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Social Media for Book Promotion??

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
Well, all ways are ways to promote your book. One of the ways to approach it would be to post that very question as a search string. You'll get plenty back.
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
Well...My current attempt is to make some friends and relationships on sites where there are readers and maybe get some notice, but, I cant say its worked out. Amazon advertising seems to be a bust, and will likely soon go back to the drawing board.

I've seen a number of booktube people suggesting many other things to do, but I am not quite exhausting what I am currently doing yet. Sending copies to reviewers with a following and see if they will review it, promotions, give-aways, ads, contests, maybe dying my hair pink and see if I can get some notice :)

I think my approach really is, that its a marathon not a sprint. I am not sure how long the long game is, but I can only do so much. Most of my energy goes to writing the next one ATM.

PS: I've not used Intagram or booktok.
 

Michael Robling

New Member
Hello! I am new to this and honestly, within the last few months since my book has launched, I have only sold about fifteen copies to folks other than family and friends. So, I'm definitely not the best person to provide guidance, but I do have a few thoughts.

First, I've come across quite a few contests that I am planning on entering my book into. One in particular offers a review just for entering. For someone like me who is struggling to get reviews as a first-time author, that seems like it could be very helpful (especially since it's a reputable award site). Here's the link if interested: Reader Views Literary Awards

Another thing I recently came across is local folks who enjoy promoting local authors. I live in CT and found a Facebook group that helps indie authors promote their works. I am attending my first author event in a few months and couldn't be more excited to a) try to sell my book and b) just have a chance to show my book to potential readers. I have a few reviews on Goodreads that are all positive, but hopefully this can help me get more. Maybe you could look for FB groups or even local library events etc. you can use?

I've also printed business cards that I literally hand out whenever I can. Funny as it is, I mentioned I wrote a book to my Dr. a few days ago. He actually seemed excited and said his son loved dinosaurs (my novel is a dinosaur fantasy) so I gave him a copy and his 12 year old son is currently reading it. I guess my recommendation here is tell everyone you can about your book. I mentioned it in passing and it turned into a sale and potentially a great opportunity for me.

Wish you the best of luck! If you eventually come up with a great way to market your book let me know!
 
There are only a few broad categories of promoting books (though with millions of different nuances for each category).

Social Media: Gain a following and point those to your book. TikTok is (or at least was a year ago) the place to be. Instagram before that. But really any social media could work. That includes Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Goodreads, and so on. Gain a following, point that following to your book. The first is a lot harder than the second.

Paid ads: The big three are Amazon ads, Facebook ads, Bookbub ads. Not all are equally effective for everyone.

Paid newsletters: similar to ads. There are companies that send out daily or weekly newsletters with books to read. You can buy a spot in there. Bookbub is the big one, but there are more. Not all are equally effective.

Newsletter swaps: if you have your own newsletter, you can swap promotions with other authors (you can find them on places like bookfunnel or storyorigin). They promote your book to their readers, you promote theirs.

Influencer marketing: Send your book to book reviewers and if they like and review your book their audience might buy it. Can be found on social media and blogs.

Conventions / in person marketing: there are big and small conventions that accept indie authors. You get a table and can try to promote your book to visitors. I guess book signings also fall in this category, though I think those are a bit harder to get as an indie author.

That's about it really. Pick one or two and focuss on that.
 
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