Help for authors timid about technology
Fresh out of ideas on how to help your writing take off? You’re in luck.
We’ve compiled a list of 89 book marketing ideas that will change your life, build your brand, and sell your book. There’s something for everyone on the list.
Best of all, the list is free. Completely free.
Sound intriguing? Read on.
89 Book Marking Ideas That Will…
Increase your web presence:
- Create a testimonial page on your website
- Retweak the SEO on your site
- Ask fans to post their reviews on your Facebook page
- Sign up for Twitter
- Clean up your social footprint
- Create an author FB page and use it instead of your profile
- Offer bloggers advanced reading copies
- Go on an online book tour
- Host Q+A sessions on Google+
- Create Facebook Friday videos
- Register as an author on Amazon
- Create a book trailer
- Get a new Author Website
Build your fan base:
- Start a FB campaign to increase your fans
- Start a Google Campaign to increase traffic to your site
- Start a controversial web series
- Keyword your blog posts
- Create a monthly newsletter
- Create an affiliate program
- Host guest bloggers
- Become a guest blogger
- Create business cards with your web address on them and hand them out
- Start commenting on other blogs (early and often)
- Host regular author hangouts on Google+
- Host regular author interviews on Google+
- Get social media coaching
Cultivate Community:
- Create an online community with a forum
- Say thank you to readers with special incentives for being a fan
- Ask your reading community to design merchandise for your store
- Create a fan page for your main character (works well if they are in a series)
- Ask fans to create their own book trailers and post them online
- Offer core fans advanced copy of future books
- Ask fans to post pictures of “character spottings”
- Use Twitter hashtags
- Poll your readers and listen to what they say
- Answer all your blog comments
- Engage with your fans on FB
- Ask your fans to post pictures of them reading your book
Make some extra money:
- Repackage old blog posts and sell them as an e-book
- Join an affiliate program
- Speak on the core topic of your book
- Become a content writer
- Freelance
- Sell ads on your website
- Sell ads in your newsletter
- Write a new ebook tailored to your fans
- Mentor another writer
- Become an Amazon Affiliate
- Offer customizable ebooks for readers
- Sell your book on your site, not just Amazon
Build your brand offline
- Write a Press Release
- Ask to be interviewed by your local paper
- Ask to be interviewed by the paper your book is set in
- Ask to be interviewed by the local radio host
- Ask to be interviewed on the local morning show (read this article first)
- Partner with a band that has the same cause as you
- Go on a physical book tour
- Sell themed merchandise (Think Team Edward shirts)
- Rent a billboard
- Host a book release party
- Link with an activity that supports your cause and sell your book there
- Create a viral video about a scene from your book
Find a Place To Give a Book Reading:
- Your local coffee shop
- A hospital
- A retirement community
- A rehabilitation center
- A local church
- A locally owned bookstore
- The library (try the five closest to your house)
- The local community college
- A school
- Wherever the main setting of your book is
- Google+
- Videos you upload to Facebook
Discover where to donate your book (and make new fans):
- A women’s shelter
- A VA hospital
- A children’s hospital
- A retirement home
- The five closest libraries to your house
- Community libraries at coffee shops
- The local community college library
- The libraries in the town where the book was set in
- BookCrossing.com
- Local B&B’s
- A prison
- A church library
Become an expert:
- Become a HARO source
- Get active on LinkedIn Answers
- Write Op-Ed pieces on the core message of your story
- Give lectures on the core message of your story
- Create a series of web-videos interviewing experts on the core message of your story
- Make sure your author about me page is interesting and relevant
Have any book marketing tips you’d like to add to the list? Leave them in the comment section.
Need help implementing some of the ideas? Author Media can help.
Related posts:
Great tips. I’m actually working on lots of these as I promote my client’s upcoming novel. The best advice I could add is to set up your social media hubs well before the book comes out. This way you can network and build your audience in advance, instead of fighting an uphill battle at the book launch.
I also agree when you say to answer all your blog comments. That’s so true–it makes you feel more connected and validated. Very important for new writers to make that connection with their readers.
Next on my list? Creating business cards and getting a FB fan page set up. Thanks for this!
Great point. Marketing your next book starts before you begin writing chapter one. Playing catch-up doesn’t work in social media because you haven’t been around long enough to build trust or a tribe that will willingly follow you.
