So you have a book and a website. You may even be getting some great feedback on them. But how do you go from a few people telling you that you’re a great writer to actually being a successful author?
Thanks to browsing a few conversations within author groups, I have amassed the following quotes from other authors on what’s worked for them….
“I have found that pledging a donation to charity with every copy sold has helped move a few off the shelf, and the bonus is that with a win-win relationship like this, I have had the opportunity to present at and be involved in a range of activities with the relevant charitable organisations for free while also being part of raising awareness for issues that arise in my book.”
“Today I got a call from a large hospital in my area, and they want to interview me and allow me to sell my book through their offices and their email contacts as well. All because I dedicated my book to them.”
“Send a copy to a big (online or print) newspaper in the market you wish to cultivate, with a nice “sell sheet” that basically has your back cover info on one full-color page, and a personalized cover letter to the editor or the book reviewer (or both).”
“Go to local book stores and secure signings (you might have to contribute wine). Participate in teleseminars. Place guest posts on other blogs. Invite other writers to guest post on your blog.”
“A Twitter account can help increase your presence online and help you connect with the folks you want to connect with. It takes some time out of your day to post Tweets, correspond and reply back but it’s worth it.”
“Post links here to where your book is on sale, put them on your profile, send out a ‘global’ message to all your contacts and connections, make a FB page for the book – and yourself – and invite people to ‘like’ it and share it.”
“One thing that Paulo Cuelho and his wife, Chris, did was to print pamphlets and hand them out at cinema and other queues – captive audiences.”
“Why not make a ‘fan’ page just for your book – loving the title and cover BTW – you can garner ‘likes’ for it and spread the word that way.There are chains and groups that will help you promote.”
Do you have additional ideas about how to spread the word? Share them in the comments box below!