Self-publishing isn’t exactly a new thing but it did take a few years to really catch on. It has now become a major part of the publishing industry and many authors are jumping on the bandwagon. While there are still traditional publishers out there, and independent publishers have popped up as well, there are quite a few reasons that some authors choose to self-publish.
However, while writing books is enjoyable, many authors have a hard time with the marketing part of the process that comes after the writing is done. If you expect to make a name for yourself in the publishing industry and to sell copies of your books, you have got to make marketing a priority. In this blog, you can find some tips to help make it a little easier to market yourself and your books as a self-published author.
Make Sure You Have a Website
It might seem like a no-brainer, but some authors don’t realize the value of a good website. Once the website is built, it’s what you put on it that’s important. Go past the standard pre-order links for your upcoming books, blurbs, and excerpts from your latest release (though these are important) and start posting things about yourself. You need to realize that 9 times out of 10 if a reader is looking up your website, it’s to learn more about you as a person.
Take Advantage of Technology
Okay, this tip is geared more towards getting stuff done than it is toward marketing, but it needs to be said: As a writer, you need to take advantage of any modern technology out there. This means writing on a computer instead of a typewriter and using whatever software is out there to make your writing more productive and your notetaking faster. From tools to help you outline to tools that can web capture important information you find online so you don’t have to search for it later when you need it, technology is a big help to the modern writer. Use it.
You do Need a Blog
While a website is important to get facts about yourself and your books out there, a well-thought-out and current blog is much more dynamic and helps you get to know your readers. Of course, you want to talk about book-related things on your blog, but other things are good as well. Do you love to cook? Love movies? Love Christmas? All of these are fair game when it comes to writing an author’s blog. You do need to make sure the blog is up-to-date and current on everything you’re talking about and that it’s grammar free content as well. A well-written blog will help your readers get to know you, and that’s half the battle.
Yes, You Need to be on Social Media
While many authors don’t like it, being on social media is one of the best ways to market yourself and your books. It is estimated that over half of the world is on at least one of the social media sites at any given time, day or night. It’s best to have at least a bit of a social presence on all of the big sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and even the newer platforms like Me-We. The more your author presence is out there, the more readers you will get, which increases your sales as well.
These are just a few of the best tips for marketing yourself and your books as a self-published author. Remember, writing the book is only half the battle, the rest is marketing yourself and that book so you gain readers to increase your sales.
