Your book besides writing and publishing also needs to be marketed. If your question is why does my book need marketing, isn’t it enough that it’s got published? Marketing a book lets the readers know that:
- a book on a given topic has been written and
- is available in the market and where?
- what its contents are.
Here are some FAQ on marketing a book that will take care of your doubts. If you would like answers to some questions post them in the comments column and we will try to answer them for you.
Question 1: What are the effective ways to promote your book in India?
- Establish an online presence for your book and yourself as an author.
- Choose your channels through which to market your books eg Social media, print, press release etc.
- Create a fan base on those channels eg: creating a fan base on Instagram.
- Start showcasing your book on Facebook using a various methods.
- Start a conversation with your audience
- Initiate a flow of content for your audience to engage with
- Keep at it, persistence pays.
Question 2: How can I promote my books with no money?
Use social media channels such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc. to create an audience base. These are free spaces to market your work that won’t cost you a penny. But you need to follow some tricks and rules to make the best use of these free platforms.
Question 3: How do I promote my book on Quora?
- Put the link to your book in your profile description.
- Answer genre-specific questions and put the link of your book there.
Question 4: Do I need an author website?
Website is essential because this is the first place your readers will turn to gather information about you and your books. The website should be clean and easy to navigate. If that is not possible use your social media pages to promote your book and build an author brand.
Question 5: How can I get people to review my book?
To start you can ask your friends/family/colleagues and asking them to give you a genuine review. However, professional book reviewers are preferred over personal contacts. You can join writers clubs, where the members can review your book for you.
Question 6: Why do books need publicity?
Books need publicity because this is the best way for people to find your book. With good marketing, you can target your readership and create word about your release.
Question 7: How should a self-published writer market their debut book without a proper website?
Use social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, to market your book. You can upload excerpts and thought-provoking quotes from your book from time to time in order to keep the audience engaged. Instagram IGTV and Facebook live videos are trending these days. They are an effective tool where you can talk about your book.
Question 8: Isn’t it my publishers’ responsibility to promote my book? Why should I be involved?
An author must treat his book as his baby. For the simple reason because not only does he know his book the best but also the publisher has hundreds of other books which he has to look at as well. Realistically speaking he can only give some attention to your book. Whether you have self-published or traditionally published the onus of promoting your book will be on the author. The sooner he accepts this fact the quicker he/she will be on their way to success.