Book Marketing Tips – Create Your Writers Platform – Sell More Books

Genres: Articles, Author Resources, Marketing Tips
Alt+"book marketing tips - kids lit book cafe reviews & promotion"Book Marketing Tips – Increase Your Author Visibility & Sell More Books

Marketing Tips: After extensive research, trial, error, and long-time experience, KLBC has discovered the most effective ways to market your books, create an online presence, and connect authors with readers worldwide.

In this article, we provide children’s book authors with the very best ways, to implement immediately, to increase book sales, and build their brand and platform as a published author.  Read on for great author and book marketing tips.

What is a Writers Platform and Why You Must Create a Powerful One

A writers platform is vital for several reasons. If you don’t create a writers platform you will be invisible to readers and in the book and reading community. If publishers discover that a writer/author doesn’t have a platform where they have connected with readers and the book community, the book deal will most certainly fall through. That can’t happen or the final deal won’t go through.

If you self-publish your book and then sit back and wait for sales to come in, they most certainly won’t if you don’t have a writers platform and a marketing plan in place. You are going to want to create a powerful writers platform and where you will connect with readers who will love you an your books and follow you on various social media and book community websites.

Create a Complete “Writers Platform” Which Must Include:

  • Your author website
  • Your blog (have a separate page for your blog and blog regularly)
  • Your Amazon author page.
  • Your Goodreads author page.
  • Your Bookbub author page.
  • Your social media presence and profiles. Place your social media icons with links to your social media profiles in a conspicuous, easy to find, spot on your website, so readers can easily click on them, and connect with, and follow you.
  • Join as many book related sites as possible and create your author profile, such as Bookbub (google “book clubs” and “book sites” to find as many book related sites as possible.)
  • Google “free author interviews” to find sites that will allow you to do free author interviews with permanent links on their site. (Yes, they are out there)
  • Have a book trailer made for all of your books and include them on your website.

Keep Your Website Up-to-Date, Visually Appealing and User Friendly

  • On your homepage, the first thing readers should see is your books for sale (leave out your synopsis on this page).Include a picture of your book cover with a link to purchase your book that is large and visible. Also link your book cover picture to your purchase site, as well(Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.)
  • If you have more than one book, put all of them on the home page. Readers can scroll down to each book and see your awesome covers and be motivated to purchase them. ALWAYS include your purchase link for readers to buy your book immediately.
  • You can also have a page titled something like “Books” or  “Shop Books.” Many authors today are choosing to sell their books directly to readers from their website, rather than using Amazon. Either way, it is a great idea to have a “Shop Books” page where readers can buy your books either directly from you or from Amazon etc.
  • Your website domain name should be titled your “author name,” not the title of your book or some other made up title. GoDaddy, NameCheap and BlueHost are all easy websites to buy your domain name. Your website host can help you integrate your domain name to your website and set you up.
  • On your “Homepage,” be sure to have an email sign up box, so readers can subscribe to your website/blog and receive updates about your books, and your creative interesting blog posts. Use your website’s themes email sign up widget. Or you can utilize a paid Email service like Constant Contact or Mail Chimp in order to easily send out mass emails to your readers.
  • Be sure to use photos and graphics on your website in your blog section. Blog regularly. You can find blogging ideas by googling “blogging ideas for authors”
  • Have a separate “Author Bio” and page-make it fun, personal and interesting, be sure to add a picture of you or of your very best book cover.
  • On a separate page, show your book covers again, each should include your books synopsis and any great book review blurbs that you have received. Title your page “Book Reviews
  • Have a separate page for your blog. This is where you will write about your writing, life, books and other interesting topics. Your subscribers will receive your blog entries in their email box. That is why it is important to have an email signup box on your home page in the top right hand sidebar. Title your blog page “Blog.”
  • Don’t forget your “Contact Page,” so readers, publishers, industry professionals, etc. can contact you. Use the contact form that comes with your website’s theme.
  • If you have any book trailers, create a separate page and title it “Book Trailers”

Note: Do not bog your website/blog down with other authors books or reviews. This will distract from your own particular work and books. The only exception to this rule is if you are collaborating with another author, and sharing your books on one another’s sites. But we do not recommend doing that.

