Self-Publishing Book Marketing Tactics Discussion Thread

[Robinne Weiss]

I've just started exploring newsletter swaps on Bookfunnel (that's where you and another author feature each other's books in your newsletters). I do regular group promos, but haven't done the swaps before. I've been pleasantly surprised by the bump in sales I'm getting with each swap. The reader targeting is much tighter with a swap--I can choose to swap books that are exactly what my readers might like, rather than just a broad genre promotion. I'll definitely be doing more of them.

 

[Jake E]

I've just started exploring newsletter swaps on Bookfunnel (that's where you and another author feature each other's books in your newsletters). I do regular group promos, but haven't done the swaps before. I've been pleasantly surprised by the bump in sales I'm getting with each swap. The reader targeting is much tighter with a swap--I can choose to swap books that are exactly what my readers might like, rather than just a broad genre promotion. I'll definitely be doing more of them.

I've heard that this can be a very effective tactic. You have to find a writer with a similar readership though.

 

[Rachel Caldecott]

Hello Rachel... I wondered if you ever got it I hope it helps with your Italian. xxx

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to read. Italian is so much nicer (ie easier/logical) than French. I'm glad I haven't completely lost it!!
By the way, I did message you to say thanks when I first received it, but maybe you didn't see that. Anyway, I will read and review it. Authors need reviews!!!

 

[Eva Ulian]

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to read. Italian is so much nicer (ie easier/logical) than French. I'm glad I haven't completely lost it!!
By the way, I did message you to say thanks when I first received it, but maybe you didn't see that. Anyway, I will read and review it. Authors need reviews!!!

Wonderful! Will you be able to do it in Italian? And post it on Amazon?

 

[Rachel Caldecott]

Wonderful! Will you be able to do it in Italian? And post it on Amazon?

I will!

 

[Rachel Caldecott]

Following the Huddle chat, I think we need a long-running thread on marketing tactics. This is so that if any of us decide to self-publish, or get trad published on the mid list without much marketing budget, we know what to do in order to reach our intended readership. Please drop suggestions, links etc. in here.

Nothing about querying or submissions, please. This thread assumes you have, or are going to have, a book published as either a print run or digital, or that you are considering self-pub and want to be prepared.

The design team, MIBLArt, that did my book covers, occasionally sends out short checklists designed to help self-published authors. The last one I received was about marketing. There isn't anything particularly new here, but it is handy to have it in an easy-to-read list.


However, if I'm being completely honest, I will always have a problem (i.e a serious mental block) with promoting and marketing my books. I can't get past the fact that I'd rather be writing or planning my next book (or spending my time actually living life), and deep down inside, marketing, etc makes me feel cheap and dirty. All the ideas MIBLArt mentions may be great, but for them to be effective, I'd have to do them well. To do them well, I'd have to spend time experimenting, practising and eventually perfecting my techniques, etc...

For this reason, I shall probably die poor and unknown.

FYI, here I started to write an entire paragraph detailing my feelings about authors' emails and podcasts, and on creating social media content, but have deleted it because I sounded too much like Scrooge in the build-up to Christmas. "Marketing, promotion, Bah-humbug. Tik-Tok, Instagram Bah-humbug, etc... "

 

[Claire G]

Following the Huddle chat, I think we need a long-running thread on marketing tactics. This is so that if any of us decide to self-publish, or get trad published on the mid list without much marketing budget, we know what to do in order to reach our intended readership. Please drop suggestions, links etc. in here.

Nothing about querying or submissions, please. This thread assumes you have, or are going to have, a book published as either a print run or digital, or that you are considering self-pub and want to be prepared.

I've reached out to bloggers in my genre and have got a few reviews this way.

I also connect with readers of my genre on Goodreads - not selling to them, but building relationships through posting reviews and liking theirs. It makes people aware of me as an author and it's up to them if they choose to check out my book.

I did a Goodreads giveaway and got some reviews that way, but I found that some people entered and won but it wasn't their normal genre to read! It resulted in a couple of less-than-ideal reviews.

