You’ve had a successful book launch, but how do you keep the momentum going? How do you get new readers?
The most important thing is to write a good book. Eye-appeal counts—get a professional book cover designer. Hire a professional editor. If you don’t understand book formatting, get it professionally done. Don’t forget to ask your readers at the end of the book to write a review on the site where they purchased the book.
Word of mouth is one of the best ways to get readers, so make your best effort to give your readers something positive to talk about.
Increase your email list
Then send out informative and meaningful content. Building this list can be difficult. (I know.) Merely having a signup form on your website is not sufficient. As an incentive, some authors use a landing or “funnel” page on which they offer a “gift” in exchange for that prized address. Use a video to make a personal and compelling appeal for the viewer to sign up.
Make your newsletters interesting and informative
Link to your podcasts, videos, infographics. Talk about your book development, characters, and plots. Ask your readers their opinion using surveys. Offer them the opportunity to pre-order the book on Kindle for a chance to win a prize or get a special gift.
Write on other blogs more than you write on your own
Posting on established blog sites exposes you to readers already interested in the topic. Always link your post to your signup form or page.
Join Forums and contribute often
Offer helpful advice and comments. Add your Website URL to your signature or forum profile.
Tweet
Create helpful and informative tweets, not just marketing propaganda. Add your Website link to your profile.
Create an author’s Webpage and one for each of your books
On the other’s site, include a blog, a link to your books, your media kit, list of events, and contact information, including your Twitter handle and links to your Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, and other social media accounts.
Price the book according to the genre
Check out how other authors in your genre are pricing their books. Then check out their ranking to determine if their books are selling. Comparing your book to your competition helps you price your book fairly.
If you have a large fan base, price your book according to your other books. Consider selling one of your previously published books at a reduce rate or as a giveaway. Once a reader samples your work, they may decide to purchase others.
Correctly categorize your book and choose the best keywords
This is especially important if you’re a new or relatively unheard of writer. Choosing the best category not only can help readers find you in searches but help with the ranking.
After a period of time, analyze the keywords to see if they are helping readers find your books. Change them if necessary.
Give your book to influencers
Ask people who are influential in the field or who are reviewers of your genre (check out Amazon’s Top Customer Reviewers) if they would be interested in reading the book. Chances are, if they like the book, they will talk about it. They may even write a review. The more high-value reviews, the better the chances that a reader will buy your book.
Help the press: create media kits for yourself and each of your books
Make it easy for magazines, newspapers, blog owners, libraries, and others to find out information about you and your book. In your media kits, include:
About you
- Bio and information about you
- Contact Information
- Speaker introductions
- Small, medium, and large headshot photos for the Web (72 dpi)
- Small, medium, and large headshot photos for print (300 dpi)
About your books
- Small, medium, and large cover photos for Web (72 dpi)
- Small, medium, and large cover photos for print (300 dpi)
- Book synopsis
- Book logo, if you have one
- Sample chapter
- Interview questions
- Tip sheet (6 or 7 tips about your topic that magazine editors can use in sidebars)
- Book “one” or “sell” sheet. One sheet that details all the information about the book. (See reference below.)
Resources
- 7 Easy Ways to Build Your Email List on Social Media
- 7 More Ways to Build Your Email List on Social Media
- 41 Tips that Put Over 10,000 People on My Email Subscriber List
- How to Write a Tip Sheet
- How to Make a Sell Sheet
- Creating a Book’s Sell Sheet
- The art of pricing your book: Strategies for self-published authors
- Kindle Pre-order
- Make Your Book More Discoverable with Keywords
- How To Get Amazon’s Top Customer Reviewers To Review Your Book
Have you figured out how to get new readers? Please comment.
