111 Tips How to Market Your Book for Free

111 Tips on How to Market Your Book for Free:

Detailed Plans and Smart Strategies

for Your Book’s Success

© Copyright 2018 Doris-Maria Heilmann

Electronic Book Edition

ISBN: 978-1-988664-25-5

111 Publishing

21 Crockett Ct, Antigonish, NS, Canada

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright owner.

Disclaimer: The information in this book is for educational purposes only. Every attempt has been made to provide accurate, reliable, and up-to-date, as well as complete information. No warranties of any kind are expressed or implied. Readers acknowledge that the author is not engaged in the rendering of professional, financial, medical or legal advice.

Contents

Chapter 1 – CONTENT BOOK MARKETING

Chapter 2 – HOW TO CREATE YOUR AUTHOR PLATFORM

Chapter 3 – BOOK REVIEWS – AND HOW TO GET THEM

Chapter 4 – NETWORKING: SOCIAL MEDIA and OFF-LINE MARKETING

Chapter 5 – PASSIVE BOOK MARKETING

Chapter 6 – MORE BOOK MARKETING POSSIBILITIES

111 Tips on How to Market Your Book for Free: Detailed Plans and Smart Strategies for Your Book’s Success.

There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs. ~ Stieg Larsson

The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing.

~ Tom Fishburne, Marketoonist

The richest people in the world build networks-everyone else looks for work.

~ Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad

Dear Reader,

These are my favorite quotes when it comes to publishing and book marketing. They set the tone for this latest valuable publishing and book marketing guidebook. The world is filled with authors trying to sell their books. Everyone wants to know the secret on how to increase their sales. My aim is to inspire you to become more creative in promoting your writing.

You will be provided with 111 tips on how to successfully marketing your book(s) for free – in an organic way. You will do this through content writing, networking, and many other small, savvy steps during the writing, publishing and book-layout process.

One of the best motivations to write is simply the love of writing. If you learn the steps to successfully market your books, you will be comfortable in book marketing as well, especially when using a lot of content writing. Remember, it takes five years, 10,000 hours, or five books until you are really known in reader circles. This is about the same amount of time as artists in other professions, or athletes, need to establish themselves in their field. So, there is no need to implement all these tips in a week or a month.

Take one small step every day. It is more important to write your next book, blog, or magazine article. You are on a long-term journey; your writing and publishing career will span decades. Enjoy the writing in every form – from blogs or short stories to novels – for many years to come. Do not stress yourself over all these completely new steps in the publishing and marketing process. Slow and steady wins the race!

Becoming a Bestseller Author Takes Years.

Building up your readership takes lots of time, so it is surprising that some authors dream of their first book as a potential bestseller. They do not realize that it takes a long time, and hard work, to gain an audience – one reader at a time.

It Takes Time… Many authors have totally unrealistic expectations when it comes to the time required for effective book promotion and making meaningful connections with readers. They expect wonders from a single sales campaign, and they do not understand that underpricing or selling for free is not a marketing strategy.

A Marathon–Not a Sprint!

Becoming an author-publisher is a long-term commitment and requires hundreds of small steps on the path to success! Before you start to write, create yourself a roadmap. Take your time. See your writing and publishing efforts as a long-term project and avoid unrealistic expectations.

Your first step is to create a professional-appearing book. Do the groundwork to build up your author platform, and then have fun, winning one reader at a time. Bowker, the world’s leading provider of bibliographic information, explains: The most successful self-publishers do not view themselves as writers only but as business owners. They invest in their businesses, hiring experts to fill skill gaps and to gain more time for writing.

Read more:

http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2013/05/12/what-publishers-wont-tell-you/

http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2013/04/01/writing-is-an-art-publishing-is-a-business/

http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2013/05/11/success-for-your-book-in-non-traditional-markets/

One of my publishing/book marketing clients wrote in an e-mail last year:

Hi Doris, last week’s sales were a little disappointing. I did eReader News Today, Kindle Nation Daily, BookBlaster, Kirkus, PixelScroll, Ebook Bargains, and my Klout score went up from all the tweets, mentions and re-tweets, and my follower-ship is over 40,000. Yet still, I managed only a total of 250 sales for the entire week and BookBub turned me down again.

Assuming I see significant improvement in sales figures from the above activity, how are sales then sustained? I know I have a lot of work to do on my website, Goodreads, Google+, Twitter, etc., but I’m already working around the clock – was up at 1:30 a.m. and wrote until 5:30 a.m. Went to bed, back up at 8. Sunday all day writing. Saturday, all day marketing, and writing. Please let me know what you think.

