Arguably, having positive reviews written and posted where potential buyers can read them is a very important marketing tool. In some cases, even negative comments can boost the sales of certain types of books. When we think of reviews, most of us are probably thinking about the reviews we see in our local newspapers at the weekend. Unfortunately, these are rarely available to the lesser-known or self-published author. In reality, the newspapers are bombarded with titles to review so with limited space they’ll usually only consider traditionally published titles or titles written by celebrities and well-known authors. So how can we get reviews for our books? It’s surprisingly simple, we use the online stores. Using Amazon as an example, here’s how it works: Place a link in the back of your book that reads something like this: I hope you enjoyed reading (book title).
If so, I would really appreciate it if you would consider posting a review at the store that you...

If you’re like me, you may have in the past tried purchasing an ad in one of the writers’ magazines, online book sites or through social media. If, also like me, you created the ad, paid your money and just submitted it, I’m betting you got very little, if nothing, as a return on your investment. After my first attempt I remember declaring paid advertising to be a total waste of money and vowing never to use it again. Sound familiar? Then I began to hear how successful Indie/self-published authors were at using paid advertising, firstly to build their brand, and then to achieve their main goal, selling books. So, let’s look at how paid advertising can work for you, and where to start. Building your brand We discussed in an earlier newsletter the importance of building your brand. Well paid advertising can be a great avenue for getting your message out there. Before we go any further it’s important to point out that paid advertising is exactly what i...

Last month we discussed how to set up and use your newsletter. If you missed it you can find a copy here: https://www.publicious.com.au/blog.html Here are the topics we’ve discussed so far: Preparation for your marketing campaign Mailing list Getting subscribers Finding your audience Welcoming new subscribers to your list and engaging with your audience Newsletter All these articles can also be found at the link above. So, if you’ve been following these topics that we’ve covered over the last few months, you should be ready for the next step. Social Media! Love it or hate it, social media is here to stay, but from the author’s point of view, it’s far more than just a platform to share your daily moans and groans. Here’s a list of the most popular platforms that we can use to our advantage: Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Tik Tok  LinkedIn In next month’s newsletter, we’ll be discussing in more depth the use o...

Over the last few months we’ve discussed the following topics: 1.     Preparation for your marketing campaign
2.     Mailing list
3.     Getting subscribers
4.     Finding your audience
5.     Welcoming new subscribers to your list and engaging with your audience Now it’s time to think about how you are going to stay connected with your audience. The easiest and possibly most effective way is by email; regular post-outs will work, but you might consider taking it one step further and publishing a monthly newsletter. When deciding what to include in your newsletter, ask yourself what it is that interests your subscribers. Why did they sign up to follow you? And what will keep them engaged? First of all, I’d recommend starting off your newsletter with a little light-hearted personal information about yourself, something that will interest your readers, what you&rsq...