The vast majority of authors don’t have a large platform (a term that simply means audience, which can be social media followers, email subscribers, podcast listeners, website visitors, etc.), which makes book marketing extra challenging. But the good news is that you don’t need to be an online influencer or star in a reality show to sell books. The following are several proven ways to promote and sell your books with or without a large audience.
Tap into Your Community of Influence
You know more people than you may even realize. From your closest family and friends to past coworkers and schoolmates you knew decades ago, there are plenty of people in your orbit who would love to support you. For example, perhaps you have a friend from college who is now an executive at a company or nonprofit and could buy 100 copies of your books to give away to staff. Or you could reach out to a previous coworker who you’re still connected with on Facebook and ask if he can connect you with speaking opportunities.
Try this: Make a list of the people you know, or have known from long ago, and how you could ask for their support. Consider who you know that could connect you with a podcast interview, a bulk book sales opportunity, a speaking engagement, an introduction to someone influential, or even write a review on Amazon. Who could post on social media, share with their email subscribers, or recommend people who can? People you know will be impressed that you’ve gone through the hard work to author and publish a book and they will want to support you.
Here is an article on how to identify your community of influence, including a case study of an author who used this strategy to develop a national book tour.
Create Alliances with Organizations
There’s a good chance your target readers belong to one or more trade associations, community groups or nonprofits. For example, if you’ve authored a memoir about your journey with heart disease, there are a variety of organizations that support this cause. They hold chapter meetings and national events that need event speakers. They need volunteers to serve in leadership roles. They have blogs, podcasts, and newsletters.
How can you get involved and contribute? Consider these opportunities:
- Host a fundraiser and split the profits from your book sales.
- Find a sponsor to give away copies of your books to new members.
- Give away X copies of your book for a special event.
- Write a column for the monthly newsletter and blog.
- Be a podcast guest.
- Apply to speak at chapter meetings and the national conference.
Tap into Online Groups
There are millions of online community groups on sites like Facebook and LinkedIn covering topics like parenting, addiction, gardening, religion, small business, dog care, divorce support, grief, finance, selling on ebay, raising guinea pigs, and nearly everything in between. If you’re not already a member of the groups that reach your target readers, join those groups and get involved. Answer questions and become a community contributor.
Next, ask the group admin if you can put out a call for beta readers, host a book giveaway, offer a discount promotion, deliver a live mini course or host a Q&A session. Online groups can give you access to large numbers of potential readers. Just be sure to follow community guidelines and when in doubt, ask the administrator for permission. Also consider starting your own group to cultivate a relationship with potential readers and grow your audience.
Become a Professional Speaker
If I had to choose between signing books at a bookstore or speaking at an event with 30 or more people, I would take the speaking engagement every single time. Bookstore signing events are passive. You will spend most of your time sitting alone at a table directing people to the restroom. (I speak from experience here!) Statistically, you will be lucky to sell a handful of books, unless you conduct some event promotion and drive buyers to your table.
But when you are the speaker at an event, you get to engage the audience, entertain them, and teach them something new. When you captivate an audience, they will want to take a piece of that goodness home with them. This means they will be eager to purchase your books and have them signed by you.
There are endless speaking opportunities in your own backyard. From service groups like Rotary and Kiwanis, to chambers of commerce, trade association meetings, schools, businesses, medical offices, retail stores, event centers, Meetup groups, and many more. There are truly endless opportunities for speaking.
For an in-depth guide on breaking into professional speaking, download our free report here: Become a Professional Speaker.
Be a Guest on Podcasts
Podcasts are talk radio-style programs that cover just about any topic you can imagine. There are shows focused on business, personal stories, health and wellness, family, spirituality, politics, history, science, niche industries, and more. Podcasts present an ideal opportunity for nonfiction authors to reach potential readers.
As an author, you are an AUTHORity in your field. This means you have instant credibility in your subject matter, and your knowledge can be valuable to podcast programs. Podcasts that conduct interviews need guests, so offering to deliver an interview and share useful information with listeners is a win for all.
To locate podcast interview opportunities, start by searching iTunes or Spotify to locate shows that reach your ideal target audience. You can search by keyword phrases related to your expertise. Also search for author names in your genre to find out what programs have hosted them as guests.
Next, go to Google and search for the show website. Many shows feature guest submission guidelines, and you can follow their instructions. If you can’t find submission guidelines, look for an email address and send your pitch. You can also locate podcasts through paid directories like PodMatch, Podchaser, and Matchmaker.fm.
Host a Discount Ebook Promotion
While Amazon doesn’t allow you to discount your print books, you are able to adjust the price of your Kindle ebook. You can adjust the price down to $2.99 for a limited time, for example. You could also enroll in the KDP Select program, which allows you to participate in free and low-cost ebook promotions. These promotions can attract readers, generate hundreds of reader downloads, and inspire additional reviews for your book.
There are also book promotion sites including BookBub, FreeBooksy, Fussy Librarian, and others where you can pay a nominal fee to have your ebook promoted to readers who have expressed interest in your genre. Ebooks are offered for free or at a low cost, such as $.99, and these campaigns can generate hundreds of downloads. While you won’t get rich on this strategy, the goal here is to gain readership for your book and build word of mouth. You must apply to participate and these sites are often fiction-centric, but many nonfiction authors report great success with these campaigns.
See this article on how to use discount book promotion sites to reach more readers.
Utilize Amazon Ads
Amazon has a pay-per-click advertising program for authors and publishers to promote books. This means that your book can be featured across Amazon, but you only pay when someone clicks on the ad. Provided your ad targets the right potential readers and your book converts browsers into buyers, you can potentially increase book sales and even earn a profit.
Amazon ads are based on keywords, so you will need to identify keyword phrases to create your ads. These should be phrases that readers would use to locate a book like yours. For example, a phrase such as “memoir about running” or “business guide for retail stores.” In addition, keywords should include names of competing authors and book titles, so that your book is displayed when readers search for these terms.
Ad clicks can cost as little as $.25 and over $1 for highly competitive keywords. You can set a daily budget so that you aren’t spending recklessly. I recommend a minimum budget of $10 per day and letting your ads run for at least two months to give Amazon’s algorithms time to kick into full gear. Keep in mind that as long as you earn back more than you spend, you will come out ahead with ads. Many nonfiction authors are finding success with this strategy.
For more information on Amazon ads, see this real-world case study of a self-published author who has sold over 60k copies of his memoir using nothing but Amazon ads! You can setup your Amazon ads through your Author Central or KDP account.
Remember This: Book Marketing is a Marathon
Book marketing can feel overwhelming. There are countless strategies you can test, yet only a limited number of hours in a day. But the good news is that nonfiction books can have a long shelf life. There is no rule that says you must do ALL your book marketing in the first week, month or year.
If you commit to doing a few marketing tasks each week, those efforts will add up and build momentum. Tackle your book marketing bit by bit and over time you can reap the rewards of all that hard work.
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