23 Ways To Promote Your Book For Free
You did a great job achieving the important milestone of writing and publishing a book! Now comes the tricky part of getting it noticed by readers and booksellers.
There are lots of ways to promote your book, and they shouldn’t cost the earth. After all, your ultimate goal is to sell rather than spend. The Book Network is therefore proud to present the definitive guide on how you can promote your book for free!
Following just a few of these tips will take you some way to get your work noticed. But the more of these practices you adopt and use in conjunction with one another, the higher the chances of your literary work receiving the attention it deserves.
And of course, The Book Network has several services to help you along the way.
1. Sign Up For Free To The Book Network Promotion Service
We at The Book Network recognise that creating a good book is a staggering achievement, and we are here to help celebrate this milestone by connecting your work to the right kind of readers, and at no cost whatsoever.
With our brand new Book Directory Service feature, you can showcase your book to thousands of passionate book lovers, who are exclusively interested in the type of novel you have written. Think of it as our way of helping nurture a community of like-minded readers and writers!
All you need to do is sign up and follow the easy steps to list your book on our website. Once listed, your title will then be searchable by genre, themes, and keywords, which allows our enthusiastic community of readers to find exactly what they are looking for. It’s the best way to instantly put your book on the radar and reach out to that devoted following in high volume.
Sign up for the Free Book Network Promotion Service here.
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2. Start With A Strong Cover And Title
Whatever promotional methods and services you use, and whatever order you use them in, your book’s cover and the title will make the first impression, so you must go into the journey of promoting your novel with a front that catches the eye.
There are many ways you can try your hand at creating a striking cover, wherever it’s hiring a professional, utilising AI, or simply learning the basics yourself. With an abundance of tools and services available, you don’t necessarily have to spend lots to yield striking results.
As for the title of your book, think of it as the doormat that welcomes readers into your story! You can tweak this diligently until it evokes the right sensations for what’s to follow. It might take some doing, but it’s worth the extra effort.
Getting these components nailed down from the get-go is the key to success with everything that follows. So be sure to give as much time to your title and cover as is necessary.
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3. Contact Papers, Magazines, And Websites
Whilst aspiring writers might not get immediate coverage in national news outlets, you are likely to gather some interest from a local newspaper, and it’s absolutely free to get in touch and ask.
The same goes for local websites and magazines. So long as these local outlets show some active interest in writing and publishing, then it’s a good idea to reach out and tell them about your work. As a result, you may be rewarded with a published feature, which in turn is an opportunity to connect with your local reading community.
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4. Reach Out To Local Bookshops
If you have printed physical copies ready to go, then you should not hesitate to contact your local bookshop and inquire about the possibility of putting your book up for sale. This is the ideal way of getting your title on the shelf, where it can stand proudly alongside other books, both mainstream and independent.
It’s also a good way to flaunt your skills as a credible author. Booksellers will likely expect you to deliver a strong profile of yourself and your book, have a printed ISBN, and be able to negotiate a reasonable selling price.
These are all valuable credentials for an aspiring writer looking to make it big. So have confidence in promoting your book to your local bookshop, but also be prepared to give these outlets everything they ask for!
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5. Contact Book Clubs And Offer To Join Their Club For An Author Q&A
Book clubs are a passionate and essential way to discuss your favourite novels and meet like-minded readers, so why not have your book at the centre of conversation? Joining the right book club for your niche and pitching your book might even lead to a Q&A session, providing you and your title with some great exposure.
The Book Network can also help you reach out to book clubs with our Book Club Outreach Service. Whilst this is a paid service, it does reach out to over 500 book clubs in the UK, and can also arrange virtual Q&A sessions on your behalf.
Contact The Book Network to learn more about the Book Club Outreach Service here.
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6. Visit Conventions
Literary conventions and festivals are among the most important ways that writers can promote their books, be they established mainstream authors or independent hopefuls. Visit any convention local to your area and you can gather a sense of the scope and effectiveness of self-promotion and what it entails.
