It has become really easy these days for authors to get in touch with their readers via social media and connect with them on a one-to-one basis. As effective as social media, or attending book events, or promotional support via a publisher (if you have one) is, there are also some other small and inexpensive ways to make an impact on your book marketing strategy. Below are five such methods.
1. Give away free books
It is a good marketing strategy to give a few copies of your books away. It helps in creating interest in your books, not just among those who receive them but also those who enter the giveaway. The impact created would be even better if you have some sort of competition related to the book in order to choose your winners, who would then receive a free copy of the book as a prize. Another aspect of this is to give free samples of your book. You can allow your readers to read a couple of chapters on your website before they can go onto purchase the book. This will give you a lot of coverage without putting yourself to too much trouble.
2. Bookmarks for marketing
It does not take much time, money or effort to create eye-catching and attractive bookmarks to be distributed among potential buyers. These bookmarks should ideally contain information about the name of the book, the name of the author, and the genre. You can even mention the plot if you are creative enough to do it in less than ten words. These bookmarks can be distributed among your friends and acquaintances. You can also give them away for free to bookshops and libraries, from where readers can pick them up. This is a very effective strategy because no book lover would ever refuse the offer of a bookmark!
3. Create flyers
Alternatively, you can also create flyers and distribute them in different places. The beauty of a flyer is that you can put in more information than in a bookmark, and you can put it up almost anywhere. Post them on bulletin boards at every place you can think of from the grocery store to the dentist’s room. People might not immediately rush out to buy your book, but they will see it and they will remember it the next time they are in a bookshop or want to order a book online.
4. Book trailers
Far too few authors make use of this innovative method of advertising. Statistics have proven time and again that videos make a very effective marketing strategy, though it has not yet made large inroads in the book market. Keep your video simple and make sure it gives a feel of the book. Leave the information about the author and the book description till the end.
5. Involve your readers
When it comes to marketing, there is nothing like involving your readers during the writing process. Put up excerpts of your work to whet readers’ appetite. You can even have competitions for people to choose something simple that you can incorporate in your story – for example, a name. You can offer to even put the chosen contributor’s name in your credits. This sort of thing will definitely generate a lot of interest as readers love to feel that they have participated in their favorite author’s books!
Image credit: Andrea Vail on flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0
Kavitha is a freelance content writer and French translator, and has been working in this field since 2008. She has degrees in computer applications and international business and has a background in business and international trade. She enjoys learning languages and is currently learning Japanese. Her interests vary from books and writing to travelling and history.