It should go without saying that you should write a quality book and get professional editing (or at least get beta and proof readers), and hire a professional cover artist (BookBrush and Canva are good alternatives if you can’t afford a cover artist at first). If you don’t do these things at bare minimum, the following marketing tips will not work.
Built an Internet Presence:
I went to TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter to promote my book before it even came out. Because I was so vocal on social media, I was invited to do an author takeover a reader group on the day of my launch. I also hired a service to promote my book on a blog tour. (I wouldn’t do this again. Instead I would find authors in the same genre and ask to do a newsletter swap or featured author swap on our websites.)
Set Up a Pre-order in Advance:
I set up a preorder for the ebook on Amazon.
Researched Before I Set the Price:
I looked up comparable authors in the genre and set my ebook preorder price to match. Also, I noticed every indie author in my genre had their books on Kindle Unlimited. KU has made up fifty percent of my sales. As a new author, more people are taking a chance that might not have.
Advertised in Advance:
I advertised the preorder for the book on Facebook and Pinterest, targeting the ad to specific demographics likely to read Paranormal Women’s Fiction. Knowing your target audience demographic before you launch is imperative. My book is Paranormal Women’s Fiction. I set the ad to reach women aged 35-65, as well as targeting those who liked comparable authors. I wouldn’t suggest sinking money into advertising unless you’re planning on writing a series.
ARC Readers:
GoodReads and Amazon reviews help sales. Giving away free advanced reader copies before your book releases in exchange for a review gets you guaranteed reviews.
Note: a positive review is not guaranteed. Do not pay for reviews. Service who contact you are a scam. If you don’t know where to get reviews, you can use sites like Netgalley or BookSprout. However, any time you use those sites, or ones like it, you risk pirating.
It’s better to go to reader groups in your genre and offer free ARCs in exchange for reviews.
This is how I ended up with almost two-hundred preorders and twenty reviews before my book released. In the three weeks since I’ve launched, I’ve sold just as many copies and have hit over fifty thousand Kindle Unlimited page reads. Considering the ebook is 362 pages, a lot of people are reading the whole thing.