My answer:

What do I think? Just reading this schedule makes my head swirl. : ) I might think the same thing as your wife: Go hiking in the mountains, go sailing or fishing, take a cruise, or whatever brings you joy, and relax. : ) Your sales figures for one week would be a dream for most authors in one month!

Always remember, you write for fun; you do not need to make a living. Also, the first book is always the hardest. From the second or third book on, you will be slowly recognized as a writer, but it will really take off from the fifth book on. The sales figures for your first book are not important. What is more important is creating a brand as a writer and building a professional platform. Publishing is not a sprint, it is a marathon!

If you want to become a Self-Publisher:

Create a marketing plan and finalize your budget. Like any other business, establish short-term, middle-term and long-term goals for your book, your publishing process, your book-marketing efforts, and your author brand. How much can you spend a month for editing, book cover design, formatting, book layout, and for your website, hosting, etc.? Be as detailed as you can. Look at your other expenses. What can you cut to make room for your publishing budget? Even if your book marketing costs are minimal, the production of a print book or a digital version requires some funds.

Chapter 1 – CONTENT BOOK MARKETING

Think and Grow Rich is the title of a book by Napoleon Hill, a journalist, who studied 500 rich men over several years and boiled down their success in thirteen single steps. Let’s change his book’s title into: Think and Become a Bestselling Author.

http://eventualmillionaire.com/Resources/ThinkandGrowRich.pdf

Here are some of Napoleon Hill’s Findings:

DESIRE, PLANING, and PERSISTENCE will lead you to success eventually. This is not so different from the modern-day concept of visualizing your writing and publishing goal. Authors who create value for others have the right to be as rich as they want. Becoming a bestselling author, or a wealthy one (not only money-wise), starts with your mindset.

Marketing Tip # 1: Use Content Marketing to Promote Your Books

Even the shyest author, who would never speak at writers’ conferences, or to a group of book lovers at a library, can write his or her way to success. I am not talking about your next book, which is certainly important. Your readers will want to read more from you – soon – once they discovered you as an author. Writing short stories, magazine articles, blogs, guest posts, and prequels for your next book – it all helps to get noticed by readers. At the same time, you build your writer’s platform and your place within the search engines.

Content marketing is a form of attracting readers/customers to you, the author, through the writing of short stories, blogs, magazine articles, guest blogs, etc. In other words, it is marketing through your content – rather than by paying for expensive advertisements. It is a way to soft sell your paid writing. The object is to entertain (or educate) first and sell second. You should barely talk about your book. You can mention it in your author bio, but not in the actual writing content.

Writing content aside from your book will not automatically transform your book into an overnight success, but it is a wonderful tool for a long-term strategy. It helps to build an author platform, and it also provides your readers a valuable sample of your writing. And, when you write books for the joy of writing, all the better! Bestselling author Erica Jong said: When I sit down at my writing desk, time seems to vanish. I think it is a wonderful way to spend one’s life.

You have already the three main assets to become a successful content writer:

your writing skills,

the content you have already penned,

the research you have done for your book(s).

Your research can be used to write at least 20 to 30 articles or blog posts. If you regularly post them on Google+, it will boost your search engine ranking tremendously. But not only that: You can sell those articles to newspapers and magazines.

Here are some additional benefits of writing new content:

It is a subtle way to promote your book

You will receive valuable back-links to your website or blog

You will have lots of opportunities to post on Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and Facebook

You can include links to your articles in an e-mail newsletter (that you hopefully send out regularly to your readers)

Rewrite your articles a bit. Add more material, background information, interviews or statistics and offer them to magazines, newspapers, and more. Start with these: airline in-flight magazines (which pay the most), Huffington Post, and Salon. Even The Atlantic might be interested in publishing your article – if it is a long article with exceptional content.

Focus more on discoverability rather than on selling. Your work is important, so help readers to find it. You can also post on your blog, or contribute guest blogs to other sites that are focused on the same topics as your book. Artists in other disciplines, such as musicians or ballet dancers, train six to ten hours a day. Become a prolific writer by doing the same. It pays; not only in financial terms.

