Most authors dream of making a living on their work - releasing book after book, spending their time in between furiously writing the next book. So, as an author who intends to make a decent profit on their work, it probably seems counterproductive to give the book away for free.
But in order to drive sales, this is a requirement.
Authors, book reviewers are your friend. While promoting your book in author platforms and chatrooms can drive some additional traffic to your social media sites - other authors are not your readers. Now, don't get me wrong - the author community is a small family... and becoming a part of these web-based communities can help you in many ways... other authors are exceptionally helpful and supportive. But, you need to keep in mind - it is a dog eat dog world out there and another author will be so busy promoting their own work, that yours will fall between the cracks in their blog and/or social media posts.
This is where I stress the importance of book reviewers. The community you really want to be in is the book blogging world. These people have full-time jobs, families, and hobbies, yet still take the time to read an influx of books and blog about them. A book blogger who loves your work will share it, post buy links, strike up discussions, recommend it to friends and followers, and will more than likely allow you to use their platform for guest posts, excerpts... The works.
These reviews pop up when people google literature keywords, or even your book title. These reviews appear on sites like Amazon and Goodreads. And these reviews can be the life or death of your book.
Authors, reviewers are your friends. They are your lifeblood, your sales force. Think of them as freelance, door-to-door salesmen (or women) with the ability to reach an infinite number of homes with a single mouse click. You want these people to go to bat for you!
With that being said, you want to reach out... you want to follow all of these book blogs. Comment, share, let the community know your name. And when your book is within a month of release, start reaching out and get those free ecopies in the hands of these book promotion soldiers. Give out as many as you can - get those reviews hitting the net as fast and furiously as you're able and see the traffic it generates for you, your social media, and your book sales.
But in order to drive sales, this is a requirement.
Authors, book reviewers are your friend. While promoting your book in author platforms and chatrooms can drive some additional traffic to your social media sites - other authors are not your readers. Now, don't get me wrong - the author community is a small family... and becoming a part of these web-based communities can help you in many ways... other authors are exceptionally helpful and supportive. But, you need to keep in mind - it is a dog eat dog world out there and another author will be so busy promoting their own work, that yours will fall between the cracks in their blog and/or social media posts.
This is where I stress the importance of book reviewers. The community you really want to be in is the book blogging world. These people have full-time jobs, families, and hobbies, yet still take the time to read an influx of books and blog about them. A book blogger who loves your work will share it, post buy links, strike up discussions, recommend it to friends and followers, and will more than likely allow you to use their platform for guest posts, excerpts... The works.
These reviews pop up when people google literature keywords, or even your book title. These reviews appear on sites like Amazon and Goodreads. And these reviews can be the life or death of your book.
Authors, reviewers are your friends. They are your lifeblood, your sales force. Think of them as freelance, door-to-door salesmen (or women) with the ability to reach an infinite number of homes with a single mouse click. You want these people to go to bat for you!
With that being said, you want to reach out... you want to follow all of these book blogs. Comment, share, let the community know your name. And when your book is within a month of release, start reaching out and get those free ecopies in the hands of these book promotion soldiers. Give out as many as you can - get those reviews hitting the net as fast and furiously as you're able and see the traffic it generates for you, your social media, and your book sales.
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