Things to try to Promote and Market your Book | #BlogchatterEbook

Things to try to Promote and Market your Book

Now that you have published your eBook in the Blogchatter’s Ebook Carnival, you might be wondering how to promote and market your book, especially the first-timers. Blogchatter has mailed a certain set of useful guidelines that one could follow to get your word out there but still, some of you at times might get confused about how to go about it.

Your book is already launched in the Blogchatter eBook Carnival, the short-term goal is already achieved, but still, a long way to go. Here I would try to break in simple steps the things you can try to promote and market your book.

Disclaimer: I am no expert but basing all this on my experience.

Cover Launch

Blogchatter has done a great job of launching each eBook listed in the carnival with an attractive creative, that is a perfect start, but the reach is limited to their followers. When you post the cover on your social media accounts, there you have your friends and followers, which increases the chances of downloads. You can also make a full cover – a combination of a front cover and a blurb along with a little author’s bio on the next page.

You can use free tools like Canva, Snapseed and Inshot to help you with this.

Teaser or Trailer launch

Since video format is in demand and catches more eyeballs, make a teaser for your book. It can be a combination of some of the best lines from the book or putting the blurb over a series of slides or simply talk about what the book is all about, creating curiosity.

Use tools like Inshot or Quik. Inshot is good for making and editing videos, while Quik is useful for making a video using a collection of images.

I am sure many of you would have already done this. If not, just remember we still have a month to go, so better get moving.

Live Reading

If you aren’t camera shy, try going for a live reading of some of the best lines from your book. The best platforms to try for this are Facebook and Instagram. Facebook immediately converts the live video into a regular video, which would be uploaded on to your profile once the live is over. So just in case, someone missed it, they can still catch up on the session. This is a great way to create a buzz. You will be surprised how many people would get to know about the book just because of such a session.

Use Social Media

Never underestimate the power of social media. It will help you reach out to newer readers and audiences. That should be the goal. Use hashtags smartly while sharing your content. It can be anything like the cover, teaser, video or even the best lines as quotes. Keep doing consistently and keep it evenly spread across the whole month. Drop a post in relevant FB groups, use twitter hashtags and use Instagram stories. You have to use Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, at least, in this day and age to promote and market your book.

Along with the mandatory hashtag #BlogchatterEbook, Try hashtags like #WritingCommunity, #BloggerToAuthor, #BookLaunch, #NewBook, #Published along with the genre of the book. These hashtags are really useful in getting new readers and followers.

LinkedIn

Though LinkedIn is a part of social media, I wanted to take it separately, given the professional nature of the platform. Please use LinkedIn, I know it is ignored a lot but if you are considering writing as a serious option and want to take it up professionally then do use LinkedIn. You will get all the new readers base. For people who are looking out for writers, your work can always work as a sample even before someone gives you an actual task. One like or share from any credible name from the industry can increase your reach exponentially.

Reviews

Reach out to fellow bloggers, book bloggers and reviewers, who are happily ready to take up your book and do an honest book review. They will come with their set of followers and there is nothing like a good book review. It lends a lot of credibility to your work.

It is like giving auditions or giving interviews. You don’t stop until you get a big break. And once you do that, for the next parts also you keep doing that. So, don’t shy away from the criticism. Remember if anyone, is unduly harsh, these kinds of reviews would be very few compared to the sugar-coated ones. But ask yourself how much you are going to learn from them.

Interviews

Many bloggers conduct author interviews – both in video and text format. For the camera-shy ones, a text interview is a good option as a wonderful promotional tool. It also gives the readers a peek into the mind of the author. There will be many bloggers and vloggers who would be doing it in this carnival season. Keep your eyes & ears open.

Rashi Roy is coming with her second season of ‘Razzmatazz with Rashi’ – a show where you can showcase your book as well as yourself. You can check more details here. The first season was a hit and a good one with more than twenty authors appearing for the show.  

Goodreads

Creating a Goodreads author’s page and adding your book to it is always a great way to promote and market your book and let the world know more about it. But it is a little tricky to add your book once you have created an account. It might require another post to explain the whole process. You can also ask all the people who have already reviewed your work to leave a review and rating on your book’s page.

Giveaways

If you are an established blogger with decent following you can always host a small contest or a giveaway. Keep the contest around your book and make it mandatory to download. It will help both in reach and promotion. You can always collaborate with established names and ask them to give a shout-out to you over their social media channels.

Remember the most important thing is you will have to blow your own trumpet otherwise how can you expect others to.

In the end, it all comes down to – do not fret and lose your sleep over these numbers. Keep doing the good work. There is always a reader for good content. Your content. It is all about reaching out to that reader and making the world aware that you are there for the long stay.

Manas ‘Sameer’ Mukul

Rashi Roy and Me have collaborated and come up with an anthology – ‘The Woman That I Am’, which is a part of the Blogchatter Ebook Carnival. It would be so great if you can download a copy. Do share your feedback on the same.

Do let me know if you found these steps useful? You can always put forward your queries around the same in the comments or reach out to me. Is there any point you want me to take in detail?

I would be coming up with a follow up post about strategies on what to do with your eBook after the Blogchatter Ebook Carnival is over. Keep watching this space for me.

If you are a first-time author, you might want to check out my post – ‘Things I wish I Knew as a first-time author‘, for some guidelines on how you can try to make an eBook.