Writer's Edit

Whether you’re a traditionally published author or an indie author, you’ll be playing a big role in the promotion of your book. But with thousands of articles out there, it’s hard to know where to start when it comes to marketing strategies. As independent publishers ourselves, we decided to put together a video on quick tips for indie book promotion.

Our video and the show notes cover: Pre-Release Campaigns, Launch Parties, Getting Book Reviewers, Author Websites and Book Swag. For all the in-depth advice and tips, be sure to watch the video below!

What To Take Away From This Video:

1. Do A Pre-Release Campaign

Before you officially release your book, there’s a lot you can (and should) do to drum up excitement and anticipation. You need to do this before you publish so that when your book hits the shelves, people actually know it exists!

• Connect with and get to know your readers via social media before your book comes out.
• Do a cover reveal over social media, your author platform and another online publication if you can.
• Post excerpts and quotes from your book in the form of shareable images on social media (you can use Canva.com for this).
• Host a book giveaway on Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and any other platform you can.
• Offer yourself out as an interviewee and drum up awareness and excitement about your upcoming release.
• Provide a select community of readers with Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs).

2. Host A Launch Party

A really fun way you can promote your indie book is by hosting a book launch! Hosting a launch party is a fantastic idea for a number of reasons….

• You get to celebrate your achievements! Not everyone can write and publish a book!
• Bring your readers and community together.
• Sell your books in person and connect with your customers on a personal level.
• Benefit from the word of mouth affect – people talking about the event, people bringing friends and family along.
• Enjoy the social media coverage – encourage your friends and family to share photos and experiences from the event on social media and tag you as the author. You’ll benefit from a far wider reach than you usually would.

3. Get Book Reviews

Whether you’re a traditionally published author or an indie author, the importance of book reviews can’t be stressed enough. These affect your Amazon and Google rankings, as well as encourage other readers to buy and read your book.

• Approach people you’ve already connected with (warm leads) in your pre-release campaign.
• Keep a spreadsheet of book bloggers and booktubers you want to approach for reviews and work your way down the list.

4. Get An Author Website

The importance of an author website or platform can’t be stressed enough in today’s day and age, particularly for the indie author. An author platform is where your readers connect with you, sign up for updates, and share your content. It’s also how media outlets might seek to contact you if they wish to run a story on you and your book.

Click the following link for more advice on how to master your online author presence.

5. Sell ‘Book Swag’

‘Book swag’ is basically any secondary product you’ve used to promote your book. Big publishers are doing things like tote bags and pins, and this is something that indie authors can do just as easily and cost effectively if they do their research. Indie authors should look to big brand name authors for inspiration on how to make the most of ‘book swag’.

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Be sure to watch the video to hear the advice in full, and if you’re after more tips and tricks, be sure to check out our author resources page!