Your BookBub Author Profile – A Vital Free Resource

BookBub has millions of email subscribers who are avid readers of all genres. It is free to create and manage your BookBub author profile and add your books. Reach readers worldwide with this prominent book and reader website and community.

Have a Complete Amazon Author Page-Book Marketing Tips

  • Be sure to have a photo of yourself – or if you are shy, use some kind of photo for your profile picture.
  • Your full author bio
  • Add your website and social media links to your author bio, at the bottom of your bio.
  • Make sure that when readers click on your Amazon author profile that all of your books are listed in the horizontal list of your books.
  • For each individual book, each and every format must be on the same page for that one particular book. Very important.
  • Utilize the “Editorial Reviews” section for each separate book to highlight the best reviews with a blurb from each one. You can put blurbs from your paid reviews in this section.
  • Make sure to write down and save your Amazon login information, so you can access it to make changes as necessary.

 Your Goodreads Author Page – Run Plenty of Giveaways 

  • Make sure your Goodreads author profile is update, with all of your books listed with their book covers.
  • Join the Goodreads Author Program Information – Step by Step Instructions
  • Don’t forget to include your website address on your Goodreads author profile page.
  • Be sure to have a photo of yourself – or if you are shy, use some kind of photo for your profile picture.
  • You can also add your social media profile links to your author profile.
  • Give away as many signed “paperback” books as possible to get free book reviews.
  • Include a nice note when sending the paper back to the winner’s, kindly asking them to please leave Amazon and Goodreads reviews for your book.
  • Goodreads giveaways are vital to an author’s success.

Participate in Social Media Regularly – Marketing Tips

Social media is vital to gaining a following of readers that will look forward to hearing about and buying your books. You can have discussions with them about books and hook them on your books. Twitter , Facebook Instagram  LinkedIn and Pinterest are all social media platforms which authors should promote themselves on.

  • Join book groups within the social media platform. Readers groups, writers groups and book  clubs are great for promoting your books.
  • Create a Goodreads profile and be sure to include your book covers and all your information,   including your website and social media links.
  • When using social media, don’t just promote your books. Include interesting, humorous and  fun ways to engage with other users and readers. Post eye-appealing pictures to go along with your posts.

Reach Out to Book Clubs: Offer to Speak and Share about Your Book

  • Speak at local book clubs and associations, book stores and various businesses.
  • Gain notoriety locally.

 Get as Many Great Reviews For Your Book as Possible

Excellent quality reviews are vital to selling more books. Utilize free and paid reviewers to maximize your efforts and receive the best quality professional and marketable book reviews that will increase your book sales substantially.

 Enter as Many Book Award Contests that Are Available

  • This will help your author credibility substantially.
  • Display Your Awards on a separate page on your website entitled “Book Awards & Recognition’s.”
  • Google “book award contests” for a list of the top ones.

 Book Marketing & Promotion – Marketing Tips

Marketing and promoting your book is one of the most difficult parts of increasing your book sales and author visibility.

We Recommend You Hire a Book Marketing Professional to Achieve the Best Results to Substantially Increase Your Book Sales, and Connect With Readers Worldwide

To increase your book sales and author visibility. As well as Kids Lit Book Cafe for your children’s books, check out Artisan Book Reviews and Chick Lit Cafe. Both have a large readership base with hundreds of thousands of followers across the board. They review and promote numerous children’s book authors. Just as we do, they utilize many book related and book magazine and media sites to market you and your book. They will get your book out there, and it will be well worth the cost effective the price. They get results. Be sure to read their author testimonials.

For a full list of where you can enter book contests, find free and paid book reviews, free author interviews, and find book marketers, please contact us through our “contact form” to request your free list of resources for authors.

Yes, creating an author platform takes time and work. But, in the end, you will definitely reap the benefits.

Note: KLBC is not affiliated with any of the recommended resources contained in this article. This article is for the sole purpose of helping authors to promote themselves and their books and achieve success in their writing careers.

About the author:
Article Contributed by Sofia Giada
Editor/Social Media and Book Marketing Specialist/Book Reviewer
USC
Degree Field of Study: Marketing, Journalism, Business Management

Marketing Tips for Published Authors

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CONTACT US for more info and/or to submit your book for consideration for book reviews and/or promotion and our author services and resources.
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