The marketing process is one of the most important phases in book publishing. It not only enables the author to make a name for themselves but to also promote their work. If well strategized and executed, it could lead to a lot of successes to both the author and his/her books. Some of the very good marketing ideas for new books and indie writers include the following:
Paid book reviews:
Being the strongest marketing idea, it ought to be well executed to ensure that the reviews work for and not against the author and their written work. A good review should above everything else, be positive and persuasive. But since different reviewers have different tastes and preferences, it’s important to make sure that the first reviews you get are positive. This might be quite hard to achieve more so because the book is new and the author is yet to make a name for themselves. As such, one has to find well known, credible and experienced reviewers who are willing to write positive reviews about their book. Being new in the market, the author will be required to pay for these reviews. Although the paying may take different forms, a majority of book reviewers are very understanding and all that they’ll ask is a free copy of the book.
Paid book reviews are highly advantageous in that the reviews get to be posted on various publishing and retail websites such as Amazon, Good reads and Shelfari hence making it easier for the indie author to be discovered by a wide audience/the readers. And since reviewers act as both the opinion leaders and the links between the author and the reader, their word carries a lot of weight hence invoking the readers to develop an interest in discovering the indie author. At the end of the day, if the author finds the best reviewers to review their book(s), they will end up finding themselves selling more books on Amazon with paid book reviews.
Other Marketing Options:
Alternatively, an indie author can embrace various marketing channels all geared towards selling more books. Examples of these include:
The social media: It’s advisable to open a book or author account where one can post book excerpts and teasers, interact with the readers, announce promotions, book tours, reading and offers.
Building an author platform/page: Since reviews can only give a tip of the iceberg about the author and their work, it’s wise to open an author’s page such on Amazon and Google Books, where readers can find additional information about the author.
Online promotional campaigns: Internet based campaigns and promotions are highly effective in that, there are billions of internet users from all around the world that use the social media, with an average person spending approximately 3 hours on the internet per day. It’s hence a great platform where one can get more readers from around the world, share review links, updates and any important promotions, such as free book copies or discounts.
Despite all these ideas being highly effective, paid book reviews are the best. But, to get optimal benefits, it’s important that one combines all these ideas in their marketing plan.
