What Can You Do To Promote Your Book?
There are a lot of options out there and some may not be the best for you.
Book promotion is one of the hardest things to do when writing and publishing books.
But it doesn’t have to be. After all, there are tons of books about writing on Amazon, even more courses, and plenty of people who have done it right.
So, how do we find the information that best promotes your book?
I think it starts with a few steps to get to the right place with promoting your book. And once you have hit these steps, you can find the right strategy for yourself.
In today’s post, I will share the steps I would take to help you prepare for promoting your book, and then, in the next few posts, I will share some different strategies with you.
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How to Prepare Yourself to Promote Your Book
My first book only sold a couple hundred copies before I genuinely prepared myself to promote it. It was a rough transition to doing this because I, like many first-time authors, thought I could just publish my book and have people buy it.
But that is the wrong way of thinking.
The reality is that you need to put in the work to promote your book if you want it to sell. I was lucky. I had created some buzz before launching my first book, which helped. But after that initial launch, sales died for two long years.
But I made some changes when I published my second book, and I haven’t looked back. So today, I’m going to share those changes with you.
It’s a ‘Bestselling’ author, not a ‘Bestwriting’ Author
Look, you don’t become a bestseller by only writing the book. You become a bestseller by selling books. To hit that status, you must do what it takes to make it happen.
That means work.
You will need to research, find ways to promote your book and take ownership of your book sales. There is no set-it-and-forget-it with this reality. You hit ‘publish,’ then you start shouting from the rooftops!
Your Book Needs to be Read
As writers and authors, we face a lot of doubt. A lot of self-talk tells us that maybe no one will like our book, it won’t sell, or it’s a bad book. Even after we have put all this hard work in, we don’t think it is worth it.
There is at least one person out there who needs your book.
Shortly after I published my first book, someone emailed me and told me how my story and the steps in the book helped them save their job. They even told me how it made them one of the better employees for their company.
That one email made me realize that more people needed to read my book. I will 100% guarantee that at least one person desperately needs your book.
You Don’t Need to be Sleazy or desperate to Promote Your Book
I have had plenty of people come across posts like this and leave a comment that looks something like this:
(Insert Link)
Can you please read my book and leave a review?! I worked so hard on it, and I need it to sell.
Thank you (Desperate Author)
It’s sad when people drop stuff like this in your comments or replies to your social media. But that is how people think they can sell more books.
Here’s what you need to know: Just share your book and how excited you are about it. If you do leave it in the comments, ask to do it first, or better yet, say why you think it relates.
When sharing on social media: Use quotes from your book, create a hook from one of the points, or share pictures and why your book might help people.
You aren’t sharing your book like a used car salesman; you are sharing your book with pride in a thing that you worked hard to create.
Final Thoughts: Book Promotion is a Mindset
The short of it is this: Book promotion is a mindset.
It can be developed over time, it can be easy, and it doesn’t have to be invasive. But you need to know that you are in charge of your book promotion, that your book is worth reading, and that you are proud of the work you’ve done.
Once you do this, you can take the next steps toward promoting your book.
My name is J.R. Heimbigner and I am a #1 Bestselling Author on Amazon with 14 self-published books. I have two things I want to share with you:
A short book on to help you use your Substack posts to write books.
The First Draft Masterclass. I share exactly how to write your first draft so you can get that book published!
Have a book already? See how I can promote it with my newsletter!
P.S. There may be sales or affiliate links in this post. So, I might get a little kick back if you purchase anything. Thank you in advance!
Very insightful 🔥
Great piece, I really need to up my book promotion game!