You have an author website, a Facebook, a blog, an Amazon page, and lots of press releases to show off to the world; but how do you get people to share all of these links with their Internet followers and increase your traffic? There are a few ways you can approach this tricky predicament…

The most obvious is a little bit of ca-ching! Paying someone to promote your work is the most direct approach, as this creates a clear benefit for those sharing your work. However, this is not always the best option for everyone.

Instead of opening your wallet, open your mind.

Just ASK! Find people who appreciate your work and send your links to them. Simply ask if they would share your website URL via their social media, or send a message to their friends telling them about you and your work.

Who do you ask? The list starts with family and friends, but expands to many, many more. Focus on those who have a vested interest in your theme, people who can relate to your content, or even people who may disagree with your topic and want to argue with you.

Give people a reason to want to share your work. Tell them the selling point and their incentive. Is your book focused on gluten-free cooking? Explain that by sharing links to promote your book, they will be helping circulate gluten-free recipes and information into the world. People who have Celiacs disease or practice a gluten-free diet will have access to details about ingredients and products, instructions on how to make various types of food, and learn more about this particular kind of lifestyle.

The type of content you’re creating on your various sites will serve as another reason people will want to share your links. People are more apt to share content that is:

• -Timely and relevant to the news
• -Emotional
• -Controversial

Remember, each of these individuals has their reputation on the line. If they feel as though your content is unworthy, uninteresting, or unimportant, they will not want to share it with their followers for fear of looking bad.

The moral of the story here? Make your content worthy of reading, full of interesting information, and important enough to want to share with anyone!

To your success,
​MG

11. Don’t get stuck trying to write the next best seller.  Write what you feel compelled to write.  Every genre is marketable. It’s just a question of finding the unique hook for each particular work and creating a specific campaign to enable it to reach its audience.

12. Did you know your can use Amazon Author Central to market your book internationally? Amazon is present in a lot of other countries, and each of these will also have an Author Central Page just like the one you’ve just signed up for in your home country. By getting access to the international sites available, you’re increasing you book’s reach.
 
13. Just because your book was releases five years ago doesn’t mean you shouldn’t continue promoting it. After all, when a reader comes across a book it’s new to them. There will always be a new audience for your book. Do a re-launch and send out a new press release — give the PR a fresh spin based on a new edition, or add review quotes, or tie the book to a news trend that relates.

14. Start a blog! Blogging is an easy and interactive way to really connect with others who are interested in the same things as you are. You can include excerpts from the book you’re promoting, or talk about how you developed your characters, came up with the theme, or even discuss insider matters such as the publishing process.
 
15. Think ahead. Don’t stop at one book idea; keep going! Don’t be a “one hit wonder” and leave your readers without another book to turn to once they’ve finished your first. Readers tend to “binge-read” when they find an author they really enjoy — so make sure to give them plenty to binge on.
 
16. Get into the mind of your readers and you’ll understand better what they are interested in. Marketing to the general public is not the way to go; instead, you need to market to your specific niche. Define the characteristics of your reader and appeal to these traits.
 
17. Don’t spam your readers. Sending out constant e-mails and social media posts about your books is not going to keep them interested; instead, it may drive them away. You want to approach your readers as people — not dollar signs.

18. You are up against so many other authors and you need to be able to distinguish yourself from them. Staying professional is very important — you want people to trust you mean what you say and know what you’re talking about. Once you know the message you are sending and have developed a strategy on how to effectively send it, stick to it!

19. Approach your local media. Find groups or publications that are interested in your book’s genre and reach out to them about cross-promotion. Look for opportunities to do interviews. Enter contests, contact book clubs and suggest your book to them for their next read, and participate in as many book or publishing-related events as possible (book fairs, literary conferences, writing retreats, etc.).
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20. Believe in yourself and your writing! Be happy and proud of your accomplishment thus far: you are a writer with a published book and people are reading it!