I’ve been reading a lot of articles on book marketing and this led me to think more and more about what happens to my clients when I’m done with the manuscript.
While doing-it-yourself on Amazon is an option to create an ebook, the majority of my clients prefer to have it done for them.
This means, after they’ve had illustrations done, they need to hire a service to publish and distribute the book.
After that, they’ll have an actual book or ebook.
But what’s next?
The next step should be to try to sell the book.
Let’s backtrack a bit though.
It’s been said by all book marketing experts that an author
needs to start selling their book before it’s published.
Okay, what does that mean?
BOOK MARKETING 101
If you’re writing a children’s book or having one ghostwritten, you need to think about how you’ll go about selling it even before the book is done.
This all starts with creating an online presence and there are two fundamental elements to do this: an author website and a social presence.
THE AUTHOR WEBSITE
Before you get involved in social media marketing, you need a website.
But before you jump in, spend some time to think of what the name of your website will be – this is known as your website’s domain name.
Keep in mind the domain name should reflect what the website is about.
And, example of this is my group website Writers on the Move. The domain is: https://writersonthemove.com
Another is my children’s ghostwriting site (the one you’re on now): https://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com
Free or Paid
You can go with free hosting services, like Blogger.com, WordPress.com, Wix, or Weebly.
This means the website doesn’t cost you anything.
I don’t recommend using free hosting services because they don’t have the same features as hosting services like Bluehost, which I use.
You can get hosting through Bluehost for around $3-$4 per month with a two or three year plan and you get the domain name for free, the first year. Then the domain is around $15 per year.
If you’re thinking about getting an author site up, CLICK HERE to get started.
Bluehost has great customer service, so if you need help you can get it.
A SOCIAL PRESENCE
Think of your website as the foundation of your book marketing. It’s the hub of your online presence.
The idea is to get visitors to come to your website to see what books you have to offer.
This is where social networks come in.
You need to be on social media.
Pick two to three networks to join. I use LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, but there are lots of other networks to choose from.
How it works.
If you write a blog post and put it on your website, or you create a new webpage on your site, say for a new book, you will need to share that information.
Social share buttons are used to do this. The image below is what it might look like.
I use the free version of Sumo and it works great. Some share buttons may appear on the bottom of the page rather than the side.
The process is simple.
The first thing is to share your new content to your social networks by clicking on the buttons.
The when a visitor stops by and likes what they see, they can use the share buttons to share your content also.
Whether You’re Self-Publishing or Traditionally Publishing
These two elements are needed whether you’re self-publishing or submitting to traditional publishers and/or literary agents. In fact, publishers and agents usually want to know if you have an online author presence. They want to be sure you can help sell your books.
Most authors put time, effort into writing a book. If you have your manuscript ghostwritten or edited then money is included in the mix.
Do everything you can to help self your books.
I’m a working children’s ghostwriter, editor, and coach. I can help turn your story into a book you’ll be proud to be the author of, one that’s publishable and marketable.
OTHER HELP I OFFER:
FICTION WRITING FOR CHILDREN COURSE
A guided self-study course and mentoring program.
HOW TO WRITE A CHILDREN’S FICTION BOOK
A DIY book to help you write your own children’s book.
WRITERS ON THE MOVE PRESS.
Self-publishing help for children’s authors.
You can contact me at: kcioffiventrice@gmail.com. Or give me a call at 347—834—6700. (Please leave a message- I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.)
Your Author Platform – Is It Every Too Soon To Start?
The Pros and Cons of Publishing with a Small Publisher
Your Self-Published Book and the ISBN
