Whether you’re a marketing professional in the publishing world, or an author looking to self-publish, there is an array of tips and tricks geared to help your e-book gain some serious traction. While digital and print-on-demand technology has facilitated self-publishing in many ways, it’s the marketing and promotional aspect that is sometimes found to be lacking. Read on to find out what you can do to promote your e-book in 10 creative ways.
In order to promote your e-book, you have to go above and beyond; simply tweeting about the book and sending a flurry of emails to everyone you know might help a little, but the fact is, there is no novelty to these ideas.
1. Cover design
It’s all about first impressions. Ask any avid reader and they will have you know that they are prone to buying multiple copies of the same book. Crazy, isn’t it? Not so much once you understand readers’ tendency to buy a book simply because ‘the cover is too beautiful!’ Clearly, book covers go a long way in promoting sales and this is precisely why they should be designed well.
2. Create and foster a strong digital presence
Writers need to make sure that their professional website and all their socials are updated frequently. The task might prove cumbersome because writers may very well be engrossed in writing drafts and considering revisions for their books and hence left with absolutely no time to do so. In such cases, hiring a team to do the needful should work better. Also very important to remember is that book promotion does not necessarily start after a book is ready to be sold. Promotional tactics may also be used to give teasers to the audience and generate buzz around it.
3. Upload video recordings of yourself reading excerpts
Since public readings in bookstores and cafes might not work these days owing to the pandemic, authors can very easily record short videos of themselves reading excerpts from the book. These short videos may then be uploaded online and shared by followers and potential buyers, across different platforms.
4. Post pictures and stories on Facebook and Instagram
Everything posted on social media platforms carries the potential to go viral. Authors can look to even using their personal accounts for the purpose. There are many creative ways to consider when doing so. For starters, stories featuring blurbs and quotes from the book can be uploaded to Instagram. Promotional material for the book can also be designed and uploaded as social media posts.
5. Get in touch with popular book influencers
There are a lot of book influencers out there who regularly do book promotions. Of course, some of them might come with a price tag so it’s advisable to plan a budget accordingly. A good marketing approach should factor in a separate budget for online promotion, with a sizable chunk dedicated to influencers and reviewers.
6. Consider printing out some hard copies
Yes, it’s an e-book but printing out a few copies for the sake of promotion wouldn’t be a bad idea. These can be distributed at seminars, conferences, and exhibits.
7. Convert chapters into engaging blog posts
Depending on the genre of your e-book, there are multiple ways to go about doing this. If it’s a corporate handbook for example, a blog post titled “What to do when your boss is alienating you” might be fitting. The blog post in question can even carry a call-to-action at the very end featuring the e-book.
8. Host a live Facebook or Instagram chat
Hosting a live chat on social media can do wonders to get the word out. Since e-books don’t have a tangible presence, it can do a great deal of good if readers can see and speak with authors. By engaging and interacting with them, they are already en route to building a readership for themselves.
9. Embrace E-book Promotion platforms
Needless to say, you want to get as many people to read your book as possible. They can be uploaded to online retailers directly, or you might choose to distribute them via an e-book aggregator such as Smashwords, IngramSpark, and BookBaby. You may also benefit a great deal by getting in touch with publishers such as Kindle Direct, iBooks Author, and Google Books.
10. Peer promotion
This includes anyone and everyone you can count on to promote your book. Of course it helps to know people in the business who have managed to garner a considerable following for themselves. If not, approach a marketing agency specializing in e-book promotion and they will make sure you have all your bases covered. Peer promotion can very well include friends, family, work colleagues, as well as any professors you may have had.
At the outset, promoting an e-book might seem to be a daunting task, but as this post illustrates, it can be broken down into simpler steps. What’s more, there is no specific formula so feel free to pick and choose what works best for you and just get started!
