© K.L. Hall and www.authorklhall.com. 2019. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to K.L. Hall and www.authorklhall.comwith appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Congratulations are in order. Why? Because if you’re reading this right now, that means you’ve finished your book (or at least super, duper close to finishing it)! It seems the hard part may be over until you’re holding your book in the palm of your hands and wondering, now what?
You worked hard on your book, and now you’re stuck wondering what you can do to promote and let the world know about your book, right? Keep reading, because I’ll give you five quick tips on what you can do to start promoting your book TUH-DAY!
1: Utilize Your Existing Network(s).
This means both personally and professionally. Word of mouth is the cheapest (and even sometimes most effective) way to promote your book and get sales. Reach out to your local libraries, organizations related to key topics in your book, church, and book clubs (both online and local). Depending on the genre and the audience, some places may be more suitable than others. (NOTE: Always be sure to call and ask permission before just showing up somewhere and promoting your book.)
PRO TIP #1: Book promotion doesn’t always have to equal money. There are plenty of things you can do to promote your book on little to no money at all.
2: Get Comfortable in the Digital Space.
Unfortunately, when it comes to all things digital, the mindset of, “If you write it, they will come” doesn’t work. With the surge in E-Books, Kindle Unlimited and other digital book platforms, having an online presence is essential to promoting your book.
SOCIAL MEDIA (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.): Decide what platform(s) is best for you (you don’t have to be on all of them, especially when it comes to posting regularly). Only have an online presence (for books) on platforms you can consistently post on. Also, be sure to make your posts on social media shareable by friends, family and co-workers.
Luckily, there are apps and sites that make social media almost automated with scheduling posts so you can put that on autopilot.
• Instagram: UNUM
• Twitter: Tweetdeck
• Facebook: Native platform
• FREE AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: This is a great start for you to get your feet wet with an online presence.
• FREE FACEBOOK BUSINESS PAGE: A free option for you so that you don’t have to create a separate Facebook page if you don’t want to. You can just manage the business page from your personal account.
• FREE FACEBOOK READERS GROUP: This is another free option for you. You can create your own readers group and add people.
• INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS: If you have an Instagram page already, you can create a new account and make it a business page, or convert the one you have now to a business page. It’s up to you.
• PERSONAL WEBSITE: Once you get to a good point with your writing, you’ll want to create an author website. If you’re just starting out, use social media and Amazon Author Central as free alternatives until you get to this point. (I didn’t make mine until I was three or so books in. I use Wix. There are dozens of pre-made templates that you can go in and customize.)
• EMAIL MARKETING: Same as above, once you get to a good point with your writing, you’ll want to look into email marketing service provider.
How to Get People to Sign Up for Your Email List:
Have a sign-up sheet at events
Run Facebook lead generation ads
Free Facebook post on your page or in groups
Run a giveaway on Prolific Works (formerly Insta Freebie)
PRO TIP #2: People like free! I always try to offer an incentive in exchange for an email address.
PRO TIP #3: If you plan to link to your book, website or another webpage, Instagram currently doesn’t allow hyperlinks (or clickable links) in captions. You can only put one webpage in your IG bio. Therefore, use Linktree for the option of linking to multiple links from one. (Yes, it’s free)
3: Take the Leap.
As nerve wrecking as that may sound, taking the time to write a book was you taking your first leap, and now it’s time to move onto the next. Now that your book is out, you can’t hide behind your laptop or phone forever. There will come a time where you’ll have to meet your readers (existing and potential) . That means, book signings and events where you can network with readers and other like-minded authors.
PRO TIP #4: When you’re ready to go to your first book signing, checkout my blog, “The Ultimate Checklist for Your First (or Fiftieth) Book Signing."
4: Have a Hustle Mentality.
Keep printed copies of your books, business cards or flyers on you at all times and always be ready to sell. Have a memorized spiel or “elevator pitch” about your book so that when someone asks you about it, you will not hesitate to let them know why your book is dope and why they need to get a copy.
PRO TIP #5: There is a fine line between promoting and bragging, know the difference.
5: RELAX.
All of these options may work for you or some may work better than others. It’s rare that you’ll become the number one bestselling author in the world overnight. Trust me, hard work and confidence is all you need to keep pushing. YOU GOT THIS!