10 Tips to Sell More Books

Writing a great book isn’t an easy task. Selling those books is even harder. We work with authors every day and have gathered a few tips that you can act on today to help sell more books.

Grow an email list.

The first tip I have for you today is to grow an email list. So many authors don't realize how important that list is. And you really do need to grow an email list because you have fans and people that want to hear from you. Growing that email list is important because social media is rented ground.

Social media is rented ground.

We all hear horror stories of people getting locked out of their own accounts. If you have an email list, that is going to keep you from losing all your contacts if you ever do get put into Z- Jail.

Have a social media presence.

Even though we don't want social media to be your ONLY strategy, you do need to be on social media where your readers can find you. In general, people are going to social media as search engines these days. And if you aren't there, they can't find you. You don't need to be on everything at once. Pick one of your favorite social media platforms to work on first. And once you get that one all set up and working the way you want it, then you can consider branching out to other platforms as well.

Change your profile photo and your headers frequently.

Here's a quick and easy tip, change your profile photo and your headers frequently. I like to try and change mine monthly but at least change them quarterly. Be sure to put some text with that as well. A lot of people don't put text in there and that's wasted space for you to tell a little something about yourself or offer out a freebie.

Update your profiles on social media.

Update your Amazon & Goodreads author profiles.

Another thing to look at is updating your profiles on Amazon and Goodreads. Don't forget about those. If you're on Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or any other platforms, make sure that you keep an eye on your profiles there as well. Be sure you are consistently updating those so that people have all of the information they want and need to know about you when they are looking for their next great read.

Once you have some great profile photos and bio information, create a one-sheet biography. This will be handy for the next tip.

Become a guest on podcasts.

Another way for people to get to know and love you and really want to buy your books is for you to get on podcasts. Pitching yourself to podcasters that talk to authors, or even podcasters that are talking about topics that you write about is a great way to get your name out there. Most of the authors that I've worked with, when they are on a podcast, they do tend to see a spike in book sales for several days. So this is a great way and a very effective use of your time to try and get some new readers. You can read this blog for more about that.

Try a paid email promotion like Fussy Librarian.

Here's another quick tip for selling more books- send an email promotion via a purchased list. Email services like Fussy Librarian, Hellobooks and BookBub can really help move you up on those Amazon ranks, then you have those bragging rights to use when talking about your books. We have a solid strategy for using promotions like these and have gotten our clients into the Top 10 (including #1 and #2) spots on Kindle so definitely don't overlook these inexpensive programs.

The Peacock Throne Wars hit #1 during our promotion.

Go on video.

Go on video. Yes, this is not something that most people like to do, myself included. And it's really hard for me to get on here and talk to people, even though I'm a total extrovert, but going on video is a great way for people to get to know you. Sometimes I do makeup and sometimes I'm totally unfiltered. That's perfectly fine if that's perfectly you. No one thinks that people who work from home wander around in suits and full on makeup every day. Let people know the REAL you. Play around with what works with your audience.

Reward your supporters.

Another way to sell more books is to reward your supporters. Something like a street team where you give away prizes and maybe have a small group on Facebook can be set up pretty easily. If this is something you don't want to work with, get a VA and they can help you do this.

Get professional help.

The last tip I have for you today is get help. Even if you're a self-published author, it doesn't mean that you need to do it by yourself. Self-published authors need help too. If you want more tips, be sure to follow me and feel free to shoot me a direct message anytime I'm happy to help you out.

Rebecca Paciorek is an Online Business Manager specializing in assisting in the growth of your business through traditional and digital means.

*I often recommend products and services that I use or that have been recommended to me by people we trust. In many cases these recommendations are accompanied by an affiliate link, which provides me with a referral commission should you click through and make a purchase.