Genres: Author & Book Marketing Tips
Marketing Tips to Increase Your Online Author Visibility and Sell More Books
After extensive research, trial and error, and long-time experience, we have discovered the most effective ways to market your books, create an online presence, and connect authors with readers worldwide.
In this article, we provide authors with the very best ways, to implement immediately, to increase book sales, and build their brand and platform as a published author. Read on for great author and book marketing tips.
Create a Complete “Author Platform” Which Must Include:
- Your author website
- Your blog (have a separate page for your blog and blog regularly)
- Your social media presence and profiles. Place your social media icons with links to your social media profiles in a conspicuous, easy to find, spot on your website, so readers can easily click on them, and connect with, and follow you.
- Join as many book related sites as possible and create your author profile, such as Bookbub (google “book clubs” and “book sites” to find as many book related sites as possible.)
- Google “free author interviews” to find sites that will allow you to do free author interviews with permanent links on their site. (Yes, they are out there)
- If possible, have a book trailer made for all of your books and include them on your website.
Keep Your Website Up-to-Date, Visually Appealing and User Friendly
- On your homepage, the first thing readers should see is your books for sale (leave out your synopsis on this page).Include a picture of your book cover with a link to purchase your book that is large and visible. Also link your book cover picture to your purchase site, as well(Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.)
- If you have more than one book, put all of them on the home page. Readers can scroll down to each book and see your awesome covers and be motivated to purchase them. ALWAYS include your purchase link for readers to buy your book immediately.
- Your website domain name should be called your “author name,” not the title of your book or some other made up title. GoDaddy, NameCheap and BlueHost are all easy websites to buy your domain name. Your website host can help you integrate your domain name to your website and set you up.
- On your “Homepage,” be sure to have an email sign up box, so readers can subscribe to your website/blog and receive updates about your books, and your creative interesting blog posts. Use your website’s themes email sign up widget. Or you can utilize a paid Email service like Constant Contact or Mail Chimp in order to easily send out mass emails to your readers.
- Be sure to use photos and graphics on your website in your blog section. Blog regularly. You can find blogging ideas by googling “blogging ideas for authors”
- Have a separate “Author Bio” and page-make it fun, personal and interesting, be sure to add a picture of you or of your very best book cover.
- On a separate page, show your book covers again, each should include your books synopsis and any good book reviews that you have received. Title your page “Books & Reviews”
- Have a separate page for your blog. This is where you will write about your writing, life, books and other interesting topics. Your subscribers will receive your blog entries in their email box. That is why it is important to have an email signup box on your home page in the top right hand sidebar. Title your blog page “Blog.”
- Don’t forget your “Contact Page,” so readers, publishers, industry professionals, etc. can contact you. Use the contact form that comes with your website’s theme.
- If you have any book trailers, create a separate page and title it “Book Trailers”
Note: Do not bog your website/blog down with other authors books or reviews. This will distract from your own particular work and books. The only exception to this rule is if you are collaborating with another author, and sharing your books on one another’s sites. But we do not recommend doing that.
Participate in Social Media Regularly – Marketing Tips
Social media is vital to gaining a following of readers that will look forward to hearing about and buying your books. You can have discussions with them about books and hook them on your books. Twitter , Facebook Instagram LinkedIn and Pinterest are all social media platforms which authors should promote themselves on.
- Join book groups within the social media platform. Readers groups, writers groups and book clubs are great for promoting your books.
- Create a Goodreads profile and be sure to include your book covers and all your information, including your website and social media links.
- When using social media, don’t just promote your books. Include interesting, humorous and fun ways to engage with other users and readers. Post eye-appealing pictures to go along with your posts.
Have a “Complete” Amazon Author Page, Which Must Include
- A photo of you
- Your full author bio
- Add your website and social media links to your author bio, at the bottom of your bio.
- Each one of your books, in each format, with links to purchase them.
- Utilize the “Editorial Reviews” section for each separate book to highlight the best reviews with a blurb from each one. You can put blurbs from your paid reviews in this section.
- Make sure to write down and save your Amazon login information, so you can access it to make changes as necessary.
Run Plenty of Giveaways on Goodreads Marketing Tips
- Give away as many signed “paperback” books as possible to get free book reviews.
- Include a nice note when sending the paper back to the winner’s, kindly asking them to please leave Amazon and Goodreads reviews for your book.
Reach Out to Book Clubs: Offer to Speak and Share about Your Book
- Speak at local book clubs and associations, book stores and various businesses.
- Gain notoriety locally.
Get as Many Great Reviews For Your Book as Possible
Excellent quality reviews are vital to selling more books. Utilize free and paid reviewers to maximize your efforts and receive the best quality professional and marketable book reviews that will increase your book sales substantially.
Enter as Many Book Award Contests that Are Available
- This will help your author credibility substantially.
- Display Your Awards on a separate page on your website entitled “Book Awards & Recognition’s.”
Book Marketing & Promotion
Marketing and promoting your book is one of the most difficult parts of increasing your book sales and author visibility.
We Recommend You Hire a Book Marketing Professional to Achieve the Best Results to Substantially Increase Your Book Sales, and Connect With Readers Worldwide
To increase your book sales and author visibility. Check out Artisan Book Reviews and Chick Lit Cafe. Both have a large readership base with hundreds of thousands of followers across the board. They utilize many book related and book magazine and media sites to market you and your book. They will get your book out there, and it will be well worth the cost effective the price. They get results. Be sure to read their author testimonials.
For a full list of where you can enter book contests, find free and paid book reviews, free author interviews, and find book marketers, please visit our website and contact through our “contact form” to request your free list of resources for authors.
Or feel free to visit one, or both, of our websites for more articles and inspiration, request a book review and to look into their highly effective “targeted” marketing campaigns. @ Artisan Book Reviews and Chick Lit Cafe
Yes, creating an author platform takes time and work. But, in the end, you will definitely reap the benefits.
About the author:
Article Contributed by Ella James
Editor/Social Media and Book Marketing Specialist/Book Reviewer
University of California
Degree Field of Study: Marketing, Journalism, Business Management
Marketing Tips for Published Authors
Marketing Tips for Pre-published Authors