Become a publisher and not just a seller! Content marketing guarantees you more of your readers’ trust! Become a part of your readers’ lives without selling. At least half of your marketing effort should be content marketing. Your writing content can be in a variety of media or formats: print, web, radio, social networks, video, and even web TV. Here are some more benefits of content writing:

You can make money with your writing, and also by selling some of your images and videos.

You can also charge to read your blog or online magazine, for example, via Amazon blogs or asking your readers for a tip, as many authors do. How to Publish and Sell Your Article on the Kindle: 12 Tips for Short Documents is the title of Kate Harpers e-book with lots of tips for authors.

Offer Writing Samples.

Retail businesses know the importance of sampling. In the past, some publishers would offer the first chapter of each book in their new book listings. Yet, they only handed these reading samples out at book fairs or to bookstore owners. Now, readers can download samples of any book published electronically. If you like the book, you will most likely purchase it too. Offer reading samples from your website or blog, as well, or as a thank you for e-mail newsletter subscribers. Another way of giving writing samples is to get an assignment at a public library, where you can read from your book – and hand out bookmarks – (https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2014/02/19/how-bookmarks-promote-your-books/) – or business cards with your book sales page on it.

As more of your writing appears online and in print, as more people learn about you as an author, your writing and publishing success will increase. However, before you write anything, you first need to know who is your audience and who is your competition. Only then you can find your writing and publishing niche.

Perfect for Shy Writers:

Content book marketing is also perfect for shy writers who might cringe at stepping outside their comfort zone. They can promote their books at the end of each article they write and even add links to their website or book sales page. Use sentences from your articles to build interesting posts and tweets.

Marketing Tip # 2: Research Your Book’s Potential Readers

It is surprising how few authors think about their future readers, and even less about their competition. Authors often do very little research in order to really understand their potential audience. When asking Who is your audience, and who is your competition? – one might receive only vague answers. However, these are topics that are not only very important for self-publishers, but also for authors who want to sell their manuscripts to a traditional publisher. They need to prove to the agent or publisher that they have done their homework!

Important Actions:

Analyze the readers of books in your genre.

Find out who the reviewers in your genre are.

Find and join the bloggers who write about these books.

Read the profiles of community members on Google+, Goodreads, or LibraryThing.

Check out the reviews of books similar to the ones you are writing. Interview your beta reader(s) or the writers’ group where you are meeting regularly.

Join at least a handful of book communities in your genre on sites such as BookTalk, Wattpad, KindleBoards, Bibliophil, KindleMojo, etc. Find all these sites and the links to them at SavvyBookWriters – https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2012/03/11/18-top-websites-to-promote-your-book-for-free/.

Marketing Tip # 3: Research Your Competition

Start making a list with possible keywords that readers can use to find a similar book. Check out the complete categories/genres at Amazon, Kobo, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google Books, Waterstones, and so forth. Study all the titles that could be similar to your future work. Visit several public libraries and bookstores to find books similar to the one you want to write in order to learn about your competition. Borrow the most interesting ones, not only to read them but also to study the book layout and design. Read the online reviews of their books carefully!

Can You Answer These Questions?

How many books, related to this topic or these keywords, have been published already?

Where are these books sold, and for what price?

In what format are they offered: e-book, print, audiobook?

Who are the customers of these competing books?

How are these books received, and which are bestsellers?

What categories did they choose, and what keywords?

How do the editorial reviews describe the book’s content?

What do critical book reviewers point out about the work?

Where are these books that are competing with yours listed on the Internet?

What cover designs have been chosen for these books?

Which author represents him/herself and their book the best?

Did you study their Amazon and Goodreads author pages, websites, or their blogs?

Marketing Tip # 4: Write More Books

I know, you might not consider this to be the main tip. However, are you not disgruntled when online retailers, such as Amazon, Apple, Kobo, or Barnes & Noble promote books of competing writers in your genre – often on your sales page, right underneath your own book? This annoying: "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" really disrupts your sales page! Potential customers could be stopped in their tracks and encouraged to click on the books of your competition before they even scroll down to read your book reviews. If you only publish one book, then those slots get filled with books written by other authors. What if, instead of five competing books, five books in the same genre, written by you, were advertised on your sales page – for free? This would allow potential book buyers to see the whole collection of your titles. Is this not alone a reason to write and publish more books? Most readers wait to read an author until the author has multiple books out. That means three, four, or more.

Marketing Tip # 5: Write and Sell More Short Stories

It might take years until you have written so many books that only yours will show up as suggestions at online book retailers. A better way to promote your writing is to craft