I'm in Kindle Select on Amazon, so I'm enrolled in Unlimited. I also tried the free 5-day promotion but got zilch.

When I pay for Sponsored Ads, I get clicks and some sales, but it's not cost effective.

I'm daunted by setting up an email list, newsletter etc and I don't do social media. The thought of events terrifies me!

 

[Jake E]

I'm daunted by setting up an email list, newsletter etc and I don't do social media. The thought of events terrifies me!

I think this is true of a lot of writers. i certainly don't do people very well (autistic af). In person, people probably think I'm weird as hell.
It's a terrifying prospect having to engage with strangers, but then i think "hold on, I didn't know anyone on Litopia before I joined. I didn't know anyone in my dungeons and dragons group before I joined", but i engage with them just fine (even if I sometimes read their body language incorrectly occasionally)
I've just finished the process of setting up an email list. All the pieces are together, i just need people on it now and, yes i cursed and shouted. The air was blue for miles around for a whole day. But I managed it and now I know how to do it, i could do it again if needed. I won't lie, it wasn't easy, though.
I think you just need to jump in with both feet

 

[Claire G]

I think this is true of a lot of writers. i certainly don't do people very well (autistic af). In person, people probably think I'm weird as hell.
It's a terrifying prospect having to engage with strangers, but then i think "hold on, I didn't know anyone on Litopia before I joined. I didn't know anyone in my dungeons and dragons group before I joined", but i engage with them just fine (even if I sometimes read their body language incorrectly occasionally)
I've just finished the process of setting up an email list. All the pieces are together, i just need people on it now and, yes i cursed and shouted. The air was blue for miles around for a whole day. But I managed it and now I know how to do it, i could do it again if needed. I won't lie, it wasn't easy, though.
I think you just need to jump in with both feet

Thanks, @Jake E I may muster the courage one day!

 

[Jake E]

Thanks, @Jake E I may muster the courage one day!

And if you need any help with it, you know where I am.

 

[Claire G]

And if you need any help with it, you know where I am.

Thanks so much. I really appreciate that x

 

[Claire G]

And if you need any help with it, you know where I am.

I'm having another push. I've reduced the price on Amazon and I'm considering their promotion opportunities. Baby steps.

 

[KateESal]

UPDATE

I aim to have a stack of books with me whenever there's an opportunity to reach readers.

It works! Just by chatting to people who ask what I do/what I've done lately has produced a bunch of book sales and some lovely reviews, too... and that was without any hustling on my part. I also got myself a radio spot by having a natter with someone at a festival.

Get yourself out there — if you can!

Also, I popped into a few indie bookshops and gave them some promo bookmarks to sit on their counter and give out for free. As long as your QR code doesn't go straight to Amazon, they're generally happy to do that. It also gave me the opportunity to mention that my book is available for the trade via their distributor of choice (Gardners in the UK), in case their interest is piqued and to transmit to them that I'm doing this in a professional manner. One book shop was interested enough to take a reading copy. My novel may not be on their shelves yet, but I feel this a step in the right direction!

 

[KateESal]

I wanted to share that I've been very impressed by the author distribution service offered by Draft2Digital, both in terms of Ebook and print format.
It's free, fast (it took AGES for IngramSpark to verify my account, by which time I had switched to D2D and so glad I did!) and comprehensive.

I love that they give you a Universal Book Link where readers can link to their preferred store and format to buy your title. It's been magical seeing my book listed on websites like Waterstones, Barnes & Noble, Gardners (for the UK book trade), Overdrive, Apple Books and many more without me having to approach them individually.

The only minus is that if you need to make corrections to your book's content, you can only do so every quarter for free (you have to pay to make corrections more often). However, given that everything else they do is free, that's fair enough. You can amend your online info as often as you like for nothing, however.

Therefore, if you're planning to "go wide" I recommend publishing via KDP, then Draft2Digital.

For UK-based authors, Book Vault offers a great print-on-demand service as an alternative to Amazon, rivalling the 'Zon in terms of price for author copies and general convenience when uploading covers, content etc. I found their delivery times to be on a par, too. I believe they've just started a service in the US, too.

