**GUEST POST**
Hayley Zelda is a writer and marketer at heart. She’s written on all the major writing platforms and worked with a number of self-published authors on marketing books to the YA audience.
You’ve written an attention-grabbing Wattpad story, you have a publishing contract, and now you’re wondering how to market your book. We understand your situation. Marketing is an important part of your job as an author, and it’s easy to feel like you’re facing a steep learning curve. However, you don’t have to worry. Like everything else, marketing gets easier and better with practice.
We have put together a list of 10 marketing channels or ways for you to promote yourself and your body of work.
Table of Contents
1.Blogs
Blogging refers to self-published writing online. It started out as an opportunity for internet users to write journal-style entries but has since been incorporated into the websites of many companies, personalities, and brands. Features of blogs include regular updates, casual language, and opportunities for readers to interact and strike up a conversation. Meg Cabot, Neil Gaiman, and George RR Martin are just a few of the many established authors who blog.
On your author blog, share behind-the-scenes articles or a snippet from your new book to stand out from all the updates your readers consume on the web. While it takes time, blogging is less intimidating than you might think. It just means that you are offering readers something interesting enough to want to hear more from you.
2. Communities
Belonging to a community is a necessity. While we generally get our true community support from family and friends, you can also help people feel like they belong by creating a community for your readers. RL Stine, for example, has over 485,000 Facebook followers and 242,200 Twitter followers. And that’s only on social media.
Take care of your audience and engage your readers. Contact them via social media and ask them to share their experiences, perspectives, and favorite books. As a writer, focus on building your relationship and having conversations with your fans, while strengthening your marketing skills.
As an author, you also need peer support, mentors, and young proteges. Collaborate with bloggers, critics, influencers, and other authors, and leverage the marketing channels you’re already using.
3. Contests
Giveaways and contests are a great tactic for promoting books. They can grab the attention of readers, whether you want to promote a book launch or create a buzz for a backlist title. In return for an action you specify (such as sharing content on social media or submitting fan art), readers receive something in return that prompts them to participate. For the past few years, Anne Rice has been running Facebook contests and Goodreads giveaways for her titles.
Books are a classic prize and may be enough to engage readers. But think of other gifts and prizes, such as multiple-author bundles, signed copies, an e-reader, advanced copies, gift cards, posters, or merchandise.
4. Email marketing
Email marketing is the use of email to promote products or services while developing relationships with potential readers. It is essentially direct mail done electronically rather than by mail. But email marketing isn’t just about sending e-newsletters. It includes your signature and email marketing campaigns. Authors like Nicholas Sparks recognize the power of email. If you visit Sparks’ website, you are immediately invited to join his mailing list before you can browse his site.
Email newsletters are incredibly easy to set up and design yourself. Encourage your website visitors to subscribe to your mailing list. This will provide valuable, long-term exposure to your target market. You don’t need to be proficient in HTML coding to create an email newsletter. Services like MailChimp and ConstantContact make it easy to create a professional-looking newsletter and allow readers to subscribe to your author or book mailing list.
5. Events
Readers want to connect with their favorite author not just online, but also in person. Take part in live events such as fairs, festivals, launches, lectures, readings, signings, and fan community gatherings. Or even better, take your events online. For example, Ernest Cline is part of a Zoom webinar with Joseph-Beth Booksellers and a CrowdCast conversation with Strand Bookstore as part of promoting his sequel to Ready Player One. Smile and have some fun with your fans.
6. Online presence
In today’s diverse and competitive publishing landscape, writers need to be on top of their online presence as their writing. There are many things to consider, but they all boil down to one thing: making sure that when a potential reader or customer searches you on Google, they will find something.
Take the time to develop your web footprint as the publisher works the internet to create anticipation, buzz, and curiosity for your book. When talking about your book, don’t be afraid to link to author pages on websites like Amazon and Goodreads. That way, if one of your fans is interested, they can find out more about your writing and grab one of your books.
7. Podcasting
The best way to describe a podcast is to think of it as internet radio available on demand. However, unlike conventional radio, podcasts are not exclusively produced by major media companies. In fact, many of the most popular podcasts are started by avid amateurs, and this casual vibe of it all still embodies the guiding ethos behind podcasting.
Millions of people around the world can enjoy it anytime, anywhere. You can subscribe to the show with an app on your phone and listen to the episodes whenever you want on your headphones, in the car, or through speakers. Readers often enjoy listening to podcasts while on the go or cooking dinner at home. For creators like you, podcasts are a great way to reach a large audience.
Podcasting is one of the most popular marketing techniques for authors right now, and podcasts sell audiobooks because you reach people who are already listening to them. 90% of USA Today’s top-selling authors have a podcast presence.
Create a podcast on your book. The lengthy recording process can help you boost your book marketing efforts. It usually takes a few days for a podcast to be created, but that gives you plenty of time to think about what you’re going to discuss. If podcasting is not for you, at the very least consider guesting on other podcasts for interviews.
8. Social media
Using social media to get your writing out into the world can be an incredible opportunity. Paulo Coelho has mastered the art of Facebook. He provides his fans with daily content, including quotes, book reviews, and even entries from his personal blog. Jodi Picoult spends her Twitter time taking out pesky internet trolls and defending those who are discriminated against in society.
Whether it’s Facebook or Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn, or even Pinterest or YouTube, social media is one of the cheapest and easiest marketing channels to master. Try to respond to as many comments and direct messages as possible. Even if you can’t answer a question, it helps to show support and empathy. Involve your followers instead of just broadcasting. The best promotions are like a conversation.
9. Websites
A professionally hosted website gives you more chances of being discovered in the ever-changing, digital book world. Make it easier for visitors to buy your book, tell people who you are and where to find you, get their email addresses, and stay true to your personal brand. You need a platform that readers can visit to learn all about you. David Sedaris puts his books in the foreground. Veronica Roth uses Tumblr to host her website. With WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, and other website tools, you don’t have to be a coding expert or a web designer to set one up.
10. Videos
Video marketing isn’t just for big companies. It’s also for authors. YouTube, owned by Google, is not only the largest video sharing site on the internet, it is also a search engine. After Google, YouTube is actually the second largest search engine on the web. If you want to reach potential readers, you cannot ignore YouTube and its billions of monthly users.
If you have a book to sell, using video can make you stand out so much more than other marketing efforts. John Green is a great example of an author using YouTube video marketing to his advantage. Create a channel. Upload your videos. Start building an audience organically.
Marketing across multiple channels
Out of sight, out of mind is a saying that also applies to publishing in today’s digital world. The publishing industry has undergone a revolutionary upheaval over the past decade as the way readers buy, consume, and obtain information about books has been turned upside down.
As an author, you now have all kinds of opportunities to interact directly with your audience in unique ways. Use a combination of the marketing channels we’ve discussed in a way that best works for you. And don’t be afraid to try out new sites like Wired for Youth. Remember, go where your readers are. Some channels are easy to understand, while others require a steep learning curve. The key is to focus on learning the basics of a particular channel so that you can create success stories.
Photo by Oziel Gómez from Pexels
If you’d like to contribute a guest post- get in touch with me at [email protected].