Books sales might prove to be slow. We know it is largely up to us to promote our work. True, if you have taken the route of publishing via a small Indie publisher, some promotion will be done for you. However, that will not be enough to propel your creation out there for everybody to see. Therefore, you are starting to search for other options. The problem might be, there are not enough funds available for a large advertisement campaign.
Believe me when I say, there really is no need to spent a vast amount of money on one single promotion. I have done this about four times now, without the desired effect. Maybe, we should follow the good old English saying, ´Every mickle makes a mackle´´, or something very similar. Let´s say we could spare 50 Dollars a month and for a while, we are able to stick to it. Now we have set our budget and have to master the art of spending it wisely. Finding a way what works best for the book we plan to promote.
Book promotions sites are excellent options, but we have to remember that the same book, using the same site, can only be listed every few months or so. And that some promotion might take your total budget for just one listing without achieving many sales. What we need is a good cross section.
I have tried a few with mixed result. Some I will not use again, and some I will keep on trying. I had good results for example with:
Bargin Booksy : However, this will eat your total budget in just one listing.
The Fussy Librarian : I do like this one, and it works for me. Another good thing about this site is you can set yourself a reminder. They will contact you every 30 days, or a period of your choice. You can then select from a list of dates available, a date which suits you. And best of all, you most likely will receive a discount on your next listing.
There are many others of course, maybe we could share on a blog post some sites we have come across, which have been used with good results.
Amazon/kdp, runs an Ad Campaign, where we can either promote via Sponsored Products and/or Product Display Ads. You set your time, budget and cost per click. I have used both, and it is working extremely well for me. Plus, you can follow spending and sales on the chart.
Unlike the ´Click´ campaign on Goodreads, which, in my opinion, is not good value for the money and hardly ever achieves any sales. Unless, of course, you have found otherwise. Please share your experience.
Attending book fairs, gift or even craft fairs are excellent opportunities for promotion. Most of these fairs charge between US $10 – 20 per table. Plus, there is the cost of your transport. If you can, invest in Bookmarks (very popular in the UK) and pens. Pens can be costly, so take your time and check as many suppliers as possible. If you do attend such a fair, a banner is a good suggestion. This will be a one off cost. I created mine a couple of months ago and take it along on lectures and fairs.
Don’t forget, bloggers and reviewers are an excellent way to promote yourself at no cost at all.
We love to hear from you, your thoughts, tips and suggestions!
By Elisabeth Marrion
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