More than a few authors regard the need to self-promote as daunting. But when it comes to how to market your book, it’s essential. Author promotion in the form of telling the media or prospective readers how great your book is doesn’t come naturally to many people. Most writers prefer to let others say how good they are, or when it comes to promotion, that a book is excellent. Therefore, for many authors, the need to market a book while avoiding self-promotion directly is the chief reason to hire a publicist. But even they do best by helping others realize the value of a good book.

For authors planning on promoting themselves, social media can be an excellent place to begin. It lets writers naturally engage with potential readers and market their books more indirectly. Success on social media relies on consistency and visibility. Followers need reasons to sustain their interest in you. Also, always remember that heavy-handed self-promotion never does well – it’s about providing information and giving followers something. Then gently mentioning your book occasionally. Personal, meaningful connections are the ones that lead to book sales in the long run because they are genuinely appreciated.

It’s vital for you as an author to remember to market yourself every day. It’s useful not to be overly concerned about the concept of self-promotion. It’s something nearly all of us do every day naturally at work and in life. We all do things to make people like us and want to be around us. These things are natural self-promotion, and it’s similar to how you promote a book as an author. Even if you hire a publicist, promoting a book is a team effort, some elements of self-promotion will be required. The best approach is to work incrementally and promote steadily and consistently.

Another useful way to bring attention to yourself is by writing as a guest on blogs and other online platforms. You might choose to write about your book topic or something entirely different where you have an interest or expertise. As long as you provide helpful or entertaining content, and include a mention of your book in your bio, your post will be valuable as an additional promotion. A good rule of thumb is to avoid anything that could offend someone, which generally means don’t’ talk politics or religion. Unless you’ve written a book on one of those topics, it’s good to avoid them.

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