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How do I promote my book?

Page by: Profile Editorial Team, 24/01/2020

Aaaarghhh!

You've spent months, years on your masterpiece. You've sent out dozens of pitch letters. Maybe you've found a publisher, perhaps you've gone the Indie route. And then . . . nothing.

Well, not quite nothing. But sales so slow that you wonder why you bothered. Disappointing sales. Way below minimum wage, when you add up the hours you've worked. Welcome to 21st Century publishing. It's a new world, and the rules are different.

Don't be disheartened. In these pages you'll find many successful authors who had to persevere for a long time before they gained their break. Focus on your next book. Put as much of your energy into that as you can muster - because the world does need great books. Your voice is unique, because your lived experience is unique.

Where can I promote my book?

Rule 1: Advertising only pays if you've written a series. Then you can give away the first book if you like. If you write standalone novels, advertising generally costs more than it generates. You might get lucky, but that's the rule of thumb

Rule 2: Only a percentage of authors can make a living at this. It's a saturated market - oversaturated, to tell the truth - and many fine works go unnoticed. They haven't been rejected - they just haven't been seen in the first place

Rule 3: Amazon is neither your friend nor your enemy. It's just a company. Amazon is algorithmic, machine-like - if your book is selling millions, Amazon will show it at every turn, and you'll sell millions more. If your book has tiny sales, Amazon will reflect that by not showing it to anybody new. Or hardly ever showing it, which amounts to the same thing. It isn't personal, it's just an algorithm

You are not powerless. We built Profile mostly because we love books, and like talking to authors, but also to enable us to share one another's networks.

Suppose you have 100 'fans'. Maybe they're more friends & family than hardcore fans - that's okay. Whoever they are, there's little point showing them your book - they've already read it. Your 100 fans haven't read Eric's book, though. And Eric's 100 fans haven't read Julie's book. And on it goes.

Every visitor you bring means that your book is seen by a greater number of people. It's the only way to make it fair. Even if you don't do any promotion, we'll still show your book to some people - we're not savages. If you bring lots of visitors, your book will be seen by lots of new readers.

Interviews & Articles

Every Profile author starts with their interview. Register, and record your interview. You can edit it at any time. You can also change the questions.

The site also has articles. At the moment these are celebrity interviews and book reviews. Over the next few months there will be other kinds of article appearing.

Both of these - your own interview, and the articles reached from the front page - have tracking URLs which identify you as the person who shared them.

Hint, hint

Authors are generally great at promoting their own interviews, but the really successful ones put as much effort into the front page articles. You don't have to stick with the current front page, either. Click on, say, a book review and you'll see a link to other book reviews. Any of these will work just as well. Encourage your wider network in and you'll be helping other authors, because their books will be seen, and occasionally they'll score a sale. In return, your books will be displayed to a fresh audience. Everybody wins.