In other pages on this site we’ve discussed the benefits of printing your own book and entering the world self-publishing in general. So it would be redundant to cover the basics here again. Instead, we’ll use this page to cover one specific aspect self-publishing your book that may be as important as choosing a cover for your book and a printer to print it: Self-Marketing! Or is it self-book-marketing? By any name, book self publishing and marketing must aspire to traditional publishing success stories if they are to remain a viable strategy for getting your book out to the world.
Assuming you’ve come to understand what it takes to print your own book, you’re now ready to market your book to the world, or at least the reading audience you desire. Whether your goal is to become a bestselling author of suspense and break the New York Times Besteller Top Ten, or just hand out a few copies of your new manifesto at a local gathering of friends, you have the same goal. You want people to read your book. This means to effectively market your book, you need to do two things: get the book in people’s hands and whet their appetite. If you’ve written a good book and chosen an attractive cover that speaks to your target reader, you’ve fought half the battle.
Successful Book Self Publishing and Marketing Tactics
Believe it or not, you’re already an expert! How many times have you recommended a book, a movie, a restaurant, or anything else to another person? This is called word of mouth, the most effective form of marketing known to man, but it’s also sales 101. Just because you’re talking about your own book, the process should be no different. So step one is to talk about your book. Tell your friends, co-workers, family and everyone else about your book and why it’s worth their time to read it. If they like your book, they will tell everyone they know, and so on and so on …
The next key to successful marketing is targeting the right audience. Sure, we all want our books to wind up on the shelf in every Barnes & Noble in the country, but large chain retail stores buy their book from distributors, not people. So target distributors who specialize in sticking books like yours. In addition to merchants, there are all kinds of groups who might like to read your book. Churches, book clubs, businesses, schools, non-profit groups and local organizations of every stripe are open to new ideas. Call them, show up, bring copies, and talk your book up! The Internet is also today’s market of choice for book self publishing. It’s easier than ever to build your own web site, list your book on an e-tailer’s site, and partner with other book self-publishing organizations to promote your title. A good book printer will also help any self-publisher market their book on the printer’s web site, so look for that opportunity wherever you can.