Promote Your Book

To publish  and market your book by yourself can be a bit overwhelming, but it is not as daunting as you might imagine. A good place to start is to have a review professionally written to use as a marketing tool to generate publicity and organize a possible book signing. It is wise to promote your book at least one year before it lands in the book stores; start by establishing a Web site to showcase extracts from the book and to run a blog; build your social network community. Post content that will inspire people to ‘spread the word’ about your forthcoming publication, so that they will want to buy your book when it is launched. Always keep your publisher and editor in the loop as to your marketing efforts. Other PR activities:

• Put together a press kit (synopsis, author biography, photo of author holding the book, invitation to launch) that is distributed to media representatives to set up newspaper, magazine and radio interviews;
• Print and distribute leaflets or chapbooks (to publish a image of the book cover, photo and bio of the author);
• Display size A3 contact posters in retail stores that agree to stock copies of your book;
• Run a compact mail order advertorial in a community newspaper;
• Have an edition of bookmarks printed that feature an image of the book cover, brief outline of the content, retail price and list of outlets where the book is available for purchase. Leave bookmarks at libraries and stores that stock the book;
• Showcase the book on a dedicated web site. Provide online payment facilities that makes ordering easy;
• Create a video where you discuss your book (tell your audience about yourself, why you wrote the book, what the book is about, mention who the target audience is, why readers will benefit from reading this book) and post it on your site;
• Post the video on your social media links;
• List your book online on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kalahari, Bidorbuy and Loot;
• Negotiate with Book Clubs like Leisure Books to review your book for inclusion in their catalogue that are mailed to members;
• Depending on the type of book, you could run seminars or workshops on the subject and sell copies to delegates;
• Use social media to attract users to your web site;
• Include a free gift when packaging your book, such as a bookmark, plantable seed-embedded paper cut-out, printed post card).

Contact Theresa (ecottage@gmail.com) to write a review, compile a press kit, design and print leaflets, chapbooks, posters, bookmarks, post cards; Web design and content; or create seeded paper cut-out’s.