As an author, you probably have a lot of questions when you start out. Beyond the obvious ones about actually writing the book(minor detail), you are probably curious what you can do to market yourself. The truth is that there are so many authors out there today that it’s hard to find an audience and distinguish yourself as a writer they want to read. That’s even after you narrow your scope to an audience that’s interested in your genre or has the time to pick up any book and start reading.
However, the goal shouldn’t be to just get sales, it should be to build a fan base based on people who appreciate your work and love to share it with their friends and family. In order to do that you have to put yourself out there, making sure that you are easy to find and easy to follow. Here are three areas where you can see the best results:
- Get on social media: I was never a big fan of social media and had my doubts about it until I realized how much of an advantage it provided me to market my books. The fact is that when you begin socializing with people on these platforms, you are connecting with them on a very personal level and it’s the easiest way to introduce them to your work and also get feedback in return.
- Put your book everywhere: Appreciate the big 3 (Amazon, Facebook, Google). As far as traffic these are the biggest sites in the world and they all offer platforms for you to market yourself and your books on them. Take advantage of these platforms, make sure you have a presence and are easy to find.
- Interact with fans: Your fans can make or break you. If they like your book they will recommend it to their friends and family, building your audience at a tremendous rate. People who love to read love to talk to others about the books they’ve read. That’s why it’s so important to be friendly, be social and show appreciation to those who take the time to read your work.
Always remember that people have a passion for their specific area of interest. If you write horror, then make sure those are the people you focus on whenever you are marketing. There are a lot of writers who hate the idea of labeling themselves because they want to branch out and do different things but understanding what your audience wants and where they are looking is the key to building your name. Remember, it’s not the book you are trying to sell, it’s yourself.