While writing your book can be seen as the easy part, marketing can feel like an unknown world to you. It doesn’t matter how many books you have written; if you want your fiction book to be read, you’ll need to market it. Thankfully, there have never been more options to market your self-published book. From online marketing to in-person events, you can choose marketing tactics that appeal to your target reader—and allow your unique, God-given personality to shine through. Here are the best ways to learn how to market your self-published book in 2024 and beyond.

Writing for Publications

Contributing articles as a guest blogger or writer for online and print publications is a great way to show others your writing style and get your name in front of a wide audience. Most of these publications will include your byline and a brief bio where you can highlight your experience and work. Research publications your target readers will likely subscribe to and read regularly. Writing a guest blog for a publication that’s drastically different from the writing you do won’t help you sell more books.

Mary Allen Dodge, author of Hunt for a Hometown Killer, says guest blogging is her favorite way to market her books. “I am a member of the Blogging Team (all authors) at the Heroes, Heroines, and History website,” she says. The website promotes her book on a dedicated day every month. “I also enjoy doing guest spots on other authors’ blogs, spotlighting my book or a writing topic.”

Live Events

In-person events such as launches, book signings, and guest speaking are excellent ways to market your book if you love being in the spotlight and interacting with readers one-on-one. Karin Beery, author of Avoiding Marriage, says, “My favorite way to market is any way that allows me to interact with my readers.” You’ll meet people from all walks of life who haven’t heard of your book, and you can interact with them on a personal level. Contact your closest independent bookstore or a local coffee shop to see if you can use their space for a book signing. The cross-promotion opportunities will benefit both you and the business. Local businesses and bookshops are usually happy to support local artists in any way they can.

Church events are another way you can get going on learning how to market your self-published book. According to J.B. Shepherd (author of Anger of the King), “God has given me the opportunity to sell books most often in churches where I visit to preach.” He also says donating his book to different venues has made priceless returns. “[God] put it on my heart to donate the book to different venues, trusting Him to still make the book profitable, and He has blessed the sales to make up for the gifts,” says Shepherd.

Online Communities and Forums

Online communities and niche forums are filled with your potential readers. The first community you should consider joining is GoodReads, a social media platform just for authors and readers. Once you create your author profile and make a page for your book, you can pull quotes from it, provide a synopsis, and allow readers to leave reviews. You can suggest books to others and engage with your readers directly. You should also consider joining forums like Reddit and Quota. Google ranks forum responses highly, so if you answer a forum question and bring up your book, your response could appear in search results. You can also engage with a growing number of readers on various subreddits. Facebook groups for readers and writers may be another good option for potentially marketing your self-published book.

Robert Russell, author of Carlisle Divided and National Book Award from Next Generation Indie Book for Best Religious Fiction, says, “I enjoy marketing online because your book reaches all over the US. [It’s] always great to get positive reviews online as well from folks you’ve never met before.”

Social Media

Creating a professional author bio page on social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X (formally Twitter) is basically necessary. It’s the best way to share updates, teasers, and behind-the-scenes information about you and your books. Since they’re all free to create, there’s no downside to creating profiles on each platform. Experiment with posting on each one to see where you get the most engagement. Then, focus on the top one or two platforms where you see you get the most traction. Don’t try to be active on every platform—that can lead to burnout.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is one of the most effective digital marketing strategies out there. Email marketing allows you to reach your readers and share direct updates. It’s also easy to track whether your subscribers are opening and clicking on your emails. You can build your email list through other marketing methods, then send out regular updates that promote your work, give your subscribers your first dibs on upcoming releases, and share deals and discounts.

Podcasts

Sometimes, writers can be nervous about getting out in front of people when determining how to market their self-published book. However, the more open you are to trying new things, the greater success you’ll have. Speaking on relevant podcasts is an excellent way for your target audience to get to know you and learn more about your work. Podcasts exist on many topics, so searching for topics relevant to your book and readers is essential. You also help podcasters who need to get new, fresh, and interesting content to fill up their episodes.

Author Websites

A website is a must as a professional writer. It’s also the best way to showcase your work and allow readers to buy your book directly. You can add ecommerce functionality to your website for direct book ordering or link to your Amazon book listing. You can also showcase events, media coverage, and personal writing with a blog.

EABooks Publishing: Showing You How to Market Your Self-Published Book

EABooks Publishing is your partner in all aspects of self-publishing your work, from developmental editing to learning how to market your self-published book. We offer a wide variety of marketing services, including digital and direct marketing. We’ll provide advice and a marketing plan so that you can effectively reach your target readers. We also offer Amazon Optimization. View all our self-publish marketing services here. Ready to partner with us? Contact us to get started on your self-publishing journey.