Independent authors (or indie authors) seem to be taking over the publishing world. Tons of new books come out every day, many of them from indie authors. But if the issue of how to become published has changed, one thing hasn’t: indie writers still have to know more than just writing to get their books to sell. Here are a few tips that every indie writer should know.
Become a Marketing Author
If you want to go from writer to author (not selling vs. selling), you have to understand marketing. If you think you don’t have to learn book marketing, don’t kid yourself. The successful eBook authors (J.A. Konrath, John Locke, Amanda Hocking) have all learned how to market themselves. Become a marketing author – what I mean by this is you can’t just put your books up on Amazon or Smashwords and expect everyone to know they are there and then buy your books. You have to find the readers and you do this by great marketing. But what’s great marketing?
Author Websites
An author website is a great place to start your book marketing. But make sure that your page is high quality because this is a reflection of your writing skills (even if you didn’t set up the website yourself). Make sure there are no typos. Add great copy, and what I mean by that is short, punchy descriptions of your books, and what you are doing. Look to authors you like for examples.
Promote Your Book
Indie writers need to understand that there is a difference between writing a book and marketing it. Beyond just having a great author website, you need to have other places to promote your book, like a blog, a Twitter account, or a Facebook fan page (not a personal profile, this doesn’t help with your marketing). And beyond this, make sure that those places reflect what you do in a positive manner. Don’t have a blog with spelling errors on it. Make sure your fan page is engaging. Get on Twitter and tweet, but not just about yourself. It’s critical to know how to market and you will see your books climbing the charts.
Final Thoughts
In order to sell books, indie authors need to become marketing authors. I recommend starting with Twitter and a Facebook fan page. But make sure your Facebook fan page focuses on quality marketing (there are do’s and don’ts to marketing – be aware of them). If you would like to receive more tips on how to set up a Facebook fan page, AND how to market your books, visit here for more tips. Remember, you CAN learn how to market your books!
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Renee Pawlish is the author of Nephilim Genesis of Evil, a paranormal thriller, The Reed Ferguson Mystery series, Take Five, a short story collection, and The Sallie House: Exposing the Breast Within, a non-fiction account of a haunted house investigation. She consults with authors and other entertainers, helping them learn how to effectively market their books or music.
Author: Renee Pawlish
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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