It is highly worth your while to reach out to the people organising these events and propose your book promotion to them. Some literary events even hold open mic sessions, giving you a grand opportunity to explain your work to a live audience.
Conventions and festivals are constantly happening, and you should explore ones local to your area right away. They are a vibrant way of keeping the excitement of the book world alive, and one you should make yourself a part of.
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7. Use The BBC Upload Service
The BBC Upload service is part of BBC Sounds and is a great no-strings-attached opportunity for people to upload content to their local area. This of course includes content related to you and your book…
…And yet, not everybody is aware that this valuable opportunity exists.
As well as giving you a chance to reach out to audiences, the BBC has created this service to showcase creativity to their platform, meaning they are actively seeking talented people and their work. In short, they are eager to hear what you have to say, and if they like what they hear, further exposure can arise from the opportunity, so why miss out?
Simply select your local area from the list so that your local BBC Upload Team can hear your upload. You can create an audio profile about yourself and your book, and even record a reading of the first chapter. It’s free of charge and can yield wonderful results.
Discover more about the BBC Upload Service here
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8. List Your E-book
You can make your book available in more than one place, and it’s free.
Amazon KDP is just one outlet where you can sell your book for free. Apple eBook, Barnes & Noble Press, and Rakuten Kobo’s Writing Life, also allow free uploads for writers, meaning you can diversify your listing across many platforms and reach a wider audience. Having a formidable list of reputable sites also adds to the credibility of your profile as a self-published and independent writer.
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9. Use Book Promotion Websites
Sites like Goodreads are a quick and efficient way for curious readers to discover more about an author. Goodreads is so widely used that NOT being on the platform is an alarm bell in itself. Like Amazon KDP, registering for a promotion site is straightforward and gives the right impression for readers discovering you for the first time.
The star review system also means that your popularity as a writer can be gauged by readers at first glance. So long as the reception is positive, this can swiftly snowball more attention towards you and your books.
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10. Use ALL The Features Of Amazon KDP
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing is one of the most popular and widely known services for authors looking to sell ebooks, though not everybody uses all of the features available.
It’s important to create a strong and up-to-date author’s profile on Amazon, photograph included, as well as clear descriptions of all of your books. Also, be sure to take full advantage of offers and free downloads to make your book an appealing grab for anybody who has just found your profile.
For some valuable help on how to create a striking book description, check out The Book Network’s Quick Guide on Creating the Perfect Amazon Book Description.
If you’d like us to help you publish your book on KDP, we offer a service to assist you every step of the way. Please contact us to request more information.
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11. Offer Samples & Free Copies
Simply put, you can get readers to notice your work by offering them something for nothing.
It makes perfect sense that somebody looking for a new title may be hesitant to invest when they know nothing about the author or their writing. So offering sample chapters or timed free downloads is the friendliest way to make your work known. Sites such as Amazon specialise in these deals, and they are highly recommended for anybody promoting their books for the first time.
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12. Get Involved In Your Niche
If you know your audience and you know your genre, then you have the best insight into what your readers want, and therefore how to effectively market your book. You will also want to keep updated on all the latest news related to your genre of choice.
Embedding yourself in your niche and studying how other successful writers make it all work can give you the best lessons from the get-go. Doing so will then allow you an intuitive feel for how to represent yourself on your website, social media and press releases so that you and your work can appeal to your readers in all the best ways.
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13. Contribute To A Strong Community
Reading and writing have always been based on strong communities, and today’s technology has made reaching out to like-minded readers easier than ever. Book clubs aren’t the only place where people get to talk about their favourite titles. Platforms such as Facebook are constantly giving rise to new communities and sub-communities who eagerly discuss all things related to the novels of their choice.
Making a strong contribution to these communities, via posts, conversations and ideas, can gather vital appreciation from some potentially devoted readers. They can also give you a feel for what those readers value the most.
Create your own Facebook group here
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14. Have A Strong Social Media Profile
The majority of readers looking to commit to a new book will naturally be drawn to the most professional-looking writers. And that means having an extremely strong social media profile.
