How to market your book online

[sgroyle]

I think ebooks are only just starting to take off over here - between the delays in getting the Kindle, iBooks, etc and the very annoying phenomenon of ebook regionalisation, it's not been easy to get hold of the books you want in electronic format. Until people in the UK start buying their favourite authors in ebook format as a matter of course, I don't think self-published writers are going to see much interest in their work over here.

P.S. Giving your own book a 5-star rating on Goodreads is an instant turn-off for me (not that I read techno-thrillers in any case).

Some of the UK and more rarely US authors I know are doing pretty good.

P.S. Some of the Goodreads stuff is confusing through the author dashboard, and I agree with you; got it sorted though thanks for the heads up

 

[Varangian]

Wish I had read this earlier, very good advice Brian, thanks for the tips!

 

[chongjasmine]

I have been reading through this entire thread, and I find the information here to be useful.

 

[seaside]

So am I reading correctly that even if you're published, the marketing is still on the author? I've always seen these displays for new books in stores and always thought the publisher was behind that.

 

[Brian G Turner]

I think it's the case that the less known the writer, the more the publisher will want that writer to go out there and get known by their target market.

However, note that I'm always happy to provide what support I can through chrons for our traditional published authors.

 

[Anne Lyle]

So am I reading correctly that even if you're published, the marketing is still on the author? I've always seen these displays for new books in stores and always thought the publisher was behind that.

You're right that that kind of marketing is done solely by the publisher. Distribution, in-store marketing, advertising and reviews in major magazines - any kind of large-scale stuff that's beyond the average author's reach.

What some people call "marketing" is actually promotion/publicity, which nowadays is usually shared between the publisher and author (unless the author is already well known or the publisher thinks they're onto a bestseller). So stuff like convention appearances, book signings, interviews online or in local press might be organised by either the publisher or the author.

So, for example, I'm organising my own launch party at a local bookshop because I have contacts in the trade, but my publisher will also be including me in any signing gigs they have arranged around conventions I'm going to.

 

[seaside]

Interesting. Best of luck there.

 

[Brian G Turner]

I'll bump this thread, as the topic has come up recently again.

I've also slightly edited the original text - I've removed references to SEO, as it's barely applicable any more. I've replaced it with a section on social media instead.

I've not mentioned having your own Wikipedia page as yet, as in other threads it's been mentioned that authors may have difficulty getting these set up.