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Download Platforms
Last month, we discussed the types of freebies you can offer your potential readers. For the following exercise let’s assume you have written a novella as a prequel to your book, and that you want to give it away in the hope that your potential buyers will be so engrossed after reading it, they’ll want to purchase your book, or sign up for your newsletter. This is called a reader magnet. Obviously, for this to be free, you’ll want to offer it as an ebook with a sample chapter at the end and those juicy links where those potential readers who you have left hanging and wanting more, can purchase and download your book. You could set up a download function on your website, but to minimize hassle and time I’d suggest using one of the download platforms that have been designed to take away all the stress. Once again for the sake of this exercise, we’re going to use BookFunnel as an example. However, there are lots of alternatives out there. Do your d...
6 March 2024
Freebies
Let’s face, it everyone likes something for free. Unfortunately, depending on your genre some audiences expect a freebie of some kind before purchasing your book. This doesn’t mean, however, that you have to give away a holiday for two in the Bahamas or tickets for a night at the opera. Freebies can come in all varieties, and if you are creative, the cost to you can be minimal or even free. Bearing this in mind, consider creating something digital that can be easily downloaded from your website or a platform such as BookFunnel (see next month’s newsletter). Here are a few examples of the kind of freebies you can offer your potential readers: For fiction: Free subscription to your newsletter Free subscription to your podcast (should you have one) A sample chapter from your book A novella prequel  An exclusive lost chapter (one that didn’t make the final cut) Information about your main character such as a dossier of personal information that i...
5 February 2024
The Book Launch
This month I’ll be discussing launching your book, the importance of timing, and the type of launch that’s right for you. Firstly, do you need a book launch? There are different ways to launch a book as well as different reasons for doing so. Here are a few of the most common types: A small gathering of family and friends as a more casual social launch An online launch through one or more of the online bookstores A large launch designed to attract your audience and influential individuals such as booksellers who can help raise the profile of your book An event for raising awareness for the cause you champion A fundraising event Let’s look at these a little closer: The small gathering. These launches are usually held in restaurants, independent bookstores, libraries or anywhere else an author might want to stage one. It’s usually a casual affair for the author to celebrate the publishing of their book with family and friends. The online launch. It...
22 December 2023
Your Plan of Action
Over the last ten months we’ve discussed the following ways of marketing your books: Mysteries and myths of book marketing Preparing for your marketing campaign Creating a mailing list Attracting subscribers to your list Finding your audience Engaging with your audience Your newsletter Using social media to market your books Paid advertising Getting reviews Managing your brand Now that you have a grasp over some of the options open to you for your marketing campaign, it’s important to understand that if you are aiming to create a successful career as an author, you’ll need to run all aspects of that career like a business. There will be costs involved, so be prepared for a pre-revenue stage where you’ll be carrying (investing) your own time and money into your project, just as any small business owner would. Be patient. Work out a marketing strategy that’s right for you, but don’t be afraid to try things out and discard them if the...
4 December 2023
 

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