These Easy Self-Publishing Marketing Tactics Continue to Work For Me

They won’t make me rich but they are better than doing nothing

Congratulations! You published your first book.

You are a very special person. Out of the millions of people who begin writing a book, only 3% ever finish them.

“And you are now waiting for the money to roll in.”

You possibly did the smartest thing by not going down the traditional publishing route. It’s hard enough writing and editing the damn thing, far less trying to get an agent and publisher.

Selling over 12 copies puts you in the top half of book sales and you would need to sell 5,000 to reach the magic break-even number.

It’s good that you got this far, and you are now waiting for the money to roll in. All you need are customers.

I’m not a marketing guru, but five years after publishing, I still earn about £100 a month in royalties. These tactics have helped.

Beta Readers

Your book won’t sell itself. People need to trust your book is worth their time and money. And the best way to get it is through recommendations from others.

You need social proof.

Social proof is the line outside the fish and chip shop. People are standing in a long queue to eat here — the food must be good. Humans have a herd mentality, they follow the crowd.

When people look at your book online and see you only have one review after a year, you have no social proof your book is any good. They are less likely to buy.

Prior to publishing, I put out a request on my social media for beta readers — anyone willing to accept a free book and give me feedback. These can be family or friends, but I have found that other writers and acquaintances do a better job.

I send them a paperback copy and include a set of green, yellow and red marker pens. On the inside cover, I highlight the following words:

Green: This bit was excellent/funny/insightful writing.

Yellow: I’m not sure about this. It might need to be amended or removed.

Red: This is rubbish/boring/incorrect.

I also encourage them to write comments in the margins.

This does two things. It gives you more honest and insightful feedback that can help you improve your book. Self-publishing on Amazon allows you to amend the content — I have done this several times.

Second, I now have people who have invested their time in reading my book. When I get their feedback, I contact them and thank them. I ask if they could do me a huge favour by copying and pasting their feedback into an Amazon review.

I make it easy for them by sending them the link.

Business Cards

I had business cards made up. They are fairly cheap to produce. I ordered mine through Vistaprint and tried a few designs.

I originally directed people to my website but found it had low engagement and added little value. It was just fluff, so I took it down and saved some money. I am happy to send people to my Amazon page where they can buy my books, rather than read more blurb on my website and then look for another link.

I don’t push my business cards on people. They aren’t prisoners, but I’m not inclined to shove them on people without a little preamble.

If I’m in company and my writing crops up in conversation, I gauge their interest. If they aren’t readers, if they show no interest, if they have no personality and don’t deserve to read, learn, and have a laugh at my stories, then the business card stays in my wallet.

Otherwise, I will ask something like this:

• “Do you know anyone who likes a good laugh?”
• “Have you any friends who enjoy reading?”
• “Do you know anyone who struggles with ideas for a present?”

This does two things. It takes the pressure off them. I’m not asking them to dip into their pockets and spend money on something they might not want. It engages their natural desire for social currency.

People share things that make them look clever or cool to others.

Second-hand recommendations are powerful. I have several self-deprecating stories up my sleeve. Make people laugh and it is surprising how many will share your books, even if they haven’t read them.

Imagine the next day when they speak to their friend and they pass on my card.

“You’ll like this. I met the author, and he was such a funny guy. I bet you enjoy his books.”

I have been retired for a few years now. When I bump into serving police officers, I do a straw poll.

“Hi, have you read any of Malky McEwan’s funny police books?”

“Who’s he?”

“Here’s his card. Would you mind sticking it up on your notice board?”

Posters

I made up laminate posters.

For my funny police memoirs, I did one’s like this:

I handed them to my local police office. A friend took some to the Scottish Police College, and I sent them some to other friends working at other police offices around the country. I asked them to put them up in their canteens.

For my №1 guide to Scotland, I sent a personalised poster to all the places I’d mentioned in the book. This one was for The Lade Inn.

I sent a cover letter explaining they were featured in my book and that it would be nice if they could find an appropriate place to put up the poster.

Not everyone replied, and I suspect half my posters went straight into the bin. But I received some positive comments and also an order for a dozen copies to be sold in the visitor shop at Duart Castle on Mull.

I would consider doing this again in November to pick up some Christmas sales.

To Sum Up

These are just some ideas that have worked for me. They might not make me rich, but my books are still selling five years after being published.

The point is, you can’t expect people to find your glorious book on their own. There are millions of books out there and yours is another straw in the haystack.

It will be easier for people to find it if you colour your straw tartan and have a big arrow pointing at it. Something they see every time they walk into the canteen, for example.