Why Promote Your Book?

You’ve spent a year writing your book, spent money on an editor to proofread it and a designer to create a book cover, then spent a week or two taking it through the publishing process. And now, after all of that hard work, your book �" your labor of love �" is available for purchase with its own page on Amazon.com and able to be ordered at your local Barnes & Noble.

 

All you have to do now is sit back and wait for fame and fortune to roll in.

 

Unfortunately, you may be waiting a very long time.

 

It’s the rare book that somehow goes virulent and captures the public’s attention and admiration all on its own. Indeed, around 800 books are published daily in just the United States alone, so no matter how good yours is, the odds of it even being noticed are nil at best.

 

The reality is that indie authors and those who self-publish need to promote their own books.

 

For most authors, the idea of promoting their book is anathema. “Promoting” for many writers means using guilt and fear to convince people to buy a product. Even for those authors who don’t hold such a view, they probably never studied marketing and have no idea of how to begin such an effort.

 

But unless you’re satisfied with your book languishing in anonymity, you need to market it. You’ll need to send press releases to media outlets. You’ll need a website and probably a blog to inform people about your book. You’ll need to do some book signings, some book readings, maybe some radio interviews. You may need to make some business cards and even advertise.

 

Before marketing your book, you’ll need to have a plan. Without one, you’re likely to miss potential avenues for selling your book and to head down a number of dead ends.

 

But before setting out on any marketing effort, there are some general questions you should think about and answer to help form your strategy.

 

Among those questions (And I bet you’ve probably asked each of them before reading this article) are:

>>Who is most likely to purchase my book?

>>How can I present my book so that it will best attract readers?

>>Where can I publish or post information about my book to generate interest in it?

 

Knowing the answers to these general questions will give you a good scope of your efforts and help keep you focused.