Marketing Tips for Every Author to Consider

22 Jan 2019 // Book Marketing Tips // Add Comment

By Guest Author, Sherry Briscoe

We become writers because writing is what we know. Marketing, on the other hand, is not what we know, and something we’re not good at. But what good is a well-written book, if no one reads it? And so, if we want to write, we must learn to be good marketers.

Here are the tips that I have found to work the best. Of course, these can vary widely depending on the genre, the audience, and timeliness of things.

Pre-launch

This is all the work that comes before you even put the book up for sale. The advanced reader copies, the advanced reviews. Some will create a Facebook page, or start blog posts for each book, introducing the characters and scenes to gain a following. This way, readers already know your characters and are anxious to get the book when it comes out.

Launch

There are tons of sites that you can list your book with for free give-aways, or discounted specials. If the ebook is on KDP Select with amazon, you can run your special through them. The book is promoted for free for a set time frame, or maybe .99 cents. This allows people who may not be familiar with you to get a taste for your writing. The top two places (to get the best results) to do this is through amazon KDP select, and Bookbub. While Bookbub will almost certainly get you way more results, it does cost a fair chunk of change, depending on the genre. But in my mind, it’s worth it.

Strut Your Stuff

In every place that you can, get your book into the public eye. Guest blog on other author sites. Give free books to your local library. Run amazon and Facebook ads. I even sell my books in the summer craft fairs in the park. Try to get book reviewers on radio or in newspapers to review your books. Write blog posts. Whenever someone asks for a door prize at a function, give them a basket with a great coffee mug, Starbucks gift cards, maybe a kindle reader, and copies of your books. I have post cards printed at vistaprint.com with the cover of the book on one side, and my website, a short description of the book, and top amazon reviews on the back side. I hand these out everywhere, and after reading them, people come back to buy the book.

Tracking

When I run a Facebook ad, I pause an amazon ad, so that I can accurately see how many sales are triggered by which type of advertising. I keep a detailed Excel spreadsheet of ads placed, impressions, clicks, and sales they get each day. This helps me see trends, and when and where my books do the best. When I run a Bookbub ad, the same thing, I pause the others so I can see what comes in from that ad. This way I can really see where I get the bang for my buck.

These are the tips and strategies that I have found to be most successful. What strategies work for you in each stage of your book launch?

Meet Sherry Briscoe

Sherry Briscoe grew up watching Alfred Hitchcock and the Twilight Zone. Is it any wonder her stories are dark and mysterious with a hint of the supernatural?

A native Idahoan, she has lived in Europe, and both the East and West Coasts of the U.S., but has found her way back home.

Her travels began with a half-courageous, and half-terrifying decision to join the U.S. Army, with the guarantee that she would be stationed in Europe. And so it began. She bought a journal to take with her when she boarded the plane for Germany, and was excited about the new adventures that would fill the once-blank pages. Two years later, she returned home with a suitcase full of journals, a new understanding of the world, and a new insight of herself. But the journey had only begun.

Through the years Briscoe has written for newspapers and magazines, but now focuses her time on her books.

In 1999 Sherry founded the Idaho Screenwriter’s Association, which she facilitated until 2013, when the group was merged with the Idaho Media Professionals. Sherry found that learning to be a good screenwriter, made her an even better novelist.

Sherry has been invited to speak at conferences and writers groups, and enjoys the opportunity to help other writers find their way and hone their skills. She is on the Board of Directors of the Idaho Writers Guild.