by CCW Member, Amy Houts
You’ve signed a book contract or decided to self-publish. How exciting! As the release date approaches, there are a number of ways you can help get the word out. While publishers will market and distribute your book, they expect you to have a big part in promotion. And if you are self-publishing, it’s all up to you. There’s extra motivation and passion for marketing a Christian book because it’s part of your mission. How do you get your precious book into the hands of readers?
First, think about your strengths and talents. Speaking in front of a group is a great way to inform people about your book, so if that’s your strength, go for it! Schedule those events. But some of us (me included) would rather send 100 emails than speak in front of a group. There is good news for you; besides the tried-and-true methods of a conference speaker, book signing or school visit, there are a number of effective, creative ways to market your book successfully.
1. Gather your launch team: A few months before your book is released, ask your family and friends to be on your launch team. Make clear what’s involved. Tasks include writing a book review for Amazon, liking/sharing on social media, and/or adding the book to their Goodreads list. Your launch team friends receive a free PDF or physical copy of your book. You can decide exactly how much or how little your launch team will do. Authors often give away Amazon gift cards, gift baskets, and activity packets to those who post the most or who preorder. See the launch team plan for my bath books, Noah’s Ark and The Creation, here.
2. Attract visitors to your website: Christie Thomas, author of Little Habits, Big Faith: How Simple Practices Help Your Family Grow in Jesus, says, “Figure out where your people are! For me, that is mostly online through my website – people find me and my books when they look for Christian parenting tips online.” One way to drive people to your website is by using search engine optimization (SEO). According to Dictionary.com, SEO is “the process of maximizing the number of visitors to a particular website by ensuring that the site appears high on the list of results returned by a search engine.” One way to increase SEO is by using keyword phrases on your website, phrases that people search for.