 

[Jake E]

I've been very impressed by the author distribution service offered by Draft2Digital,

I have heard lots of good things about D2D.

 

[Eva Ulian]

Hello @KateESal - D2D looks good, I've just signed up. I don't know when I shall self publish a book, but if and when I do- I'd like to try out D2D.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

I wanted to share that I've been very impressed by the author distribution service offered by Draft2Digital, both in terms of Ebook and print format.
It's free, fast (it took AGES for IngramSpark to verify my account, by which time I had switched to D2D and so glad I did!) and comprehensive.

I really like D2D as well. Lately, my sales have been higher through D2D than Amazon. That's not saying a lot, because my sales suck, but my non-paid advertising efforts definitely feed more people into non-Amazon channels. Why? No idea.

 

[Nikky Lee]

I've also heard good things about D2D. My understanding is it still uses IngramSpark's distribution but you don't have to deal with IngramSpark's terrible customer service. I'm planning on using it to release a novella later this year/early next year (depending on when I can book in a cover design).

 

[KateESal]

it still uses IngramSpark's distribution

Yes, indeed: with Draft2Digital you seem to get a far more user-friendly service all round, as well as the benefits of Ingram distribution, which leads to automatic listings in all sorts of established stores' online catalogues.

I had a query about the universal book link which I sent into D2D on a Sunday, not expecting a reply until the week begun...and got a personal response within a couple of hours. Impressive.

If you want, you can swerve KDP and publish via Draft2Digital and they'll make sure your ebook is available via Kindle and the print version from Amazon. Personally, I like having the control on territory pricing etc. that publishing via KDP offers, so my preference is to use both platforms. I purchased my own ISBN numbers so I know I'm solid on the ownership of my titles and can have a free choice of platforms without worrying about possible restrictions further down the line.

Also, if you choose to publish with Draft2Digital, you forego the ability to enrol your title into Kindle Select, which adds it into Kindle Unlimited and can (potentially) be a useful marketing tool, reaching many more readers.
In order to be in Kindle Select you have to put your title exclusively with KDP for a 90-day minimum. If you want to do that, you could first publish via KDP, do Kindle select for a few months, then take your title off Kindle Select and go ahead with Draft2Digital in order to "go wide". You can, if you wish, delist your title from D2D, so it doesn't preclude a later enrolment into Kindle Select... but I suspect that gets fiddly.

Draft2Digital offer to enrol your title into Kobo Plus, which is Rakuten's equivalent (more or less) to Kindle Unlimited. You are also offered the opportunity to include your title in an annual SmashWords promotion, so there is that!

Hah, I reckon D2D owe me a commission after all that!!!

 

[Claire G]

Following the Huddle chat, I think we need a long-running thread on marketing tactics. This is so that if any of us decide to self-publish, or get trad published on the mid list without much marketing budget, we know what to do in order to reach our intended readership. Please drop suggestions, links etc. in here.

Nothing about querying or submissions, please. This thread assumes you have, or are going to have, a book published as either a print run or digital, or that you are considering self-pub and want to be prepared.

I'm just about to start day 4 of KDP's 5-day free promotion for my ebook. So far I've had 50 downloads and that's got me to number 119 in the Women's Romance Fiction category. If I can get into the top 100, it'll be more visible to other readers. So close! I'm promoting on Goodreads and in Facebook groups aimed at showcasing book deals on offer, as well as romance groups which allow authors to self-promote. Am hoping that the downloads will lead to some reviews which may improve the algorithm in my favour. Any other ideas?

@AgentPete do you have any thoughts on how to promote a self-published book (for free)?

 

[Claire G]

I'm just about to start day 4 of KDP's 5-day free promotion for my ebook. So far I've had 50 downloads and that's got me to number 119 in the Women's Romance Fiction category. If I can get into the top 100, it'll be more visible to other readers. So close! I'm promoting on Goodreads and in Facebook groups aimed at showcasing book deals on offer, as well as romance groups which allow authors to self-promote. Am hoping that the downloads will lead to some reviews which may improve the algorithm in my favour. Any other ideas?

