How Do I Market My Book After Self-Publishing?

Implementing a well-thought-out book marketing strategy is vital to bringing your self-published book into the book market and down to the hands of your target readership. However, let’s face it. The book industry is getting more competitive than ever, with millions of books published and sold yearly in the U.S. alone. For your self-published literary creation to reach heights, you must build and execute effective online and offline book marketing. Your book marketing strategy will be your gateway to successful self-publishing as it touches on various goals: expanding your reader base, enhancing your book’s visibility, and boosting sales.

So, how do you market your book after self-publishing? Should you opt for book marketing services for self-published authors? Where can you promote your book? Can you promote your book by yourself? In this blog post, we’ll discuss book marketing for self-published authors, shedding light on how they can embark on the post-self-publishing phase to propel their works to greater heights.

What to do after my book is published?

After publishing your book, you need to continue your book marketing strategy, which should start during the pre-publication phase. At this point, you’ll amplify your book promotion efforts and execute the rest of the tactics you’ve set to ensure that your book reaches the hands of your target readers. Suppose you’ve set up your author website and social media accounts and connected with book reviewers and influencers during the pre-publication period. In that case, at this stage, you’ll update your site, create buzz through posts and giveaways, tell the people on your mailing list about your latest book and any offline events, and follow up with everyone you’ve contacted.

So, how do I market my book after self-publishing?

One crucial question often arises during the post-publication phase is, “How do you get people to read self-published books online?” After all, readers are the lifeblood of any self-published author’s career, especially since they are critical in refining your craft and expanding your reach.

Do your offline promotion techniques involve posters, contacting local bookstores and libraries, and setting up book launch events? Well, your online marketing efforts are similar! Since it’s online, you’ll mostly have to utilize as many digital platforms as possible to maximize your promotion efforts. Here are some ways self-published authors get people to read their self-published books online after publication:

• Update your author’s website or blog, ensuring details about your latest book are what viewers will need when they visit your homepage.
• Upload images and videos to your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn accounts to share updates, excerpts, and promotions for your book.
• Seek guest blogging opportunities on websites related to your book’s genre or topic.
• Participate in online book tours, virtual book signings, and author interviews.
• Offer free or discounted book promotions to your readers’ mailing list. You can also run your promotions on BookBub, Goodreads, and Amazon.
• Collaborate with book reviewers and bloggers.
• Join online book clubs and forums related to your book’s genre or topic.
• Run targeted online advertising campaigns through Google AdWords or Facebook Ads.

While there’s still much to do after your book’s publication, don’t forget to celebrate this new feat! Grab a copy of your book and indulge in its magnificence. Enjoy your masterpiece, and welcome any room for improvement.

Where can I sell my self-published book online?

How do you get people to read self-published books online? How do I sell my book after publishing online? The answer is simple. Execute your marketing strategy and promote online. Numerous platforms are available for selling your self-published book online, and each offers unique features to cater to different methods of distribution and audience reach. Here are some popular options:

• Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP): With Amazon’s vast customer base and global reach, KDP allows authors to maximize their exposure by publishing and selling their books in eBook and print-on-demand paperback format. Moreover, Amazon also has a dedicated Author page, which puts together your profile information, book listing, and blog posts.
• Barnes & Noble Press: Working similarly to Amazon KDP, this service allows authors to publish and sell their eBooks and print books to the broad reader base in the Barnes & Noble online store.
• Apple Books: This service from Apple allows you to publish and sell your eBook on their platform to reach millions of iPhone, iPad, and Mac users. It also offers an easy process for publishing and selling books online, plus the flexibility to set your prices and select from various royalty rates.
• Google Play Books: Similar to Apple Books, this service allows you to sell the digital version of your book to Google Play users or readers who primarily read on Android devices. Moreover, since it’s under Google, self-publishing through this service also allows you to add metadata, set different prices for different regions globally, select royalties, and get your book listed on Google.
• Kobo Writing Life (KWL): Kobo’s self-publishing platform allows self-published authors to create, edit, publish, and upload eBooks to their platform, making it available for readers worldwide.
• Smashwords: This service offers valuable solutions for self-publishers to distribute their books. After uploading, authors and independent publishers convert the file into various eBook formats, distributing them to many other retailers, including Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo, with a price dependent on its uploader.
• Draft2Digital: Although less popular than Smashwords, self-published authors opt for this service because of their user-friendly interface and effective customer service. Apart from distributing your book to major retailers online, they also have services for formatting your book, publishing, promoting, and tracking sales.
• IngramSpark: This online self-publishing company specializes in print-on-demand and eBook distribution, allowing authors and publishers to print, globally distribute, and manage their books, whether in digital or physical format.

The best platform for selling your self-published book online will depend on your budget, target audience, and specific needs for distribution and promotion. The platforms above have varying costs and audience reach, so take your time and consider your options and how they fit your goal before choosing.

Can I hire someone to market my self-published book?

Marketing a book can be demanding for self-published authors, especially those lacking experience and expertise, because they must handle everything independently, from creating a comprehensive marketing strategy to its execution. So, can you hire someone to market your self-published book? Of course! Hiring a professional or agency specializing in providing self-published book marketing service can lessen your load in book promotion while also ensuring you achieve the goals you have in mind. Moreover, since they’re well-versed in their field, their connections and expertise will help increase your book’s visibility and sales potential, all while you spend your time focusing on writing.

Book marketing professionals and agencies offer different services depending on their rate and specialty. Before hiring the best book marketer for you, here are some factors you need to consider:

• Your budget, or how much you are willing and able to spend on book marketing services
• Services offered by the marketer or agency and how they fit with your specific marketing needs
• Their expertise and experience in marketing within your genre
• Reputation and reviews, including their reliability, effectiveness, and customer service quality
• Mode of communication
• Willingness to their marketing approach to tailor it to your specific goal and readership

Bearing in mind these aspects, you can hire a marketing professional or agency to effectively promote your self-published book, depending on your goal and budget.

While hiring someone to market your book can be an excellent investment, you can always do book marketing, even by yourself. If this option isn’t for you, you can always do your research and find plenty of techniques and how-to videos on how to promote a book for free online.

Adazing: Helping Self-publishing Authors with Marketing

At Adazing, we understand the pain of writing a literary masterpiece without knowing exactly how to get it to the hands of readers. That’s why we crafted various resources, built effective strategies, and designed state-of-the-art software to show you how to market your writing so you can increase readership for your self-published books and drive sales. We also offer advice on selling a book online if you aren’t experienced in this field.

When you’re ready to effectively market your self-published book, try our free tools, visit our store, or contact us to customize your experience.