question of your choice. Or offer a certain percentage-off discount during a particular period of time. (You can easily set up a KDP promotion for this if you have an Amazon Kindle version of your book.) Or donate copies of your book to be the prize in a contest. Or give away a certain number of book copies on reader sites like LibraryThing and Goodreads.

However you decide to promote your book, the key is to keep at it. Maybe the first hundred people who hear about your book won’t buy it, but the next one will.

Dudley Court Press

Dudley Court Press works with writers like you every day. As a full-service, hybrid publishing house, we help thoughtful people write their books and become successful published authors.

Are you interested in Self-Publishing your book? Let Dudley Court Press help with our Assisted Self-Publishing Program.

For more information, including about DCP’s latest program Memoir Writing Made Easy, please get in touch at info@DudleyCourtPress.com.