@AgentPete do you have any thoughts on how to promote a self-published book (for free)?

Edit: Down to #112 on Amazon.com now! If you're into romance and have a Kindle, feel free to download your free copy!

 

[AgentPete]

@AgentPete do you have any thoughts on how to promote a self-published book (for free)?

Off the top of my head…

(a) Get some national media attention. Not as daunting as it may initially seem, and this is the very best time of year for it.

(b) BookTok.

(c) Motivate / inspire / bribe your readers to become evangelists. At the very least, include a call-to-action in the book itself.

(d) Give vast quantities (of it or something closely related) away to third-party websites, who are always looking for free promos.

(e) hook up with other genre-related authors to cross-promote each other.

We need to create a furnace of promotional ideas here within the Colony, and we will.

 

[Claire G]

Off the top of my head…

(a) Get some national media attention. Not as daunting as it may initially seem, and this is the very best time of year for it.

(b) BookTok.

(c) Motivate / inspire / bribe your readers to become evangelists. At the very least, include a call-to-action in the book itself.

(d) Give vast quantities (of it or something closely related) away to third-party websites, who are always looking for free promos.

(e) hook up with other genre-related authors to cross-promote each other.

We need to create a furnace of promotional ideas here within the Colony, and we will.

Thank you!

 

[Claire G]

Following the Huddle chat, I think we need a long-running thread on marketing tactics. This is so that if any of us decide to self-publish, or get trad published on the mid list without much marketing budget, we know what to do in order to reach our intended readership. Please drop suggestions, links etc. in here.

Nothing about querying or submissions, please. This thread assumes you have, or are going to have, a book published as either a print run or digital, or that you are considering self-pub and want to be prepared.

I'm in the top 100 in the Women's Romance category on amazon.com! Currently #97

 

[Claire G]

Following the Huddle chat, I think we need a long-running thread on marketing tactics. This is so that if any of us decide to self-publish, or get trad published on the mid list without much marketing budget, we know what to do in order to reach our intended readership. Please drop suggestions, links etc. in here.

Nothing about querying or submissions, please. This thread assumes you have, or are going to have, a book published as either a print run or digital, or that you are considering self-pub and want to be prepared.

After reaching out to bloggers in my genre, I've had a few Author Spotlights/reviews. I've also done a written interview which will be published soon and I'm scheduled to do an Author Takeover of a Facebook group for readers in my genre. It's small things really but they hopefully add up. And it costs me nothing but time. Worth doing.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

So I had some fun last week after I published the final book in my Fatecarver series (YA epic fantasy)--I made trailers for all three books. I don't know how much trailers help one's marketing efforts, but I do know my students love to watch any video I make (or any video, period). I had made a stab at a trailer for the first book a couple of years ago, but I remade that one with updated software, and added the other two. Who knows if it will end up worth the effort, but it was fun to do and felt like a well-deserved celebration of finishing the series (since it was too early for a glass of wine. LOL!).

 

[Claire G]

I reached out to the purchaser of my area's library books and she bought a copy of each then asked if I'd be willing to do an author event, like a chat/interview about my writing journey/process and books. I don't know what to do! It sounds terrifying!

 

[Claire G]

Also, I'm getting consistent Kindle Unlimited page reads and some orders by promoting my books on FB groups that are specifically for readers of my (romance) genre. Worth doing a FB search for your genre!

 

[Barbara]

I don't know what to do!

1. Say 'yes' ASAP.
2. agree a date.
3. oder copies of your books to sign and sell.
4. contact the local paper, the local WI, and folk like that, and tell them about the where and when.

Oh, and maybe think about doing a raffle where the winner can win a signed copy (with the money for the raffle tickets going to a local charity). Sell the tickets before the event, do the draw as part of the event.

Good luck.

 

[Hannah F]

I reached out to the purchaser of my area's library books and she bought a copy of each then asked if I'd be willing to do an author event, like a chat/interview about my writing journey/process and books. I don't know what to do! It sounds terrifying!

I second everything Barbara said. Great opportunity to sell some books and become an author face for the buyers (who then might buy more). Go for it!