You’ve worked hard for a while writing your book and then you worked hard and self-published your book. Wow! Well done! That’s a lot of work. So…now what do you do?
In an ideal world you, the author, would have worked out your marketing plan before you wrote and self-published your book.
But from what I see and hear from the authors I know and work with…it doesn’t happen that way.
The drive to write and publish becomes a hyper-focal point and no “you should plan your marketing!” bird chirping in the background will make any difference.
And if the entire goal is to get the book done and self-published then this is an awesome accomplishment.
However, if selling the book is the goal then there are a few more steps to take. Well, maybe a lot more.
…Or maybe you’re thinking about writing a book, but you haven’t yet
If you want to write a book but don’t know what to do next then this is the right workshop for you.
First, I’ll guide you through the four steps you need to take BEFORE you start writing. Then I’ll help you determine why you’re writing a book, decide on your theme and genre and schedule writing time.
I have a free mini-worksheet available in my resource library. Just pop your email address into the form below and I’ll email you the password. Once you’re in the library, navigate to the writing section and look for “You’ve Decided to Write a Book Worksheet.”
Once you’ve self-published your book the next step is to market it to your ideal readers
In essence this is simple—put your book in front of the people who will love it.
Except finding those people is not always easy.
You have to dissect your book and figure out what type of reader would be interested in your writing style and subject matter.
And then you need to find them…
- What stores do they shop in?
- Where do they hang out?
- What is their favourite social media platform?
- What are their biggest fears?
- Another thing, what do they care most about?
- And what type of marketing will they best respond to?
There are a lot of ways you can find your ideal reader (or book buyer, however you want to see it) so it’s important not just to parrot what you see others doing online but to find something that works for you and feels natural.
If you are stuck for ideas here are a few you can consider to help market your self-published book.
- If you’re looking to find new readers make the e-version of your book free and find a way to add them to your email list. This way you can nurture them and (hopefully) sell them your next book
- Need sales fast? Run ads on platforms where your ideal readers are—consider Facebook, Amazon, BookBub, KDP Countdown, etc.
If you want to dive deeper into ads here’s a helpful post from David Gaughran - Set up local readings or offer to speak free at local events in order to promote your book
- Go on an online book tour
Other posts authors will like
- Self-Publishing Versus Traditional Publishing, Which is Best?
- Platform Building: Smart and Strategic Tips for Writers
- Podcasts for Writers
- What is an Author Platform?
One more thing. You may be interested in my free resource library. This is where I keep my files, downloads, ebooks, worksheets and whatever else I manage to create. I love sharing what I learn and want to keep adding to this library so it becomes a wealth of helpful goodness.
This is a free resource but I do require a password to access the library itself. You can get access by popping your email address into the form below.
