So there’s good news and less good news when it comes to book promotion ideas and realities. You no longer have to mail out scads of press kits and copies of your book. And you don’t necessarily have to hire a publicist. While those can come in handy for the right book and a hefty budget, online promotion can prove to be more targeted, more effective and a whole lot less expensive.
Let’s start with Amazon. Yes, I know. They’re swallowing up everything. But more than half of the paperback books and three quarters of the eBooks in the U.S. are sold on Amazon, so they’re the definition of a necessary evil if you’re an author. That means that you will want to make your Amazon presence count. Essential book promotion ideas on this front include:
- Finding the right categories for your book. Opt for niche rather than general categories. You want to rank as high as possible in your category, since that impacts Amazon’s algorithms, which in turn impacts how much they’ll show your book to readers who might be interested.
- Researching and listing ten metadata keywords.
- Making sure your sales copy hooks readers with its first sentence and that it’s properly formatted.
- Filling out your Amazon Author Central profile.
- Potentially advertising on Amazon.
You can also take advantage of Amazon’s embed feature to allow readers to preview your book anywhere. Now that’s what I call worthy book promotion! Directly below the box with the Add to Cart and Buy Now buttons, you’ll find a tiny link that says <Embed>. You’ll see a shot of that in the photo at the top of this post. Click on the word <Embed> and you’ll be given the option of sharing a link or embedding a preview of your book. Click on options, and you can choose whether you want the preview to be large, medium or small. For this post, I opted for the small preview of the memoir I co-authored, which you’ll find directly below. As you can see, people can order the book or see a preview without having to leave this site. How cool is that?
You will also want to take put a strategic social media marketing plan into play when considering your book promotion ideas. You don’t need to be on all the platforms (phew!). The platform you choose will depend in part on the type of book you’re marketing and the audience you’re trying to attract. So will how you get the word out about your book.
In addition to providing free content, you can opt for paid advertising. As I point out on my self-publishing Incubation Press website, not only is social media advertising “TONS cheaper than any other kind of advertising, you can target your audience with pinpoint precision, and even ride on the coattails of other successful (and even bestselling) authors.”
Of course, there are also blog posts, guest blogging, articles, and more when it comes to book promotion ideas. A few tips on this front:
- Remember, when writing your book promotion copy, you’re not writing for yourself. You’re trying to hook a prospect who will want to buy and read your book. So, consider who you’re angling for. If your nonfiction book is geared toward executives, for example, you probably need to hit them hard and fast with statistics that will grab their attention. Leading of with a story, on the other hand, could grab a whole different segment of readers.
- No matter who you direct your promotional piece to, steer away from insider or cultural references that only a handful of people will understand. You’re not trying to form an exclusive club here. You want to attract as many people as you possibly can.
- Finally, make sure your post or article delivers on the content in your lead. A bait and switch, however unintentional, only alienates readers. Once you’ve finished writing your piece, go back and make sure your lead is still appropriate. You may even want to write the introduction after you’ve bashed out all the rest of the copy.
There are lots more options when it comes to book promotion ideas. If you’re looking for more information or a little help, check out Incubation Press’s book promotion page.
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