Book Marketing and Promotion Ideas | Ramona Morrow Books

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Ramona Morrow | Canadian Children's Book Author and Blogger

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Book Marketing and Promotion Ideas

Welcome to Book Marketing and Promotion Ideas, this is where you will find more ideas to help aid you in other book marketing and promotion ideas you may not know about yet. I hope this page sheds some light on new ideas that you can use to help make your book become successful. I compiled this informational checklist for self-published authors. I have researched and collected all of this information throughout the years. Below I offer simple and easy Tip, Tricks, and Hints to aid in the marketing and promotion of your first book, second book, third book, and even your last book. These are all of the ways that I have used in the past and continue to use some of them now. This list should help you get started, even though you didn't know where to begin in the first place. Well, this is where you start.

Tips, Tricks, and Hints

Marketing and Promoting Your Published Book

As an Indie Author or Self-Published Author

Also, know your budget that you allocate for marketing and promotion, not all are FREE you do have to pay something. That amount is all up to you. Know where to draw the financial line. Try these powerful book marketing and promotion ideas for your next book. These great creative book marketing ideas will help make your book a success.

Just letting you know self-marketing and self-promotion is a lot of research and hard work. I am doing some of the research for you. What you don't find here, you have to do your own research. My research was done for children's books but don't be discouraged you can use these book marketing and promotion ideas as well for your book no matter what genre it is. Just choose which tips, tricks, and hints would suit your marketing plan.

Your main goal is to make sure your new book is read by as many people in your target audience as possible and making it available on as many platforms as possible. Get the word out. Increase your online presence. Talk about your book every chance you get with everyone you come across with. The grocery clerk, the dentist, your banker, you get the idea. Effective book marketing is what you will strive for. Don't ignore the insignificant marketing and promotional ideas you come across no matter how small you think they are, for example:

1.  When sending an email make sure you put your website, email address, and .jpg photo of your book or name of your book with a link underneath your signature. You never know who will purchase your book or when they will purchase your book.

2.  Contact newspapers for press releases, editorial reviews, and/or interviews.

3.  Contact TV stations and Radio Stations for press releases or public appearances.

4.  Contact appropriate podcasts to see if you can have a guest appearance where you can raise awareness about your book.

5.  Make your own Press Release and use a Press Release Distribution Service. They send out thousands of press releases to news sites and major media outlets.

6.  Handout business cards, bookmarks, sell sheets, etc. Promote the heck out of your book, website, or business (see Promotional Product Companies).

7.  Use message boards for your targeted audience. Spread the word about your book.

8.  Contribute to forums related to your targeted audience. Use great content.

9.  Sign up with Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter. Start making your presence known. Introduce your book to those social media platforms. (See Social Media Platforms)

10.  Advertise on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Make sure you have a good idea on how to advertise properly otherwise you are just wasting your money.

11.  Join Goodreads Program, Amazon Author Central Program, and BookBub Author Program. Use their promotional tools. (see Social Media Platforms)

12.  Set up an author website. (See Blog Website Design Companies) Check out best-selling author websites in your genre. Study how they designed their websites. Better yet, you're here now, check out my author website.

13.  Make your book into an audiobook. Audiobooks are becoming more and more popular. (See Audiobook Publishing Companies)

14.  If your book is only in paperback form check out options to make your book into an ebook and/or hardcover book. Your fans may want to see more options in how they can purchase your book. (See Articles Worth Reading)

15.  Make a book trailer and place it on your website and your author YouTube channel. Check out my book trailer for Jamie's Pet on my website and then check out my YouTube channel to see how it was done.

16.  Have book readings and/or book signings at bookstores, libraries, school, universities, flea markets, any store, and any place, etc. that will allow you to do it inside or outside their business. You can also do this as a pop-up book reading and/ or pop-up book signing.

17.  Give FREE promotional items to your fans either in person, at book signings, or on your website. (See Promotional Product Companies)

18.  Consider attending book festivals. You can reach hundreds or thousands of people who attend these functions because they enjoy books. Meeting an author is a real treat and a bonus for them. (See World Famous Book Festivals)

19.  Check out virtual book tours to see if it suits your marketing and promotional plan. (See Virtual Book Tours)

20.  With every book you release do a book launch for that book.

21. Every so often set up a book contest and promote the contest on your social media sites.

22.  Start your own book club. Dedicate a page on your website where you review other authors books.

23.  Make your own newsletter. This depends on the time you can devote to the newsletter and your writing skills.

24.  Use book discounting sites like BookBub, OnlineBookClub.org, and Book Gorilla.

25. Get reviews for your book. Make sure you remind people to write a review from where they purchased your book.

26.  Find other book distributor companies to distribute your book. Doesn't hurt to cover your basis. They might deliver to businesses your not placed in.

27.  Guest blog by creating an article about your book or for anything unrelated as well. Don't forget, make sure you leave a link where your book can be purchased. Is it Amazon, your own website, or did you create your own blog with a purchase link to your book. Here's my Blog - Your Children's Books Blog! Check it out. Let me know when your children's book comes out and I will put you in an article to help boost sales and social media awareness for your book.

