X, Facebook, Instagram, and the Social Media Promotion Circle #AtoZChallenge

Promoting a book using social media is almost required nowadays. Doing it too often will annoy your followers and cause them to flee. People don't want to just see ads. (Proof is in the people who will pay extra on streaming services to not see commercials.) 

Your fans do want to know you have a new release.

They just don't want to be "hit over the head" with the message constantly.

Getting five followers to share a post about your new release is known to be good for sales. More so if those shared posts get liked and shared. Likes give you evidence that someone saw the post. 

The Social-media Promotion Circle:

First, a possible reader learns your book exists via social media.

Second, that possible reader goes to the buy site and considers your book.

Third, your possible reader acquires your book.

Ideal Fourth, the reader leaves a review and gives stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Astounding Fifth, the reader shares their thoughts about your book on their social media!

🤩 Magical Sixth, followers of that reader learn your book exists. ⭕ Circle repeats.

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Winner for Contest #AtoZChallenge

If you held a contest, mention your winner. Congratulate them on your blog and social media.

https://jlennidorner.blogspot.com/2024/04/find-title-atozchallenge-win.html  I appreciate the comments, but I'm not sure that I found any extra title suggestions I especially want to use. "Dark Bequest," was pretty close though. Thank you, Frewin55. 

Maybe 

Dark Bequest at the Shamlin Ruins

Thoughts?

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Verify Publication #AtozChallenge

Verify Publication

Tale as old as ... well, as old as self-publishing online.

You think you've done everything right. Uploaded your correctly formatted manuscript, correctly sized cover, spell-checked book description, and intriguing author biography. 

But then the publication date rolls around, and your precious book isn't for sale?

First, Amazon uses the Pacific timezone. So it might not be available until a certain time during the hours they use.

Second, something could be wrong. Contacting customer service is known to have mixed results.

Ideally, have a friend buy a copy on release day to verify that it works, that they get the product you intended, and that everything looks as you desire. 

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Update Profiles #AtoZChallenge

This was touched on yesterday. Update your social media profiles and biographies to include your new publication. Books sell better when readers know they exist. 

This may seem like a foolish checklist item. But consider if someone writes a nice review and tries to tag you when they share on social media. How do they know they've found the right author? There are new sites cropping up all the time. Maybe you don't have one listed in your book bio because it didn't exist at the time of publication. This is why it's best to keep sites updated as much as possible.
 

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Tie in Goodreads, Book Bub, etc #AtoZChallenge

Once you have your release date and book description, tie your book to as many online places as possible.

https://allauthor.com/submit-your-book/?r=featuredbook The AllAuthor site has excellent promotional opportunities. 

Add the book to your Goodreads profile, Book Bub, etc.

Put it in your profiles. Think of all the ways someone might search for your book. Your author's name, the book title, and the characters. Find ways to make those searches lead back to you, to a buy link.

If you get your book in a library, put that link somewhere fans can find it (your blog, social media, etc).

http://216.164.218.250:8080/#section=home

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Select Pre-Readers #AtoZChallenge

Select Pre-Readers

Better known as Beta Readers (you being the alpha). Developmental editors may also be needed. There are readers and editors for books that foster diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

Many sellers prohibit buying, paying, or trading for reviews. Genuine reviews written by the release date are especially valuable for initial sales. A zero-star, unreviewed book can be intimidating for many readers (unless they are already fans of the author). 

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Release Date #AtoZChallenge

Release Date

The sooner you know this, the better. 

You need to know you'll be done with your editing, cover, and formatting.

Let as many people as possible know your release date. Put it in your email signature. Create social media posts. 

Some publishing sites will promote your book if you give your release date in time. (Check out BookBub.) This also builds time for pre-orders.

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Quantity #AtoZChallenge #SocialMedia #Author #Writer

Quantity

Consider if the manuscript will be a stand-alone or part of a series.  Should people follow you as an author? If there are plans for more books, yes! 

https://amzn.to/3Q0m6Cb Amazon

You could just post links and say what sites they lead to. Or you can get icons (some free, some paid, depending on your search skills-- I bought the coffee cups years ago, along with a blank to edit).

There are author-specific sites to ask readers to follow you on, but also social media sites.

Remember to interact with your followers. Grow friendships. Put the social in social media!

It's important to keep your latest blog posts linked to your social media.

The above are ones I use. But there are PLENTY more. 

Do you have a favorite site to follow authors?  

 

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Print Copies #books #AtoZChallenge

Sales of print books are on the decline. However, it is still an option for self-publishers. (Mostly with print-on-demand, where the book is only printed if it is ordered. Thus, no waste from unsold copies.)

Because of the cost of printing (paper, ink, binding, shipping, etc), print books tend to cost more. 

Fractions of Existence --Paperback
Proof of Existence --Paperback
Writing Book Reviews As An Author: Inspiration To Make It Easier -- Paperback

The choice to have a print version, or not, is up to the self-published author.

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Orders #AtoZchallenge

Orders 

Orders or ... pre-orders? 

With proper planning, a new book can be set up to get pre-orders. Sales for a book shortly before it is released. Most sellers require the manuscript to be in place first so they can guarantee something will be sent to buyers. There are a few people who suggest a reader who buys a book before it comes out is more likely to forget to read and review it. (Difficult to prove, given the low percentage of readers who bother to write a review. OR counting who spends enough on Amazon to have the privilege of writing reviews there.) 

Do you pre-order books? If so, do you remember to read and review those books?

 

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New book release #AtoZChallenge

New book release -- this goes along with the marketing post from yesterday.

A great way to boost sales is to have a launch party. Depending on your connections, this can be in real life. For most authors who self-publish, it means a book tour on various blogs or social media. Readers who see something about the same book five times in one week are more likely to view the sales site of that book. "It feels like everyone is talking about it." 

Of course, if a writer does a tour stop on a blog that doesn't reach their audience, that's unlikely to help sales. This is why "blog tour" sites that sell packages rarely result in sales that equal the cost of the tour. It's important to cater to the audience if possible. 

Some authors swear an author newsletter is the best way to move New Release books. Others believe giving out ARCs to get reviews before the release is the best way. Contests for free copies are very popular, however, it brings up the question of why a reader would buy a book if they might win it. 

What drives you to buy a newly released book?

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Marketing and Memory #AtoZChallenge

Today's post was just going to be about marketing a self-published book. However, I found out last night that a fellow author, a friend of a friend, passed away. So I am going to include a note about memory.

A dedication could be made to someone who passed away. Or something could be included at the end of the book, along with the "about the author" section. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/391014962198368/

https://amzn.to/3Q3kGXA (J.E.Mueller is a pen name of Reya Pellaguin Mueller) 

Marketing-- See how I included an Amazon link to the author's books? That's marketing (and also the best way to honor an author's memory-- buy their book and write a review!). 

Some people suggest that books are difficult to market. They rarely use the popular forms of ads (commercials, billboards, etc). Some publishers market with ads on social media. A growing number of authors use Instagram (Bookstagram) or TicToc. There are people who highly frown on using any social media platform to sell anything. Reviews by authors are still a popular selling tool, though any less than 25 reviews are considered nearly useless. 

How do YOU like to see books marketed? What gets you to consider buying a book—especially from a self-published author with whom you aren't familiar? 

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