Publishing a book may seem like a rite of passage for many entrepreneurs. If you don’t want to wait around for a publisher to help you sell your book, you can always self-publish. Self-publishing a book may seem like a tedious task but it can actually provide you with a lot of freedom and flexibility in terms of what you write in your book and how you market it.
If you’re considering self-publishing your own book, you may be concerned about marketing. You probably already know how important it is to utilize social media and market to your email list. But perhaps, you’re looking to explore some other unique and more specific marketing tactics for a self-publish book.
Here are 5 of my favorite creative ways to market your self-published book.
Host a Contest or Giveaway
People love contests and giveaways. It’s one of the most creative ways to market your self-published book as well as a fun way to spread the word. Take a concept from your book and ask your audience or social media followers to demonstrate it in their own way and tag you in a post to enter the contest. You can also require that people share the contest/giveaway details on social media to spread the word even more.
Giveaway a signed free copy of your book as well as a few other free gifts from your business and offer your book at a discounted or pre-sale rate for all others who enter but don’t win.
Write a Bonus Chapter
Spending a day or two writing a bonus chapter for your book can be a great marketing tool. If you have something extra to share or just feel people may want more, you can offer this bonus chapter during the pre-sale stage or for a limited time after your book is officially released. Doing this will push sales by motivating people to buy early.
Send Exclusive Content To Your Email List
Treat your email list to some exclusive bonus content to help tease the release of your book. Your email list is likely filled with tons of buyers and potential buyers. People on your list may not buy the book as soon as you announce its release. However, if you keep marketing to them with exclusive content that teases some concepts that are explained in your book, they will be more motivated to buy.
Share a Live Video
Share a YouTube video or go live on Facebook or Instagram to share more about your book along with any interesting behind-the-scenes details. You can also encourage people to ask you questions about it and offer a coupon code to people who view your live video.
Get a Book Launch Team
I’ve seen plenty of people establish a book launch team in the past and it’s a great way to market your self-published book. Since you won’t be working with a traditional publisher and relying on their network, you can partner up with other influencers and colleagues to market your book.
Once you’ve gathered a book launch team, ask them to promote your book to their audience and participate in any of your campaigns or marketing plans. You can offer them marketing materials and graphics along with an affiliate link so they can earn money by helping sell your book as well.
Summary
Marketing your self-published book is a big task but it can play a huge role in you being able to sell more copies of your book. Your launch should be the biggest marketing push. Then, you can slow down a bit and find ways to automate your marketing and set up evergreen tactics to continue promoting sales over time.
