A Roadmap to Successfully Market My New Book
First task: Writing a book - Done
Writing a book can be a daunting task, but getting your book into the hands of readers can be even more challenging. As an author who has published its first book, I know firsthand the struggle of putting pen to paper and bringing a vision to life.
But the real challenge comes now, when it’s time to market and sell the book. In fact, writing the book is only a small percentage of the work involved in the journey to becoming a successful author.
After publishing my book ‘iOS Architecture Patterns: MVC, MVP, MVVM, VIPER, and VIP in Swift’ at Apress, I realized the importance of effective book promotion to reach my target audience. I learned that creating an excellent book is just the beginning; promoting it to the right audience is the real test of an author’s success.
This realization led me to explore various strategies and tactics to market my book (complementary to what the publisher itself can do), and in this article, I will share my experience with you.
In this article, I will take you through a roadmap than I think can successfully market my book (or, at least, I hope so). I’ll provide practical strategies and tips, including building a website, utilizing social media, influencer outreach, promotions and discounts, speaking engagements, collaboration with other authors, and encouraging reviews.
So, whether you’re a first-time author (like me) or a seasoned writer looking to promote your book, this article will provide you with the guidance you need to successfully market your book and achieve the success you deserve.
Seven strategies for a effective book promotion
1. Building a Website
The first step in promoting my book has been to build a website dedicated to it. Well, it has been more like taking my website that I was already using to publish posts and content about programming and to advertise on the book.
In any case, a website provides a centralized platform to display book content, talk about the author, display reviews and recommendations from people who have read it…
You can also take advantage of this website to contact readers (or whoever may read the book) and build an email list.
2. Use of social networks
Social networks are an essential tool to promote a book so that it reaches a wider audience, that is, what we will do is reach potential readers through social channels.
Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Reddit… There are numerous social networks where you can interact with potential readers and build relationships with influential people in your niche.
But be aware that, on the one hand, some platforms (or rather, channels or groups of these platforms) may have rules about publishing advertising or product promotions, and, on the other hand, if you saturate a platform with advertising in a short time of your book could be counterproductive.
In my case, I’m using LinkedIn (both on its main channel and on specific channels for iOS developers), Twitter, Mastodon, Instagram and Reddit.
3. Reviews from influencers
It’s not easy to do, but if you identify those people who are considered to be most influential regarding the contents of the book, you can try to contact them to see if they want to review the book and do a review.
Of course, you must be aware that these reviews can be both positive (which indicates the quality of the book) and critical (from which you can always learn something).
The fact that these people can give reviews of your book that reach the people who follow them, for example, on social networks, will give a great boost to the promotion of the book.
4. Offer promotions
Although this is a good method, in depends more on the Publisher to offer discounts, free chapters, or other promotions. Maybe a contest offering one or more copies of the book I received as author.
5. Speaking engagements
Speaking at conferences and meetups can help to increase visibility and establish me as someone working in the field. I will identify relevant events and submit proposals to speak about the book’s content. I will also use social media and my website to promote these speaking engagements and encourage people to attend.
6. Cross-collaborations
Collaborating with other authors in the iOS development community can help promote both your own and others’ books. It will not be easy, since it can be complex to contact these other authors in order to collaborate with them on articles, videos or books.
7. Encourage reviews
Positive reviews can help to increase sales and visibility of the book. At this point, I’m encouraging readers to leave reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, or other book review sites. I regularly monitor these review sites in order to respond to any feedback or comments.
Conclusion
In conclusion, successfully marketing my book on iOS Architecture Patterns (or any other book we write) requires dedication, perseverance, and a willingness to explore different strategies and tactics. For me, writing a book was a significant achievement, but it’s just the first step towards success as an author. Promoting the book to the right audience is essential to gain visibility, build a brand, and ultimately drive sales.
Although I’m just started the promotion, through my experience, I’ve learned that using a website and, above all, utilizing social media, have started to give good results. So I hope that as I implement the other strategies, the promotion will improve.
I see that the market a book, it’s like a marathon, not a sprint. We must be patient, persistent, and adaptable, and don’t be afraid to try new approaches.
So good luck everyone!
