21 simple ways to promote your book

It can be hard to get cut-through with your new book with so many others competing for attention. If you’re stuck for ideas, here are 21 ways to spread the word about your book which are simple yet effective.

1. Be active on social media. Make sure you have public accounts geared around your writing; you can set up a specific Facebook or Instagram account for ‘Jane Smith Writer’ if you’d rather not open up your personal ones. Talk about your latest news, whether it’s that your book has been nominated for an award or had a great review or even just some positive feedback from a reader: keep it current!
   
2. Be smart about social media. Schedule your posts for the best time when people are more likely to see them, and make sure you include photos.

3. Start a Twitter account. This will help build your personal brand, and also let you connect with fellow authors.

4. Join reader groups. Not only will you be able to talk about your writing, but you’ll meet other writers who might give you useful feedback. But always make sure you are aware of any group rules especially about self-promotion.

5. Create a website! Make sure it’s got your past and future books, positive reviews and nice photos. If you blog on your website, that’s another way to help potential readers feel connected to you.

6. Send out a newsletter. A weekly, fortnightly or monthly newsletter is a great way to keep in touch with your readers. There are many free or cheap platforms (Mailchimp or Substack) and you can promote it on your social media and website. Include your news, thoughts and anything else your audience would enjoy.

7. Seek out reviews. Ask your readers to review your book wherever they can: on Amazon, Goodreads, your Facebook page.

8. Get early reviews, before the book is launched. Send pre-publication copies to book reviewers at publications you like or popular book bloggers.

9. Check out the competition. Look at other books within your genre – what are their authors doing? Learning from your competition might help you uncover some form-specific tricks.
   
10. Come up with an elevator pitch. Your book has to compete with thousands of others – what makes it special? Once you’ve got this down, you’ll have much more confidence reaching out to people you hope will help you.

11. Try Pinterest. This is a great site to explore – especially if your target readership are women. Use it as a way to get in touch with existing fans and to engage new readers with visuals of you, your brand and your work.

12. Work with book bloggers. Whether it’s a review, an interview or a guest post, putting your book in front of their blog audience can help spread the word.

13. Market yourself as an expert. Contribute advice and ideas on LinkedIn, and make sure you talk about your book on your own profile.

14. Get into podcasting. Start a podcast about writing, or the subject of your book. If this sounds too daunting, you could also appear on someone else’s podcast to share your tips.

15. Get in front of your audience. Try to set up a reading or appearance at local primary or high schools, trade or professional organisation meetings, or libraries – wherever your target audience is likely to be.

16. Make your book launch accessible. Live-stream the launch of your book so people in other places can tune-in virtually. You can do this easily (and for free) on Facebook Live.

17. Build a relationship with your local bookstore. If you’ve got a new book coming out, suggest they host a launch event or a book signing; it’s a great way to introduce yourself. The people there love books and can be great advocates if they get to know you – they might put your new book in the window or set up a display.

18. Promote your past work with every new book. Advertise the books you’ve already published at the end of each new book you publish. Including the first chapter and leaving your readers with a cliffhanger will encourage them to rush out to buy your previous work.

19. Get on YouTube! Create a catchy book trailer, or film yourself reading part of your book.

20. Build your Kindle Store profile. Create a personal page on Amazon’s Author Central. Many readers will find you because they’re buying ebooks, not a paperback: building up your profile in ebook shops like the Kindle store is a great promotional opportunity.

21. Consider other ebook promotional services. Amazon, for example, enables you to offer free previews or sample chapters, take part in countdown deals and other free promotions. Giving a reader a good deal on the first book of yours they read can be the gateway to them buying multiple books from you.