If you want people to read your e-book, you’ll need to do some ‘metaphorical’ legwork. And if, like me, you’re new to all this and aren’t sure where to start, here’s some basic (and free) ways to promote your e-book.
1. Add yourself as an author on Goodreads
Goodreads is like Trip Advisor for books and I’m sure most of you are on their already talking, reviewing and generally loving books. But did you know they have an Author profile? Add your own book to Goodreads and claim it as your own and bingo – you’re a Goodreads Author! You don’t need an ISBN either.
2. Promote your book with Writers Online ‘Subscriber Showcase’
I’ve subscribed to the Writing Magazine for years and as the biggest writing mag in the UK, it has some clout. So when I found that they’ll add your book to their online Subscriber Showcase free for two months if you’re a subscriber, I was all over it. They’ll also add you if you’re not a subscriber but you would need to pay a small fee.
3. Schedule your social media promotion with an app
There are plenty of apps to help you juggle your social media accounts. Basic help is usually free so you can try things out to see what’s right for you.
I use Buffer and thus far it’s provided what I need to manage my Twitter and Facebook. With their basic service I can set up one message about my book to repeat at a regular interval, in my case once a week. It’s also proved useful to queue up a variety of other messages about other things too. Don’t continuously cry ‘BUY MY BOOK!’ because you will put people off.
4. Got Twitter? Try welcome Direct Messages
Okay, I know not everyone is fond of these – but I’ve actually had some nice conversations because of them and I think they’re a good way to highlight what you’ve got going on. Like with other social promotions, keep it short and personal and not just ‘BUY MY BOOK!’
5. Update your social media and blog bios
If you’ve got a blog, update your ‘About’ page with a link to your book and consider a link on your menu or sidebar as well.
Similarly, pop a link into your social media bios linking to your new book. If you’d rather leave your Twitter bio as it is, try pinning a tweet to the top of your timeline instead, so it’s the first one people see visiting your feed.
Got a tip that’s helped you with your own work? Please share in the comments below.
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