Marketing tryouts
One of the first things I realized as I thought about marketing my book was that I need reviews. There is no point in me spending money on Goodreads or Facebook ads if they would bring people to my book, only to have them not buy it because there are no reviews.
In my quest to get reviews, I joined Goodreads, created an author account, and signed up for groups. So far, I’m waiting on roughly five reviews – and nervous as hell! Who wouldn’t be, right?
Anyways, once I get to about 10 reviews, I’m planning to start a Goodreads & Facebook ads campaign. I’ll start off with a low budget, and see how it goes before I invest more. I’m planning to then try out ENT promos, and perhaps Readersintheknow.
One thing I’ve decided is, I will start off each promo, try it for a two weeks, then move on to the next one. This is on order to track which ones work and which don’t, that way I can repeat the more successful ones.
Aside from this, I’ve created social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, About.me, Wordpress, etc. And as I previously mentioned, I ordered some bookmarks to hand out.
My next to do item is to contact my local library, see if they’re interested in purchasing my book, that would give it some cover in my local community. The one thing I have not yet done is a press release. Has anyone? (add your comments below if you have).
This is, of course, just the beginning. I found two of Smashwords’ books very interesting to this effect, as they cover marketing ideas for self-publishing: Smashwords Book Marketing Guide and The Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success. These tips are not just if you have your book on Smashwords, they apply no matter where you're selling it. They are free to download, and they cover loads of information I never would have thought of otherwise.
As well, one thing I plan to take advantage of in the future is the Smashwords Affiliate Program. Basically, readers can register a free Smashwords account, and they get a small commission off every book they help me sell. I find it’s a great idea, with a good incentive (who doesn’t like money for spreading word of a book?) and similar to a referral program I’m working on.
I shall keep posting on what works and doesn’t work, as I try each of the options above. Stay tuned! And feel free to contact me or comment below with any questions/suggestions
