Contact us and discover how we make indie authors newsworthy. For example if you wrote a book on dieting or healthy eating, tie it into such ideas as healthy holiday eating tips or eating healthy for the summer. This is slowly changing, but it is an issue now for most self published authors. Many selfpublished authors have no interest in sales, advertising, or business in general, as they tend to be altruistically artistic. A mong the dozens of awards for selfpublished books, there arent many that are worth winning.
Selfpublished books are treated differently by kirkus than traditionally published books. There is a wealth of knowledge available online, shared by authors who have developed proven techniques for selling more books. Life in the mom zone, my first book, a great push just when it was needed. The majority of selfpublished book awards dont confer any benefit to the author, other than a seal that winners often must pay for. How to create a book marketing and publicity campaign. Sansevieri, founder and ceo author marketing experts, inc. Marketing strategies have grown tremendously over the last decade as millions of print on. Here is a note from an author who approached me for pr work a few months after her book published. Creating a book marketing and publicity plan is necessary for all authors, whether your publisher is a traditional house or youre trying to selfpublish. As a publicist, i get a lot of calls from folks who are interested in getting publicity for their selfpublished book. First, research to get the best publicity for your book. One of the best things an author can do to market their book and generate publicity for it, particularly if it is selfpublished, is to tie the book into something in the news. These days, even traditional publishers are asking their authors to help out with marketing and social media. How to get selfpublished books into stores and libraries.
Dec 09, 2019 book publicity book publicity for authors. With the information and links contained in the scoreit. As much as selfpublished authors dream about being discovered, its your responsibility to tell as many people about your book as possibleeven before its published. That said, we live in an age in which anyone can publish a book using readily available. Book discovery is the biggest challenge in the world of book publishing and scoreit. Selfpublishing is the publication of media by its author without the involvement of an established publisher. Many authors self publish these days, and the book distribution system is set up primarily for people who are published by recognized publishing.
If you are just starting your selfpublishing journey you. Then do your very best to implement the basics of book promotion that i have outlined above. From many years agowhen we became the very first book marketing company to secure a fullpage feature story about a selfpublished novel in the new york times, to the everevolving book publicity strategies we continually develop for selfpublished authorswe have earned. Sep 26, 2015 book awards have made great strides in broadening eligibility rules to allow authors to submit self published books. Smith publicity has promoted more selfpublished books than any book publicity agency. Selfpublishing is a ton of work getting the manuscript written. Jun 12, 2014 theres a big difference between selfpublishing a book with the hope of selling a few copies and taking the decisiveand potentially priceystep of hiring a professional publicity firm. Book marketing services book marketing company authoramp, uk. Jun 25, 2019 books published by traditional publishers are considered for coverage by the media, awards organizations, and bookstores, many of which wont even consider self published books. Whether published or self published, fiction or nonfiction, we can promote any book and any genre. Oct 24, 2019 communities are a great resource for pr for self published authors. Gisela hausmann used a writeup about her selfpublished emailetiquette book, naked words 2. Selfpublished authors have the power to ensure their book gets the recognition it deserves, but the public relations process takes skill, time and energy. Marketing selfpublished books explained in 9 basic steps.
Then do your very best to implement the basics of book. Boost your books success and sell more copies of your book by following 20 marketing tips and tactics for selfpublishing authors. If you are just starting your selfpublishing journey you might as well get our 2018s best selfpublishing resources article. We see hundreds of indie and selfpublished books every month here. May 05, 2020 book discovery is the biggest challenge in the world of book publishing and scoreit. You can get your book displayed by the register independent stores can do this or in the local author area of bigger chain stores. The existence of amazon and other outlets had made it easier than ever to self publish books, from fullsized novels to howto guides.
The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook. If you promote your book too aggressively, potential. The big difference between a publishers publicity efforts and a selfpublishers publicity efforts. So make sure you have a fantastic book first and foremost. Quality selfpublished book marketing and publicity can be hard to come by. Dunlop explained why traditional publishers focus so much on doing publicity around a books launch date, within a threemonth or sixmonth window. Publicity from the trenches is also for authors who have published a book and are wondering why it has not started selling.
Books published by traditional publishers are considered for coverage by the media, awards organizations, and bookstores, many of which wont even consider selfpublished books. Additional interest has resulted in more sales and notoriety, and the attention to detail and personal contact was a great help to me as a new author. Jul 31, 2018 as much as selfpublished authors dream about being discovered, its your responsibility to tell as many people about your book as possibleeven before its published. The most common selfpublishing mistakes to avoid jane. Public relations tips for selfpublished authors book publicity. The art of publicity for the selfpublishing author reedsy blog. From childrens books, to ya and na, to crime, suspense, horror fiction to cooking, health, personal. It appears on the back cover of print books and on online sales pages. A book blurb is a short promotional piece of about 100150 words.
Thanks to the kindle boards, we discovered 15 places where selfpublished authors can promote their work for free. While writing tends to be a solitary endeavor, marketing is the process of. Fiction and nonfiction writers alike can create, print, and sell their books through all major retail channels. May 01, 2017 selfpublished authors and book publicity services go handinhand. Check out this list of fundamentals for selfpublishers. There are also a number of ways new authors can access professional services without breaking the bank. There are specialist public relations people who help authors promote themselves. Whether its non fiction book marketing, self published book marketing, ebook marketing or one of a wide array of author marketing services, smith publicity is indeed an elite publicity firm, but also one that. Theres a big difference between selfpublishing a book with the hope of selling a few copies and taking the decisiveand potentially priceystep of hiring a professional publicity firm. If you promote your book too aggressively, potential readers may recoil from what they see as spam. Of course, both are intertwined, since certain publicists will be better at selling certain kinds of stories than others.
