Ways I found more of my audience that can help you as well.
I’m going to do you all a favor and tell you exactly how to handle all of your marketing.
No. That’s not true. However, I can give you some tips about marketing that helped me out by selling some books and some products. And remember, this is the long game. You’re not looking for quantity so much as quality. You want people to become fans, not just hang out for freebies.
This article is not about the basics of book marketing.
I am going to assume that you already know about making sure you wrote your book to genre, that it has a cover that works with the genre standard and is professional, you placed great links in your back matter to lead readers to the next book, and that you have a tagline, a blurb, and an elevator pitch that can hook readers immediately.
I am covering methods I have used to help promote my stories that work for me. These are very inexpensive or free.
I only used $50 this year so far in marketing. I’m not using much, because I knew we planned to revise and rewrite portions of the books we had out already. We want to relaunch with the launch of the second book in a large series. However, that was money well spent.
I didn’t just advertise my first book… the main book in our series. I advertised my newsletter.
And to do that, I offered a reader magnet - an actual novel prequel. Most of my advertising and promotions went toward building up my newsletter following. When someone signs up for your newsletter and remains there opening and reading each one, they are YOUR reader. They are who you need to make your brand and your stories successful.
They will enjoy your books and, by word of mouth, let other fans of the genre or tropes know all about it.
To get someone on a newsletter listing, you need a newsletter that you put out at least monthly and an email service that helps you do that and also collects subscribers for you. I use Mailerlite (not sponsored) because it gives me availability for having up to 1000 subscribers for the free plan. Also, the automations and newsletter building are both simple.
I also use a reader magnet / ARC service to my full advantage.
BookFunnel is good, but I use StoryOrigin because it has more functionality. What you can do on these sites is share your books with other people, get involved in newsletter swaps, and get involved in group promotions. Now these sites often have a free plan and if you can deal with that, go for it. I subscribed to StoryOrigin because I could afford it and it offers a lot of perks.
I can set my filters for the books I would like to put in my newsletter - by genre, trope, age, and even by what I do not want. Then, I choose authors and books that are comparable to me and my own books. I hardly find a “perfect fit” but I get as close as possible.
Through the system we decide if we want to swap or, with promos, if they will accept my books. It’s scheduled and StoryOrigin even lets me know how many clicks I scored/how many clicks the swap partner scored.
Swap and run promotions outside of a service. It’s usually free and worth it!
These have been amazing for my audience's growth. You don’t need to pay for a service to get involved in these. You can also look for authors with similar books and ask them if they want to swap promotions. Promote their books on social media and in your newsletter and they can do the same for yours.
This is especially useful if you haven’t got a newsletter service started. Though I encourage you to get a newsletter going, since you can collect your fans on your own server this way and won’t lose them to changes in social media.
There are also authors out there that do paid promotions, but at a very cheap rate. Approaching other authors who can help promote you to new readers is a valuable tool. I got involved with a much more successful author of adult age level urban fantasy and paranormal romance. Turns out, she has a paid program that is only $5 per month. She sends it out to all of her readers and posts it all over social media, also offers a gift card as incentive to readers to sign up to our socials. It’s been a winning situation for me.
Social media platforms are an amazing way to find new audience members and sales, too.
Just talk to the authors that are your comps (comparable) on social media. Most love to give you solid advice. Not to mention, you’re networking and learning about them. The more you do so, the more they recognize you.
When the authors have special promotions, they might choose you since you’ve been active on their social media. If nothing else, their fans (who already read things similar to what you offer) will see you and you may pick up more readers this way. You also could get an online friend and mentor out of it. So be gracious.
Websites and blogs are still a strategy.
Some websites and blogs also have promotional sales that can be affordable and still get your books and stories in front of a new audience. Find blogs and websites dedicated to your genre, tropes, or other things within your story. Find out if they offer advertising on their site.
Example: Our book is urban fantasy, but the paranormal romance could be for all the original characters. Each has a story to tell. But my MAIN CHARACTERS are a gay man and a pansexual dragon shifter who are in an opposite attract / slow burn relationship. Also, I am a bisexual author. So I will promote them on blogs and websites that promote gay romance and LGBTQ subject matters.
There are also fan groups on social media that focus on genres and tropes.
The subjects you cover in your book are all important. You need to make a list of the genres your book fits into and the tropes within. Some of these fan groups can get very detailed in what they like. Find the ones that would like your stories.
Hang out. Talk about comparable books and stories. Ask questions that are relevant. Take some time each week to go through them. Find out when they allow self-promotions. Go for it! You are finding your audience.
You may find some other authors in these groups and also just hanging out in social media land - just like you. If you like them, offer to promote them for free on your social media. Not only do I do this, but I congratulate them when they have a win. I encourage them. Why? Because we all win if we all help one another.
What about Goodreads?
Goodreads is also a great place to find readers. They have reading groups and you just need to look for the ones in your genre. If you are a talented writer, you probably also read a lot of books similar to your own. That’s how you keep your ideas fresh and understand your own market. So this kind of thing should not be a problem.
Enjoy some reads and some conversation. Most of these groups allow self-promotion here and there. Follow their rules and see where you can advertise your work. This is usually free and I’ve gotten quite a few readers from this kind of promotion.
Some final advice…
Don’t think that these promotions are for books only. I also advertise my serial series on several of these sites. So long as you have the picture, a link, and a description, you’re usually welcome to promote your work with them. Just ask.
Through StoryOrigin, I have promoted my Kindle Vella & serials on Ko-fi. I’ve recently helped promote someone on Wattpad and I’ve promoted my own stories from Kindle Vella.
On social media, I advertise the serial stories to groups that are geared toward that and also in the groups that match the genre and tropes. So far, the administrators have not scolded me for it. However, if you’re nervous about it, ask first.
Now, be prepared to try new trends and also to change up your focus as time passes. Nothing online remains the same. Platforms change and you need to be prepared to adapt. If something isn’t getting results, move on. You can always try later or just focus on s different social media.
The best advice I can give you is to always be prepared to adapt and always be honest with yourself about failure. If you fail at something, you’re learning what does not work. Shift gears. Try something else.
I hope this article was helpful for you and maybe opened your eyes to new ways to promote your stories and find your audience without spending a lot of money on advertising.
Try some of these practices and let us know how you’re doing. What works for you?
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