Many new authors find the idea of marketing and publicising their own book daunting but with loads of practical advice and a dose of TLC, the clients of Self-Publish SA discover it’s a learning curve and that marketing their own work can be very rewarding. It does require some effort and determination, but when you believe in what you’re selling, generating publicity for yourself is little more than general networking. It can be fun to undertake, interesting, rewarding and profitable.
Launch event
It is important to hold a launch event when you book is first printed and to invite anyone and everyone you know. New authors are often gratified by the level of support provided by family, friends, business associates and community. If you are able to sell 100 books at R150 a copy right off the bat, that’s R15 000, which defrays a large portion, if not all, of the cost of self-publishing right away. It is also important to create publicity and media interest around a launch event and this entails working in a strategic way that secures maximum benefit. Self-Publish SA can help you with this.
Publicity over the long term
There are other categories of activities to help to build a network of contacts and sell books in the South African market, and these are best done at intervals, resulting in a push that will amplify your various efforts. Different books require specific strategies and we discuss myriad ideas with clients during the book publishing process.
We also offer more detailed support: a plan and timetable for authors to put into effect themselves.We believe this is the right approach so authors gain the skills and confidence to continue with the work themselves. In addition to the usual marketing channels, we maintain that you need to get creative to get noticed. One author apparently handcuffed herself to the lion cage at the zoo and threw the key to the lions in a bid for publicity for her book about the fierce felines. That might sound a bit extreme but there are lots of options, and we provide a detailed guide, including media contacts and helpful hints on what to do for a month of intensive pre-launch activity that should get you started.
Social media and emarketing for ebooks
Selling your ebook through online channels is emarketing: creating a website or blog, writing reviews and networking and publicising the book using social media and online forums. If you don’t make this effort to market your ebook, then it is just one of millions filed away on a server somewhere and no one will know it is there. Self-Publish SA can help clients set up their online presence.