Do you feel sick to your stomach when you think about posting to social media?
While posting consistently on your chosen social media platforms is an important part of a strong marketing strategy, it’s not the only way to sell books. Here are three alternatives to the classic post-and-pray:
Book signings & live readings
Did you know that book signings don’t have to happen in bookstores? While they’re definitely the most common place for authors to hold readings and book signings, authors have successful book events in cafes, breweries, and even arts and crafts fairs.
When planning a book event outside of a bookstore, make sure you do your research and that the brand of the business you’d like to host you is in line with the brand of your books. If your book is military science fiction, it probably won’t make sense to have a book signing in a pet food store. But if you wrote a picture book about dogs, it might!
PS: Make sure to take plenty of photos and video at your event (or even better, get a friend to do it so you’re in the shot). Events are great for creating FOMO with your social media audience.
Collaborations
If you find another author or creator whose audience is compatible with yours, you have the foundations of a potential collaboration. A collaboration could be as simple as a single post or newsletter celebrating each other’s work, or it could be much more. Here are just a few ideas of ways to collaborate with other writers and creatives:
- Account takeovers (trade social media accounts for a day or more)
- Interview each other either Live or offline and share the results
- Collaborate on a crossover short story featuring characters from both of your books and use it as a lead magnet
- If you live in the same area, organize a small book event together.
Now. No matter what kind of collaboration you decide to do and how well you get along with the other person, always have the details of the collaboration agreement in writing – even if it’s just in the body of an email.
Library Outreach
One often untapped resource for marketing books is reaching out to libraries. If your books are available for libraries to acquire in either print or ebook format, you can contact librarians in charge of acquisitions and invite them to add your books to their collection. (PS: Indies, did you know that you should be charging libraries higher prices than individual readers?)
The most effective way to contact libraries is by personalized email. Pitching your book to librarians is similar to querying an agent: your message should be personalized, engaging, and brief. Make sure you have some comparison titles or authors in mind to showcase what type of library patron your book is perfect for.
How do you find contact information for libraries? Eric Simmons sells massive ebook bundles with thousands of library contacts.
ACTION STEPS:
Assess whether any of these marketing strategies is right for you. If so, schedule time on your calendar this week to start planning. If not, spend at least 15 minutes brainstorming other creative ways you could reach your audience.