What Every Self-Published Author Should Know 
by Rachel M. Anderson
How does one become a New York Times bestselling author? That question has been posed to many famous writers over the years, and in interviews they all offer similar answers: it takes drive, perseverance, and a little luck.
Rejection letter after rejection letter didn’t stop romance writer Nora Roberts from pursuing her dream of getting published. She finally got her big break in 1981 when Silhouette Books published Irish Thoroughbred. She now has had 171 titles on the New York Times bestseller list.
John Grisham’s second novel, The Firm, made him a household name after Paramount Pictures bought the rights to turn the plot into a movie. The book went on to become the bestselling novel of 1991.
A book Stephen King had thrown away ended up catapulting him to stardom. He has his wife to thank for rescuing Carrie from the garbage can.
Once Nora Roberts, John Grisham, and Stephen King made it big, they had the luxury of publisher-provided resources to help sell their books—book tours and blogs set up for them, media appearances arranged, distribution agreements and marketing taken care of, and so on. As a self-published author, you’ll need to take care of these tasks on your own; and if you want your book to do well, you can’t ignore them.
Whether your book is hot off the press, or was published a year ago or more, if sales aren’t living up to your expectations, here are five tips for increasing them.
1. If you don’t have a website for your book, set one up!
It’s safe to say the majority of your potential customers spend time online these days, and if your book does not have a presence on the web, it’s going to be hard for people to find it. The site doesn’t have to be fancy, but it should be content rich so that search engines will bring it up fairly high in the rankings. Also, be sure to set up a shopping cart or a link to a place where people can buy the book.
2. Start blogging.
Blogging is one of the easiest ways to begin building a fan base. It’s also one of the most direct ways to reach your target audience. People who are already interested in the topic you have written about will get to know you through your posts, and if they like what they read, chances are good they’ll buy your book.
Just ask 26-year-old Amanda Hocking of Austin, Minnesota. She has written nine books about trolls, vampires, and zombies, and in a Star Tribune article published on March 24, 2011, she credited blogging with helping her sell more than one million copies. Seven of her nine titles are among Amazon’s top 100 sellers for Kindle.
There are several ways to add a blog to your existing website. The most common tools to use include Blogger, WordPress, and Typepad.
3. Enlist the media’s help.
Has a story about you and your book been in the newspaper, on the radio, or on television yet? If not, you’re missing a golden opportunity to promote your book. The media have a large daily news hole to fill, and they are always hungry for stories.
Just remember, the fact that you have written a book is not necessarily the story. When pitching to the media, the focus needs to be on how your story can benefit readers, listeners, or viewers—depending on the type of media outlet on which you’re focusing your efforts.
If you’re struggling to come up with the hook that will get media attention, you may want to consider hiring a publicist to pitch your story.
4. Hand out promotional materials.
No one is going to do as good a job as you, the author, promoting the book you poured your heart and soul into. So, once it rolls off the presses it is critical that you sing the book’s praises every opportunity you get.
Put up promotional flyers on community bulletin boards at places like work, the coffee shop, and local restaurants. It’s also a good idea to have some pens or note pads made that advertise the book’s title and website. Leave these marketing tools in public places where people are sure to see them, pick them up and use them, then log on to your website to check out your work and possibly place an order.
5. Distribute books.
If your publisher didn’t provide a way to get your book into the hands of customers, it is well worth your time to create the book-to-distributor/wholesaler link. Here’s an explanation of the roles each plays in the book business: the distributor warehouses, packs, ships, accepts returns, bills for books, and ultimately sends you checks; the wholesaler actually takes orders from bookstores and libraries.
If you are planning to handle all the orders yourself, you don’t need a distributor, but if you want to get your book into chain stores like Barnes and Noble and Borders, your title needs to be listed with one of the major wholesalers, Baker and Taylor (www.btol.com) or Ingram (www.ingrambook.com). They don’t work directly with small publishers, however, so you’ll need to get into their systems through the back door.
A good option is to join an organization like the Independent Book Publishers Association (www.ibpa-online.org), the Independent Publishers Group (www.ipgbook.com), or SPAN (Small Publishers Association of North America; www.spannet.org). These groups offer their members access to resources that will help them connect with the wholesalers’ small press groups. Other options available include participating in the Amazon Associates Program and BarnesandNoble.com’s Affiliate Program.
Now that you are aware of the steps that need to be taken to make your book successful, don’t waste any more time. The book business is waiting for you to become a major contributor!
Rachel M. Anderson is the founder of RMA Publicity, a Twin Cities-based marketing and public relations firm that specializes in promoting publishing companies and book authors. The
company’s website address is www.RMAPublicity.com.
