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Marketing Your Book: The Basics

As a self-published author, it's up to you to do the marketing.

Fortunately there are plenty of resources available in print and online to help you promote yourself and your book. Here are a few basic tips to get you started.

 

Think about your audience.
Who are you trying to reach? Who wants to read your book? We'll be honest: Not everyone is going to want to read your book. This has nothing to do with you or your writing: readers just have different tastes, and not everyone likes the same thing. Do you like every book you've ever come across?

So save yourself time and effort by defining your audience (gender, age, interests, etc.) before you start promoting your book. Put yourself in the shoes of your potential reader, and imagine how they might see your book and your marketing efforts. What kind of advertising might appeal to them?

 

Start small, start local.
When thinking of ways to advertise, think local: local press, local events (in as many nearby venues as possible), and local reviewers. Once you've established yourself in the local book market, branch out slowly to the rest of Canada, and then to the world.

Book launches and signings are a great way of getting your name and your book's title into the spotlight. McNally Robinson hosts over 400 book events every year, many of which involve self-published authors and books. If you'd like to learn more about booking an event with us, visit this page. You can also rent a space at another venue or host your own launch at a private residence.

 

Get reviewed.
Having a positive review of your book in a literary journal, newspaper, or blog can spark widespread interest. Solicit news and review outlets (newspapers, literary journals, radio programs, bloggers, etc.) and ask if they'll review your book, or if they'd like to interview you about the book. Just keep in mind that you will need to send the reviewer a free copy of your book, and don't expect it back. Note: as a rule, some newspapers and journals do not review self-published books. Therefore it's best to contact them before sending them a copy of your book, otherwise you've just given away a free book.

 

Be assertive, but not too assertive.
Put yourself and your book out there as much as you can, but don't be aggressive or obnoxious. Don't pester, don't "spam", and don't force your book onto people. Being too aggressive can put people off your book and, worse, your name, doing more harm than good. Instead, try to establish personal and meaningful relationships with readers, because if they like you as a person they're more inclined to read your book. Be polite and courteous when reaching out to anyone about your book, and respect their decision to say "no" if they're not interested.

 

Use traditional advertising.
Get an ad in a newspaper, literary journal, online (such as on literary blogs or through social media), or aim high and make a television or radio ad. Just be prepared to pay for the ad space, and know that ad space can be expensive. Prices vary, so you might want to "shop around" to find the best and most affordable advertising option for you. Starting with small paid ads might be a good idea, and as sales of your book rise you can look into larger, more costly ads. Also note that you will be responsible for creating the content of your ad (images, text, etc.). You may want to consider hiring a professional or enlisting the help of a skilled friend when creating the ad, because a poorly designed ad would be a waste of time and money.

 

Create a website with a blog.
Your website will hold information about you and your book(s), and a blog can help your readers to get to know you better as well as update them on news about your writing. Make sure to update your site regularly (especially your blog — a stagnant blog reflects poorly on you as a writer), and make your content interesting. There are plenty of online articles, books, and courses to help you make your website and on how to properly manage a blog. If you are not tech-savvy, you will want to hire a professional to create and perhaps manage your website. The costs for website development can vary, so shop around to find an affordable expert to help you.

 

Get on social media.
The easiest way to reach a wide audience is by having an active Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram account — or better yet, get yourself onto all three. Reach out and interact with your audience, and allow them get to know you. Having an interesting and interactive personality online can go a long way to drawing in potential readers. These accounts are free and simple to set up, and there are plenty of resources out there to help you use the services (including books and articles on how to do best market yourself via social media).

But simply having social media accounts isn't enough: you need to be active and post new updates regularly, and know how to use these platforms properly as marketing tools. There are many strategies on the best means of promoting via social media (for example, the "Rule of Thirds"), and some Internet searching will reveal plenty of articles and guides to help you. There are also many books available on the topic of social media marketing.

With social media you can also create paid or "boosted" posts to reach a wider audience. In fact, with these kinds of ads you can actually target your audience based on demographics, their interests, and activities. You can also set your budget and adjust it at any time; the more you pay, the more people you'll reach, but even a modest budget for a social media ad can go a long way to reaching new people. Anyone can set up social media ads, however you will definitely want to do your research or hire a professional before you get started. There are lots of resources online and in books to help you out.

 

Do your research.
The tips outlined here are just the basics. To properly market your book, you'll want to do some online web searching (it's as simple as Googling "self-publishing marketing"), or look for books that delve into the details of marketing your book. There are also experts you can hire to help train you or to do the marketing for you, but again, you'll want to do the research on these services to find the right one for you.