Best of luck with your client!
Hi Caitlin! Fantastic book marketing tips whether you’re ‘new’ or ‘old school’. Similar comment that Mary made, I try to encourage my students to start their marketing before they publish their book. This presents the opportunity and time to create anticipation, excitement & buzz for the book & can help in creating/building an author platform (for those new to publishing/authoring) as well as build credibility as an expert in the subject. Well done — Eric V. Van Der Hope
Thanks, Eric.
I agree with what you said – marketing should start before you start writing the first chapter. Commit to your book and to your success.
Great tips and I’m going to be working my way through them!
Fantastic! Let me know how they work for you!
Caitlin, nice list. Well done. I just ‘Tweeted’ it too.
I also recommend that authors read “How I Sold 1 Million eBooks in 5 Months!”
Author John Locke (not the guy on LOST) reveals how he sold 1 million ebooks. He discusses how step by step he created a fan base that keeps coming back to buy more books. It is important, as an author, to always be aware of the changing field of social media and embrace it as a marketing tool for your book. It’s a must read in our Kindle ebook world. http://www.amazon.com/Sold-Million-eBooks-Months-ebook/dp/B0056BMK6K/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1321461364&sr=1-1
Scott –
Did you catch our review of John Locke’s book? http://www.authormedia.com/2012/01/05/know-your-audience-the-secret-to-author-john-lockes-success/
Great list. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for stopping by, Jo!
Feel free to add suggestions.
Every businessman wants that their business will reach to the sky….For that thing one has to follow the tips given in this blog….I feel really great after reading these tips…Thanks for the valuable information and the post….
Thanks for stopping by. Are there any tips that you would add to the list?
Loved your tips. Lot’s of things to consider and do!!!!!!!!! You are appreciated!
Thanks, Rachel! Let us know how your writing journey goes.
This is absolutely remarkable. I’ve bookmarked the site as well. I feel like I will be re-reading this information over and over again. I wonder if JK Rowling built a fan base before HP was published. Either way, this is a great post and much appreciated.
Thanks for your kind words, Jessica. What kind of books do you write?
What a great find!
Thank you so much Caitlin.
I’m off to share some of these with my clients, colleagues and readers, right after I subscribe to your blog.
Thanks for your kind words, Flora! I’m honored!
Thanks for the great advice!
I was wondering if you could help me with a Facebook dilemma. I have hundreds of FB friends on my personal profile, which I created before fan pages were available (or before I was aware of them, not sure which). I intended it for true friends, but I now have reader/writer acquaintances friending me there. I’d rather not have them seeing all my personal posts. I also have a page for my first book, but the following closely parallels that for my personal page.
I’ve since created a fan page as an author, but I don’t know how to get any friends for that page. I don’t see an “invite” link, and even when I click “Promote with an ad” it tells me I can only do that from my personal profile page. Do I have to send personal messages to all my FB friends and give them the URL for my fan page, asking them to like it?
You aren’t the only author facing that problem!
It’s a blessing that you only have hundreds, and not thousands, of people to worry about. There are a few ways you can approach this.
1) When you first set up your author page, you will be able to invite all of your friends in one step. This is the only time the FB lets you do that. If you didn’t do it when you first set up the page, you’ve lost that opportunity.
2) Facebook Ads. That’s something that we can help you set up. Making an ad will help you reach more than the hundreds of readers on your page. It will also help you connect with other writers off your personal page.
3) Emailing all your “friends.” I’ve gotten mass emails like this from other authors. I don’t mind because I understand that there is a line between writer-buddy and genuine friend. It can be incredibly tedious.
4) Setting up different FB lists. This is also incredibly tedious and if you have hundreds of people to go through, it can take hours. We recommend that all authors use lists to some extent.
Do you want to set up a free consultation to talk about this in more detail? You can call us at 888-432-7734 or fill out the “free consultation” form.
I’d need to verify with you here. Which isn’t one thing I normally do! I get pleasure from reading a post that can make people think. Also, thanks for allowing me to comment!
I have to say that I think this is a great resource! As I went through the lists I found that I already do some of them and that there are so many more that I can work on and get started. Thank you so much for putting this out there for everyone!