What do you do to promote yourself ?

I sit at home and hope my books will sell well. What do you do?

Seriously, I try to write a good book. Repeat.

I do use Facebook to post excerpts and inform folks when I have a new book release. I have a website that I update weekly. I sporadically offer books free. I don't advertise, use my family and friends to hawk my wares, pester folks or push my book in anyone's face.

I write. I read (other writers words). I write some more.

I hide whenever the words "author" and "marketing" are used in the same conversation.

Seriously? I have a vaguely regular facebook page where I'll post a tidbit from the current WIP and release dates. I have my webpage that has tons of freebies on, plus my semi-monthly/yearly-updated blog (way behind in this, I know...)

And that's it.

I'm reasonably happy with my results.

***The best thing I ever did to promote my books was to write more books. Good books. And keep writing/releasing regularly.

Grenouille Bleue said:

So, what do you published authors do to help the sales of your books ?

- Do you go to bookstores ? I've done signings/ readings when convenient, I don't travel far and wide because the returns aren't there. Also, if I'm driving through a city, I'll stop by a couple of bookstores and offer to sign my books that are on e the shelves. The booksellers are usually thrilled.

- Do you use facebook, twitter, tumblr, instagram, pinterest, whatever ? Updates on FB, I have a Twitter acct but I'm buggered if I can figure out how to use it. And a website, of course.

- Do you advertise on forums ? Nope.
- Do you contact bloggers ? Nope. but my publisher has on my behalf, sent them books to review.

- Do you pay for advertising (internet, newspaper, radio...) ? Nope.

- Do you try and enlist your family and friends to speak about it ? Not really, but they do because they are nice.

- Do you use websites like goodreads and such ? I'm on Goodreads but I'm not active really.

Or do you just sit at home and pray your books will sell well ?

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Heck yes.

Honestly, this is the best advice you'll get, in my experience:

The best thing I ever did to promote my books was to write more books. Good books. And keep writing/releasing regularly.

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- Do you go to bookstores ? Yes, medium return before economy collapsed.
- Do you use facebook, twitter, tumblr, instagram, pinterest, whatever ? Not anymore. Experiemented with about half a dozen, return was minimal, yet some swear by SN.
- Do you advertise on forums ? No, tried advertising at the tune of 4K and returned zip.
- Do you contact bloggers ? Did, but return was slight, so I only do one now with 28 other authors.
- Do you try and enlist your family and friends to speak about it ? No
- My biggest return? Top reviews, awards, signings at large events (festivals, wine fests, etc).
- Lowest return: bookstore signings, chats, advertising, trailers posted on video sites, and SN

Grenouille Bleue said:

- Do you try and enlist your family and friends to speak about it ?

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What, like those women at work who are always selling something for their kids' schools? The ones that buttonhole you in the lunchroom and try to guilt you into buying stuff you don't want? And do it again the next week? So people sidle away when they see them?
Don't put your family and friends in this position.
There is no way to 'casually' to bring up your friend/relative's book without it being a sales pitch. Unless, maybe, it's your proud mother.

Grenouille Bleue said:

I know that marketing is usually the publisher's job, but we all know that, whatever they're doing, we never feel it's enough

So, what do you published authors do to help the sales of your books ?

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The stuff that writers do to help their books sell is usually promotion, not marketing. At least, that's how I've usually understood it.

- Do you go to bookstores ?

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Visiting bookshops in the hope of getting your book on their shelves is not very effective, in terms of cost vs. returns. Nor are book signings or readings.

- Do you use facebook, twitter, tumblr, instagram, pinterest, whatever ?

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This can be useful so long as you engage with others, rather than relentlessly promote your work. But it takes time.

- Do you advertise on forums ?

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This is usually more effective for non-fiction than for fiction, but isn't terribly useful even then.

- Do you contact bloggers ?

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To what end?

- Do you pay for advertising (internet, newspaper, radio...) ?

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Adverstising is usually helpful only when advertising books to the book trade, in order to ensure that bookshops order it in to coincide with publication publicity. Advertising direct to readers is much less effective, as it's hard to target the right people; if those who read the ad don't recognise the author or the title, they're very unlikely to decide to buy the book because of that ad; and even if they do, if the book isn't both easily and immediately available to them then they'll buy something else.

- Do you try and enlist your family and friends to speak about it ?

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This is such a tacky way to promote books that my skin creeps just thinking about it.

- Do you use websites like goodreads and such ?

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How?

Or do you just sit at home and pray your books will sell well ?

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There are all sorts of other things which can be done, which you've not listed: the most important thing is to write more good books, and publish them well, as others have already suggested.

Grenouille Bleue said:

I'm sorry if it sounded like a criticism; it wasn't

Well, for my first book I toured the bookstores to try and get myself known from the employees. Most people in bookstores are eager to meet authors, so they were really nice about it.

And it actually helped me a lot when the book was published, since they knew my name and managed to put me in the good spots. I think it wouldn't have been a best-seller if not for them. Hence my question about other means to this end.

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If your publisher doesn't have a good distributor and sales-force behind them, this is going to be a wasted effort. It's not a terribly useful approach for self publishers, or for those with small publishers which don't have distribution deals in place.

Here's a useful link.

Praying doesn't work!

Grenouille Bleue said:

I know that marketing is usually the publisher's job, but we all know that, whatever they're doing, we never feel it's enough

So, what do you published authors do to help the sales of your books ?

- Do you go to bookstores ?
- Do you use facebook, twitter, tumblr, instagram, pinterest, whatever ?
- Do you advertise on forums ?
- Do you contact bloggers ?
- Do you pay for advertising (internet, newspaper, radio...) ?
- Do you try and enlist your family and friends to speak about it ?
- Do you use websites like goodreads and such ?

Or do you just sit at home and pray your books will sell well ?

Click to expand...

The key to effective marketing is to determine who is your target market or most likely reader and then to figure out where they're hanging on the web. So for example, Linkedin works great for nonfiction authors, and Pinterest is really great for any content that is visual or recipe related.

Once you have figured out where your readers are, you need a way to capture their attention. Different writers have identified different ways to do it, you need to find a way that works for you.

I have many clients who tried praying and that didn't work. Just about anything, if you are interacting with the right people, will make a difference if you do it consistently!

Good luck!

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