How to use Social Media as Your Self-Publishing Marketing Strategy

Whether you have finished your book or not, the time is now to start engaging online. Newsletters, websites, social media sites, email, and hub pages are the best most cost-effective ways to begin your self-publishing efforts.

• You’re a first-time author looking to publish, market, and distribute your
  book, but you can’t get the attention of a major publisher.
• You’re a business professional or expert in your field and want to use a
  published book as a marketing tool to enhance your professional credibility
  and reputation.
• You’re an established author who wants 100-percent creative control
  over your next book project, and you want to make more money per
  copy sold than you would working with a major publisher.
• You want to put information in book form, such as your autobiography or
  family genealogy, and distribute it to a small group of friends and family.
• You represent a company that needs to develop book-length publications
  or manuals in-house.You work with a group or association and need to create a fundraising item, such as a cookbook or yearbook, that’s sold to raise money and/or
  is distributed to members.
• You own the rights to republish a currently out-of-print book that you
  believe still has a viable market.

• Having the ability to publish any type of content.
• Maintaining total control over your entire project, including all creative control over the manuscript, cover design, and marketing of your book.
• Saving time because the time it takes to self-publish a book can be significantly faster than working with a major publishing house.
• Earning significantly highly royalties per copy of your book sold.
• Keeping money in your pocket because you don’t have to hire a literaryagent to help you market your book

1. You have the ability to carefully target your marketing efforts and focus exclusively on reaching your book’s intended audience.
2. The various online marketing tools available are inexpensive, easy to utilize,and require a very short lead time (unlike paid advertising or other types of marketing). For example, when you send out an e-mail messageto dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of targeted recipients, it’s received within seconds.
3. You’re able to distribute your book’s marketing message using text,graphics, photographs, animation, sound effects, spoken audio, and even video when you use a Web site, free downloads, e-mail, a blog, and/or a Podcast as a marketing tool.
4. Your message can be changed instantly. It’s possible to make edits to a Web site and publish it in minutes

1. Facebook. All one has to do is look at the numbers and how many people Facebook reaches to realize this is an excellent source to use in self-publishing. Start your Facebook Page and begin reaching out by engaging and building your fan pages.
2. Twitter. This micro-blog is another excellent source to connect with people and promote your book. You have to be active in these online communities in order for these tools to be successful for you.
3. Goodreads. Build your author profile on this site, start engaging, and build your fan base. One author used Goodreads to promote appearances.
4. Shelfari. Allows your author profile, share book recommendations, and ratings.

Hub pages would be another excellent source for self-publishing your book. Write hubs displaying some of your other work. You could write hubs on writing. You could also write about what has worked for you so far and what has not to help other first time publishing authors. The possibilities are endless. Become active, give hub love, receive hub love, and build your following.

I have met some really wonderful people via hub pages. Do you have any ideas or suggestions?