You thought the hard work was done. Your book is published either through a deal with a lesser known publishing company or you self-published. Either way there isn’t going to be a huge marketing campaign to sell your book. If Penguin, Little, Brown and Company or Harper Collins is going to publish your novel, you need to read no further. But like most struggling authors, it is up to you to publicize and sell your book. You need to find an audience, establish your name, and build a following of readers. In other words, it is up to you to create a desire to read your book.
You thought you just had to write the book, sorry, now you must learn how to sell the book. You may think that you have no clue about merchandising products, so let me help you go through the process.
There are several step-by-step tutorials to help you set up your website and design your theme, i.e., www.godaddy.com or www.websitesetup.org. The one I liked can be found on https://www.thecreativepenn.com. It explains everything very simply step-by-step. (Suggestion: watch the video all the way through before doing anything. Once you feel comfortable, you can start, stop, rewind, and review each step. I watched the video on my tablet while I created the website on a desktop. It made it very easy to review steps before acting.) Before you start the process, you will need to have readily available:
Whichever options you choose, be sure to make your book available in several forms – print, e-book, Kindle, and especially POD - Print on Demand. The good news is that today, books don’t have a short shelf life, your book can be available online for a long time. But it is up to you to keep it alive – do interviews, write blog pieces, join a book club, contact local newspapers, and post notices on public bulleting boards. Also another thing to remember is the price, especially if you are a new author. Remember it is better to sell fifteen e-books at $1.99 than two at $12. People are more apt to take a chance on a new author for a couple of dollars. Selling more books is your goal
Submit your book for reviews and share those reviews with the online stores selling your book. Also update your social media outlets and let your followers become excited to read your book. When readers discover a book they enjoy, they become curious about the author. Keep you website up-to-date and interesting. Stay engaged.
I know this is a lot of information, but just take one step at a time. You will be surprised how easy it is to set up your website and email list. You will be very proud of yourself as you begin your journey towards becoming a full-fledged successful author.
Carolyn Grady lives in Tempe, a suburb of Phoenix, with her husband. Carolyn spent most of her career in the field of education working for a large Phoenix public school district. Her latest novel, The Girl in Hemingway’s Studio, was given a 5-star review by Readers’ Favorite and was featured in Midwest Book Review’s magazine “Reviewer’s Bookwatch” in their August 2019 issue.