At BookBuzzr, one of the questions that authors often ask is, \u201cWhat is the best way to market my book?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
This article distills our learning across 15,000 books on Freado – our site for book reviewers<\/a> and hours of Internet research on discussion forums like this excellent thread on book promotion by the folks at Absolute Write<\/a>.<\/p>\n Before you move on, there are a few things that you should keep in mind:<\/p>\n 1. Make sure that your book is of the highest quality<\/i>: Is it different from other books in the genre and likely to spark conversations among readers? Is it professionally edited? What about the formatting? Is it comparable to the best books being produced by the big name publishers? Have you tested the title of your book? Does the cover grab the reader from a mile away?<\/p>\n 2. Understand that there is an element of chance in this business<\/i>: By its very nature, publishing is a winner-take-all business. And for every Amanda Hocking or Hugh Howey, there are thousands of authors with equal ability toiling away at night while holding a day job. You can influence the outcome but you cannot be sure. It takes time, patience and enormous resources \u2026 and it may still not work. So cultivate your inner stoic.<\/i><\/p>\n 3. Understand that crossing some lines can come back to bite you bad <\/i>: The temptation to purchase reviews or to bash a competing author\u2019s book has trapped many authors including some big name ones. In general, don\u2019t pay for reviews or indulge in sock puppetry<\/a>. Don\u2019t wrestle with people who post negative reviews of your book. Err on the side of caution and ask if you are using somebody else\u2019s intellectual property. The Alliance of Independent Authors has a useful checklist and pledge badges<\/a> that you can put up on your blog or site.<\/i><\/p>\n Now let\u2019s look at the three best ways to promote your magnum opus:<\/p>\n 1. Engage in Conversations<\/b><\/p>\n Engage in conversations that are not necessarily about your book. Show yourself to be smart and insightful. Be helpful. Give without any ulterior motives. And don\u2019t be a pushy, aggressive salesperson<\/a>.<\/p>\n Readers are deluged with books. And they have a hard time separating the signal from the noise. Too often they are plagued by authors of bad books aggressively pushing their books on them. So if they hear a \u201cbuy my book\u201d<\/i> pitch from you, they will automatically assume that your book must be bad.<\/p>\n You need a way to catch the interest of potential readers without really talking about your book. How do you interest your readers without talking about your book? Simple. Be interesting.<\/i><\/p>\n For example, a few years ago, author Jim Hines created a series of photos with him dressed up like the women on fantasy book covers. Take a look at the photoalbum on Flickr <\/a>or see the embed below to get a taste of Jim\u2019s hilarity.<\/p>\n