Self-Promotion for the Self-Published
Books are Your Business
Self-Published Authors Help Themselves
The self-published author may published e-Books, print-on-demand books, white papers and other publications. Getting his work published is only one of many hurdles for the self-published author. Promotional activities stem from the efforts of the author himself due to the nature of the business. Without an Advertising, Publicity or Marketing Department behind him, the self-published author must serve as his own ad agency and publicist along with marketing specialist.
If the author is not persistent and determined, he will give up and his energy will succumb to being worn down by the demands of promoting both himself as an author and his published works. The self-published author will need to plan, schedule, calendar and prioritize everything from bookmarks to bookings and book readings. He will have to help himself break through the threshold.
3S Promotional Strategies
Self-published authors need some form of promotional strategy or marketing plan. In lieu of a full-fledged marketing plan, one with a marketing budget, the author needs to implement some economical promotional strategies. A simple strategy would involve implementing "3S," a three-step promotional strategy for online materials.
- Share Your Publications:Distribute links and samples through social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn. Post an book trailer on video-sharing sites and launch a hosted broadcast on Internet radio sites. Update your status on social networks by sharing that you just completed your latest novel or schedule your book tour for the Southwest region of the United States.
- Send Your Publications: Online promotions are cost-effective ways to get your materials in someone's inbox without wasting a dime on postage. Email the link to your most recent white paper or e-Book. Text people your next book reading and signing in their town. Send a private message to Facebook friends and followers on Twitter about your newest writing project that is due out soon with a sneak peak link to the opening chapter. Make direct contact with people beyond a public blast.
- Show Your Publications: Use your newest book cover as your thumbnail image on writing sites or your photo on your Facebook page for the first weeks after its release. Use an embedded image of the book cover as an image on your blog, hyperlinked to the site where the book can be purchased. Have the thumbnail image or logo affixed to your profile on Twitter and your blog so that visitors and recipients can see the change in imagery along with a post about the new project or publication.
Help for the self-published author comes from within him. These are simply starting points for the self-published author. There are many marketing and promotional strategies around, but this should serve as a foundation for getting a self-published author on his way.