As a self published author herself, natalie understands the complexities of building a brand around self published books. Book publicity makes a big difference for selfpublished authors since typically its reserved for traditionally published books. Creating an effective and timely book publicity plan. From firsttime, self published authors to new york times bestsellers, smith publicity promotes every genre, and has secured media coverage for authors and books with every top media outlet in the u. Communities are a great resource for pr for self published authors. Promoting a selfpublished book is hard work and there are no shortcuts. With that said, lets look at ways of promoting your book and getting people to find you as an author, and your books, of course. Dec 31, 2018 creating a book marketing and publicity plan is necessary for all authors, whether your publisher is a traditional house or youre trying to self publish. She is an adjunct professor teaching self publishing for nyu.
Marketing strategies have grown tremendously over the last decade as millions of print on demand books have come on to the market. Five simple ways to promote your selfpublished book. Book awards open to selfpublished books fundsforwriters. Dunlop explained why traditional publishers focus so much on doing publicity around a books launch date. From childrens books, to ya and na, to crime, suspense, horror fiction to cooking, health, personal development, photography, travel and many more. If you approach media appropriately, you arent some annoying selfpublished authoryoure gold. Weve collected more information about the sites in a simple directory below. From many years agowhen we became the very first book marketing company to secure. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook or as a physical copy using pod print on demand technology. Moreover, smith publicity is widely credited with pushing the credibility of selfpublished book authors to new levels.
Easily publish textbooks, course materials, and research. That being said, getting into a bookstore is not always the fastest key to success. How to save money and do online book publicity yourself jane. Most of them, if not all, vie for attention from the same media. Sherri rosen explains that authors need publicists. Book awards have made great strides in broadening eligibility rules to allow authors to submit selfpublished books. Every week, over twentythousand books are published in the english language. The majority of selfpublished book awards dont confer any benefit to the author, other than a. The average print selfpublished book sells about 100150 copies or twothirds to threequarters of your friends and family combined and dont count on all your facebook acquaintances buying. Self published author book publicity isnt about sales. Jan 17, 2019 dan smith is ceo and founder of smith publicity, the most prolific book marketing agency in the publishing industry, with over 3,000 books promoted since 1997.
To put things into context first, here is one clear way of thinking about how to promote a selfpublished book. What it takes to get great publicity for your selfpublished book. And many of these contests are run by media groups that use them as a way to drum up business. After all, if an author has a good publicist then the writer can engage in what they love to do, which is write. Authors who set up some personal market tactics to execute, whether standalone efforts or those in tandem with their publisher, sell more copies. Know a self published book when you hold one the question how to identify a self published book came across my desk today, so i decided this one is important to answer. Promoting a self published book is hard work and there are no shortcuts. When i first began collecting information about awards for published books, many of them only accepted submissions and nominations from publishers themselves. Whether published or selfpublished, fiction or nonfiction, we can promote any book and any genre.
One of the best things an author can do to market their book and generate publicity for it, particularly if it is self published, is to tie the book into something in the news. Top 10 selfpublished book awards for independent authors. Selfpublished authors and book publicity services go handinhand. Book publicity makes a big difference for self published authors since typically its reserved for traditionally published books.
Most importantly, have a fantastic cover, a killer book description, and get your categories and keywords. If youre a selfpublished author who is trying to promote your book and get it into bookstores, why not try getting it into a library first. The impact of a publicity campaign on your book will depend on two major factors. Selfpublished authors can benefit from the services of a good book publicist, who can help them reach target audiences and introduce them to. The average print self published book sells about 100150 copies or twothirds to threequarters of your friends and family combined and dont count on all your facebook acquaintances buying. Book promotion is designed to get people to find your book, and not, to find people to get your. Self published book marketing for authors smith publicity.
When i first began collecting information about awards for published. There is a wealth of knowledge available online, shared by authors who have developed proven. Self publishing is the publication of media by its author without the involvement of an established publisher. The best self published book awards programs have the power to change that and bring authors and their works out of obscurity and into the spotlight. Additional interest has resulted in more sales and notoriety, and the attention. As a selfpublished author, where do you start with your pr and publicity for your new book. Libraries are great marketing tools they enable people to read your book and tell other people about it, making it more wellknown and easier to eventually sell to bookstores. Book promotion is designed to get people to find your book, and not, to find people to get your book. Selfpublished authors are still at a disadvantage in the book industry. Marketing your book for selfpublishers and indie authors. I totally understand the reasons to selfpublish, but its important to be aware of the implications of that decision on your publicity prospects. How to create an effective book publicity plan reedsy blog.
Whether its non fiction book marketing, self published book marketing, ebook marketing or one of a wide array of author marketing services, smith publicity is indeed an elite publicity firm, but also one that will help an author of a quality book, regardless of how it was published, reach their goals. Learning how to selfpublish a book and getting your ideas into the world is easier than its ever been. Jan 14, 2017 a mong the dozens of awards for selfpublished books, there arent many that are worth winning. Dec 05, 2019 if youre a self published author who is trying to promote your book and get it into bookstores, why not try getting it into a library first.
Her advice has been expertly compiled in her newly released book. Sell your work on or buy the books you need immediately. Book publicity services international author promotion. Sep 12, 2019 boost your books success and sell more copies of your book by following 20 marketing tips and tactics for selfpublishing authors. Jan 18, 2018 learn about the 10 top legitimate book awards open to self published authors.
Dan smith is ceo and founder of smith publicity, the most prolific book marketing agency in the publishing industry, with over 3,000 books promoted since 1997. Even though readers have discovered how awesome many selfpublished books are, the book. Your local newspapers love local stories and might publish a feature article about you and your book. Top book publicity services from a leading book publicity firm.
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