28.  Learn how to link properly to any articles you have written. Place a link to where your book can be purchased, your website, or any other articles you have written. Promote yourself and promote your book.

29.  Have an influential blog writer with tons of daily traffic interview you for your book.

30.  Write a book blurb. Do you know someone who is writing a book? Ask them if you can write the book blurb that goes on the rear dust-jacket of their book. Book blurbs are also found on web portals and news websites.

31. You can't do everything, so hand over some work to a good book promotion service(s). I found one I am happy with called, Whizbuzz Books. For $49 US/year they will promote your book on Whizbuzz Books website and on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Flipboard, LinkedIn, Wordpress, Goodreads, and Tumblr. Well, that was a load off of my hands. Now I can concentrate on marketing and promoting elsewhere. See how they did mine on Whizbuzz Books Authors Page.

I just recently started using ibookson by signing up for a membership with their one-time fee of $99 USD. This gives me unlimited posts on their website and they promoted my book to Facebook and LinkedIn. You can check out mine on Ibookson Ramona Morrow Author's Page and ibookson Jamie's Pet Page.

32.  When building an email list you can start with Mailchimp, Constant Contact, GetResponse, or MailerLite. Make sure you compare the three to see which one would be suitable for you and what you need it for.  (See Articles Worth Reading below)

33.  Research your competition (authors) to find out how they have been marketing or promoting their book. What metadata did they use?

34.  Author YouTube Readings. Here are two that I have come across so far. The Read with Carylee Show you read your own children's book and Mr. Bear's Trunk he reads your children's book.

35. Make sure you invest wisely in a professional cover design service for your book jacket. Remember, picture says a million words. Your book jacket needs to attract potential readers. Your book jacket must make the reader to want to buy your book.

36. Make sure on your book jacket you have a barcode. Barcodes are a required item now. Stores won't take your book unless you have one. (See Barcode Companies)

37. When money starts to roll in make sure you have a good accounting software or an accounting firm. (See Accounting Software Companies)

38.  Books every Author should read and have in your personal library - This book is the best book for beginners On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King. This book is the best book to help you overcome writing fears The Courage to Write by Ralph Keyes. This book is the best book to help you live the writing life Making A Literary Life by Carolyn See. This book is the best collection of writing essays The Writers Notebook by Assorted Authors. This book is the best book for advanced writers The Art of Subtext: Beyond Plot by Charles Baxter.

I know all of this looks intimidating and overwhelming at first. But don't let it scare you. Just take a deep breath and do one thing at a time. You will not achieve all of this overnight, it takes time and commitment. Remember, baby steps. You want to do it right the first time instead of fast and wrong. You will make mistakes but that is how you learn and grow as a self-marketing and self-promoting guru. When the time comes and I know it will for your second book to market and promote will be a lot easier for you because you will know what to do. Keep a list of everything you are doing and keep organized. This will make things go smoother for you and you will know what you did and how you did it. Not everything will work out for you but don't give up. Getting the word out takes time.

You have to reach deep down inside of you to find your determination button. Keep pressing that button so you don't give up. You will hear a lot of "No's" or get tons of "No replies" but don't let that stop you. It is so easy to give up. Eventually, something you are doing will catch on and all that hard work will be worth it. But please remember, it takes years to become a Best-Selling Author with many books written.

Below is a list of businesses I found worked for my book. All companies and individuals are encouraged to read and understand each service, their policies, and then decide if they are right for you to use.

I hope you find this information helpful in your marketing adventure. I decided not to charge for this information like other people do. The only form of payment I want is for you to purchase my book, Jamie's Pet a children's book, available on Amazon only if you want to. Remember, leave a review where you purchased the book.

Articles Worth Reading

Articles Related to Book Marketing and Promotion Ideas

These articles are worth your time in reading, they are full of valuable information and can help aid in your decision to use the service, solve a problem you may have, avoid getting scammed, purchase the service or product.

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60 Tricks and Tips for Publishing and Marketing Your Book! by Stacy C. Bauer - Great article! Stacy walks you through Before you launch, While publishing, After publishing, and My Instagram bio step-by-step process that she uses. Great addition to your marketing and promotional strategies you are already using.

Best Email Service for Authors by Dave Chesson for Kindlepreneur - This article shows you and describes the difference between four different email services.

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Book Publishing Companies - 30 Book Publishing Companies for Authors without Agents by Dave Chesson for Kindlepreneur - This article gives you publishing companies that accept book proposals directly from authors, how you can get noticed by publishers and agents, and how to spot 'vanity presses'.

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How to Format Picture Books for Kindle and ePub3 by Darcy Pattison for Fiction Notes - This article lets you know the biggest problem: Amazon's download fees, Second problem: Keeping the children's picture book fixed format eBook high quality, next Kindle software and Kindle general rules, finally How to format picture books for Kindle in the fixed format, and lastly you learn you learn How to format picture books for ePub3 in the fixed format eBook Kobo, Apple, Google Play, and all the other distributors.

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Self Publishing vs Publishing House: Look at the Numbers by Hamilton Hill - Article gives you a realistic view about publishing a book. Hamilton goes into a deep view of the financial numbers involved. Every author needs to know this right upfront. Great article.

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