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How to Promote Your First Book
If you want to find out how to promote your first book, take a look at the ideas below.
Whether you've finished the new fantasy epic or are just put the finishing words on your first detective novel, it's never too early to start thinking about promoting your work. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that the hard part is over when the words are on the page;
being a published author involves quite a lot more work than just sending your work off to the publisher.
When you self-publish with Vaughan Instant Publishing, you can rest assured that if you can come up with a promotion idea, we will be very supportive. With twenty years of public relations experience, we can help you with things like promotional websites and press releases. Let us know what your needs are and we can direct you to some awesome resources.
Check out some of the techniques below to get some ideas about how to promote your first book.
How to Promote Your First Book: Your website.
Don't hire someone to create your website. You can do it yourself just like we created our own website. This is one of the best ways to learn how to promote your first book - and any additional books. Branding yourself and your books is critical in making a name for yourself. You have to become a recognizable name in the industry to really succeed. One of the best ways to do so is to create a website that tells the world who you are and what you have to offer (your books). We can help. Just contact us for more information. It's a WHOLE LOT cheaper than you think (less than $1.00 per day).
Promote Your Book With a Website
How to Promote Your First Book: Plan a book tour!
Did you think that book tours were only for big name authors like Stephen King and Anne Rice? Much to the contrary, bookstores love to have author signings. It makes a lot of publicity for both parties involved and if you can make the time, you can meet a lot of interesting people and drum up a lot of interest in your work. When you get published, start calling around to the bookstores in towns where you know you can find crash space. It might not be the most glamorous book tour in the world, but you can hit quite a few places in a short amount of time. Remember to be polite to the event coordinator and send a thank-you note to the store after you've done a signing there.
How to Plan a Book Tour
How to Promote Your First Book: Press releases.
A press release is essentially a public relations announcement that you can give out to the media to let them know about the development of your work. This sounds more intimidating than it is. A press release has a simple format to follow, and we have a special page to help you write your own. It can certainly bring some interest your way. Even if you don't get your press release read on CNN, you'll probably be surprised by the attention you get just from having your press release addressed on the local radio or on PRWeb, one of the internet's most visible press release services.
Find more information here:
What is a press release?
How to write a press release for your book
Layout of a press release
How to Promote Your First Book: Printed material
Don't be afraid to make up clever little extras in promoting your book. One common way to promote yourself and your new novel is to print up a bookmark that you can distribute. For very little money, you can generate a lot of interest with this technique. Similarly, don't be afraid to try something different. For instance, if you are publishing a book of poems, think about printing out 4" by 6" versions of one or more of your poems and leave them around town. They can be a small spot of pleasure in someone's day as well as directing people to your website or book signing.
How to Promote Your First Book: Presentations.
Did your experience with writing leave you able to reel off long lists of facts about Mayan royalty? Or maybe after you wrote your novel, you are completely conversant on the manners of the aristocratic eighteenth century French. Perhaps you are well versed in alternative medicine. If you have any sort of special knowledge, you will probably be able to give a presentation on it. There are lots of venues for you to give talks, and now you have the cachet of being able to say that you published a novel on the topic. Contact academic departments and museums to see if they can host you, and if you are involved in fantasy or science fiction conventions, you'll be more than welcome to present nearly any topic you choose.
Promote Your Book With Presentations
How to Promote Your First Book: Meet your readers.
This means more than just figuring out what your readers want, though that's important too. With something like a blog or a mailing list, you can reach out and develop a more personal relationship with the public. Thanks to search engines and links, you can get a lot more traffic than you think. People are innately curious, so let them have a peek into your creative process. In this way, you can keep your current readers updated on what you're doing, and draw more people to your work. You can look into services like Livejournal, Blogger and MySpace, just for a start. For more ideas, find out what your own favorite authors are doing online; many authors these days have an online presence of some sort.
Remember, just because the book is in print doesn't mean the work is over. Self-promotion can get you a long way in terms of getting your first novel noticed and ensuring that there will be second one. Vaughan Instant Publishing will be supportive in helping you determine how to promote your first book.
If you are finished reading about How to Promote Your First Book, you may be interested in reading about On Demand Printing
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