Posted on: May 18, 2017 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

You’ve written your first novel, and now you’re wondering how to find readers. You probably know that the days of simply listing your book on Amazon and making easy sales are long gone. So, what should you do to give your book the best chance of success?

Create Your Author Platform

Your author platform is your base on the web. It’s a site you have complete control over, and it’s the perfect place to build your email list.

Don’t panic. Creating a website is easy these days, and with WordPress, it only takes a few minutes to make a stunning site.

As a new author, you can’t make the site all about you though, because no one cares yet. So, you’ll need to grab people’s attention and give them a reason to stick around. The simplest way to do this is to become a curator for your genre. Instead of blogging about your book, you blog about other amazing books that your readers will love and which relate to your own.

Review books from other self-published authors, then reach out to them on social media and link to your review. Chances are they’ll share the review with their readers, which gives you targeted traffic to your site and potential email sign-ups. Rinse and repeat!

Build a Fan Base on Wattpad

Wattpad is known as the YouTube for writers, and it has a highly engaged audience of readers. If your novels or short stories are good, you can easily build a fan base and get feedback about your work. Most importantly, though, your fans will be eager for more, so once they’ve finished your first book, they’re likely to head over to Amazon and pick up your next novel.

Getting started on Wattpad is easy. Firstly, create your account, then fill out your profile and upload your first chapter. You’ll need a cover for your book, but there’s no need to hire a cover designer because you can make your own eye-catching design with Wattpad cover maker.

To get the most exposure for your book, be an active member of the community, read other work in your genre, leave helpful comments and make friends.

Send a Mailing List Blast

A mailing list blast is the easiest way to give your downloads or sales a bump, but a list blast from a professional service doesn’t come cheap, and you often have to jump through some hoops to get your book accepted.

BookBub, the most prominent list promoter in the market, are tremendously picky, and they reject more submissions than they accept. You’ll need to have a professional book cover, a big discount to offer their subscriber base, and existing reviews on Amazon. Oh, and you’ll need deep pockets.

Luckily there are alternatives, and Self Publishing Review has put together a handy guide, listing prices (some are free) and acceptance criteria.

So, there you go, some simple ways to get your author marketing activities off the ground. Build your website, get busy on Wattpad to attract fans and kick-start your Amazon sales and reviews, then apply for a mailing list blast. Good luck!

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