Steps to Take Before Releasing a Book
Successfully selling a book can be just as challenging as actually writing one, especially when it comes to releasing a book. There are many talented authors out there who have created wonderful literary works that nobody has ever seen simply because they are unaware that they exist. Many people are saying that thanks to how easy it is to self-publish on sites like Amazon, Smashwords, and Goodread. It is true that these sites present great opportunities to authors who might otherwise never have the chance to publish their books, but it also means that they have no shortage of competition, since there are so many other authors self-publishing their books.
There are a number of steps that authors can take when they are getting ready to release their book. One of the most important things to keep in mind is the overall goal of the author should first be to get their book well known, and not just to make money. A writer that intends to get rich right away will more often than not be disappointed. There are instances where someone might get lucky and hit it big with their first book, but this is incredibly rare. Even if it does happen, it tends to take some time, so anything the author can do to get their book out there will help.
Authors are recommended to set aside a number of books that they can give away as a promotional item. This is a great idea because readers are going to appreciate being given something for free, so when it comes to writing a review they tend to naturally be more generous simply because they feel like the author cared enough about them to give them a free copy, so they’ll want to be supportive. There are promotional and reviewers’ lists available on the Internet, so choose a few from those lists and send the book, along with any additional promotional material to them well in advance of the release date so that they have time to read the book and write you a review. Make sure to let them know an approximate date that you’d need the review completed by. This is also the time to craft a great press release and send it out to various media outlets, perhaps setting up some radio interviews to correspond to the launch of the book, or several weeks prior to the launch.
When self-publishing, authors are also advised to take advantage of social media. Having a Facebook or a Twitter is a great way to stay in touch with fans, and also can serve as free promotions, as people can share the page with their friends which can draw in new readers. This also gives the author a chance to directly communicate with their fans, and inform them about any new books they are writing, or just serve as a way to get feedback for future works, something which is very useful for an author that is looking to create a book series. Even authors who write independent books though can benefit from this, as they’ll get an idea of what people liked about their books, or what are areas they might need to improve upon with their future works.
Along the same lines, authors can benefit from having a blog. This can be specifically for their book, or it could also include other types of writing. After all, if readers are already fans of the blog, they might naturally be interested in purchasing books from the author since they already like their writing style. Authors need to keep their intended audience in mind and should try to promote their book amongst those circles. For example, authors might try to advertise their book on sites like Reddit that have clearly defined groups, so they can appeal directly towards people that are likely to be interested in their book. This can go hand in hand with free promotional books, offering them up to these members who will then ideally go on to say good things about the book in those groups and help to spread the word.
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