Any of us who write know the challenge of marketing our books.
Not only are there literally millions of books available via sellers like Amazon, but the prices have gone down. Way down.
Now eBooks routinely sell for $1.99 or less.
Go ahead…do the math. How many books would you need to sell to pay the mortgage? Or even just go out to dinner?
And with all those millions of books out there, how will readers find yours?
The Best Book Marketing Solution
Nearly every indie author who enjoys good sales says the same thing.
It’s all about the list.
If you’ve got a good email list, then you’ve got a head start on your marketing.
So how do you go about building said list?
Start With a Blog or Website
Most authors have web presence, either a simple blog or full-blown website.
If you don’t have one, it’s easier than you think to get one up and running. Software like WordPress makes things simple. Here’s a long (but informative and helpful) article on how to get a WordPress site up.
But why bother with a blog or website?
Because this is the place readers can connect with you. And these days, it’s all about the relationship. Making connections with readers is your chance to get and keep their attention.
Build That List
Once your blog is up (and don’t forget to post to it regularly, at least once a week), now you can start building your list.
And now for the question of the day….how do I get people to join my list and stay on it?
To get them to join, offer something for free. You could offer a short story. Or an excerpt from an upcoming book. Or an alternate ending to one of your novels. Or a look ten years into the future showing what happened to your characters.
You get the idea.
Once people are on your list, you need to communicate with then so they remember you.
This is crucial.
Because some day you’ll send out emails announcing your new book. And you want them to open those emails with excitement, ready to buy.
And hopefully, once they’ve read your new release, they’ll leave favorable reviews.
You might be thinking, wouldn’t it be easier to advertise?
Maybe. If you have unlimited funds and can compete with big publishing houses. And even then, if you have no reviews, not too many people will take a chance on an author they’ve never heard of.
You’d need, hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to make any headway with advertising.
Think again. How many books would you need to sell at $1.99 each to pay for $200 of advertising?
The list is probably looking like a better idea.
If you need more list building ideas, take a look at this article. It truly offers some great tips I haven’t seen anywhere else.
What other fresh book marketing ideas have you come across lately?