I’ve been reading a lot of articles on book marketing, which led me to think more and more about what happens to my clients when I’m done with the manuscript.
While self-publishing yourself on Amazon is an option, most of my clients prefer to have it done for them.
Having someone else help means the author needs to hire a service to build, publish, and distribute the book after the manuscript is polished and the illustrations are done.
But what’s next?
The next step should be to try to sell the book.
Let’s backtrack a bit, though.
Book marketing experts agree that authors need 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, take some time to think about your website’s name – this is known as its domain name.
Keep in mind that the domain name should reflect the website’s content.
An example of this is my group website, Writers on the Move. The domain is WritersOnTheMove. The URL is: https://writersonthemove.com.
Another is my children’s ghostwriting site. The domain is KarenCioffiWritingForChildren. The URL is: https://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com.)
Free or Paid
You can go with free hosting services like Blogger.com, WordPress.com, Wix, or Weebly.
Free services don’t cost any money. But I don’t recommend using free hosting services because they don’t offer the same features as paid services.
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 free for the first year. Then, the cost of the domain is increases yearly.
I’ve used Bluehost for two of my websites for years. I like their service so much that I’m an affiliate with them. If you use my link, you’ll get a significant discount on the initial monthly fee. Last I saw, it’s only $1.99 per month for 36 months. This is an amazing deal, but pricing can change at any time, so don’t hold me to that.
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 visit your website to see what books you have to offer.
Bringing visitors to your website is where social networks come in.
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 WordPress sharing plugin, and it works great. Some share buttons may appear at the bottom of the page rather than on the side.
The process is simple.
The first thing is to share your new content to your social networks by clicking the buttons.
When visitors stop by and like what they see, they can also use the share buttons to share your content.
Whether Self-Publishing or Traditionally Publishing
These two book marketing elements are needed whether you’re self-publishing or submitting to traditional publishers 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. It can mean the difference between getting a contract and not.
Most authors put a lot of time and effort into writing a book. Do everything you can to help sell 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 eCOURSE
4, 8, or 12 Weeks / 8 Sections / Instructor Guided Self-Study 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 SELF-PUBLISHING SERVICE.
Self-publishing help for children’s authors.
You can contact me at: kcioffiventrice@gmail.com.
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