Have you written a book? Get the word out!

Tips to get your book noticed!

You may have just gotten your first book published and aren’t selling as many copies as you want. Well, do you want to hear the good news? There are ways to get your book noticed! I have listed several ways that can help get your book out to a larger audience. If you don’t want all that hard work and money you put into your book to go to waste then you are going to have to keep working on it. Just because you have achieved the first big step of getting published doesn’t mean your work is done. The following ideas are stepping stones and will help you get a wider audience for your book, get more copies of your book sold, but most importantly get the important words that you  want to share with the world out there for everyone to read. Sorry, but that hard work you put into writing your book is not yet over. Dig deep and find the last bit of motivation you need and maybe try out some of these ideas.

1.       Social Networking

a.       Facebook

                                                               i.      Create a fan page for your book then invite every facebook friend you know. Some may ignore it, but some will check it out. The best part is that some may then pass on the page to their friends and they will check it out. This could lead to a big branch of people checking out your fan page and potentially buying your book. I read a book not too long ago buy a local author and then sent the facebook page to a friend of mine. She immediately bought it. Word of mouth, or in this case through facebook, helps your book get noticed.  Facebook is free and an easy way to get your name out there.

b.      Twitter

                                                               i.      This account isn’t as necessary as facebook but can still be a helpful tool. It lets you post short sentences or phrases about what is going on with you, they are called tweets. This gives you the opportunity to get a lot of followers and tweet about your new book you just published, send out a link to your website, talk about the next book you are working on, etc. All once again for free.

2.       Write a blog and/or get a website

a.       Start a free blog, about you as an author and about your book.  You can upgrade for a decent price later if you want. You can even set up a way for people to buy your book right off your blog. Once you get your blog going you need to advertise it. This is where those social networking sites pay off even more.

3.       Contact your local newspapers

a.       Call up your local newspapers and tell them that you are a new writer and just got your book published, they may not write a story about you but you never know till you try. I know for a fact that your local paper likes getting news story ideas from the public, especially ones that shine some light on important people in the community, especially ones that may become a famous author some day. You never know. Give them your name, the title of your book, when it is going to or was published, your phone number, and most importantly ask if they want a copy. Instead of calling, you could type up a press release (make sure to proof read it carefully) and then send it out to all the local newspapers. This step is a must, you just don’t know until you try. I work at a newspaper and I will tell you that you have a shot at getting noticed this way.

4.       Contact your church/local university/library/ local bookstore

a.       It never hurts to try and set up a table at a local event to sell your book and do some signings. Look for events that specifically relate to your book and see if you can set up a booth there.

5.       Hold a contest to give away a free copy of your book.

a.       This takes some of your own personal money but everyone likes free stuff! It may generate more people to your blog/website, get people talking about your book more, and once again if the person that reads the book and enjoys it I’m sure they will spread the word to their friends. As an avid reader I am always giving reading suggestions to my friends.

6.       Email

a.       Send an email out to all of your friends and family with a picture of the book and a short description. Tell them where they can buy it and that if they like the book that they should pass it on to their friends.  This would be helpful in case you know people that don’t use facebook.

7.       Goodreads.com

a.       Promote your book on goodreads.com. You can post books you like, what you are currently reading, hold contests, and people write reviews on this site. Reviews are always helpful when starting out as a new author.

8.       Reviews

a.       Last but not least, if someone tells you they like your book you should encourage them to give their opinion about the book by reviewing it on amazon. There is also some information on the amazon website that gives you some advice on getting reviews for your book. Reviews are always good. I personally almost always read the reviews before buying a new book by an author I’m not very familiar with and I know that some of my friends do the same. Also, check out review blogs, sometimes they are looking for new authors to review their books. 

Keep in mind that you will need some money in your budget to promote your book, but hopefully in the long run it will pay off. Either way, I know you want more people to read that amazing book you spent so much time writing. Take a chance and try out these suggestions. Let me know how well it works out for you in the comments below. Good Luck!