Whatever social media sites you use, it’s important to keep consistent across platforms, post regularly, and make it super easy for audiences to discover your work. From this, they can learn what you are about, and remain up to date with all the latest news and deals regarding your writing.
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15. Develop And Plan Your Own Social Media Strategy
When you start using social media to promote your book, you might realise that there is a great deal more to it than first meets the eye. It is therefore good to give yourself a clear strategy beforehand, so you never find yourself stuck on what to post on your social media pages.
Posts of interest for your audience could include topics relating to your book or its genre, celebratory milestones, date of publication, a cover reveal, or any important events you may be attending. Mapping this out in advance is a great way of staying on top of your socials. It also gives you a scope of how much detail goes into online book promotion.
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16. #Booktok
BookTok is a sub-community of TikTok that has skyrocketed in popularity, where many writers, bloggers and influencers can talk about novels they have read and/or written.
Not only that, but users have developed a huge online following because of it.
With Booktok being a proven method of effectively bringing your writing and your voice to a wide and passionate audience, this is a highly recommended opportunity that any new self-published and independent writer should get a handle on.
Discover what other writers are doing on #Booktok here
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17. Keep Yourself Relevant
For better or worse, the rapid delivery of content in today’s electronic world means that keeping your online presence constantly rejuvenated is a must. Be sure to post consistently and regularly on your social media platforms, add any new credentials to your online profiles, and remain a part of the conversation in your genre of choice!
Reminding readers that you ‘exist in the now’ is a surefire way to retain their interest, and keep your books at the forefront of relevancy, even if they were written a year or more ago.
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18. Create Your Website
Alongside having a strong social media presence, your website is an essential tool for promoting yourself and your written work concisely and professionally.
It’s the tidiest and easiest way for audiences to learn what you are about, and there are many ways you can do it for free.
Think of it as your base of operations, and a place where readers can go to branch off and find all of your other platforms, be they social media, audio-visual media, or outlets to purchase your work.
To give the best impression of yourself, a website should contain profiles of you and your writing, be easy to navigate, and remain up to date when new books are published or when new credentials are achieved.
The Book Network also provides a great service that creates author websites.
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19. Create A Mailing List
Emails are an active form of communication that has IN NO WAY stagnated through the rise of social media. As well as a website, you should have a mailing list.
Emails allow you to have ownership over the information you give to your readers, outside of the strictures of social media platforms. Whilst important in its own right, social media tends to have a habit of continuously altering the rules of its platforms… which is of course beyond your control.
Once signed up to your mailing list, readers can receive all the latest news, offers, press releases and more, completely at your behest, making for a more direct and personal line of communication which is tailored specifically to suit you and your audience.
Control and consistency are guaranteed, as is the ability to be your boss as a self-published independent author.
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20. Create A Press Release
Press releases are a good and non-intrusive way of getting readers’ attention, whilst giving the right impression of you as a professional writer.
Press releases can be emailed to individual readers on a mailing list, or they can be sent to writers, bloggers, vloggers and influencers who will no doubt be looking for an interesting piece to cover. A well-crafted press kit, giving people everything they need to know is an essential way of helping you ‘look the business’.
The Book Network can help you create your professional-looking press release.
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21. Blog/Vlog Whenever You Can
Dedicated readers are often curious about the people behind their favourite titles, and so having your own blog or vlog is a great way of communicating more about yourself and how you see the world to your reader.
This doesn’t mean you’re obliged to disclose the innermost details of your everyday life. It’s more of a way to clue audiences in on some of your interests and passions outside the microcosm of your book, aka favourite books, films, music, etc…
Doing this regularly can help maintain a friendly relationship with your readers, as well as nurture an active and positive community that will last. It also means that when the time comes to promote your book, the process is that much more organic.
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22. Reach Out To Other Bloggers
With a great deal of readers’ trust being placed in reputable bloggers and influencers, it’s a good idea to put your book on the radar by reaching out to writers, video makers, or influencers in your niche.
Doing so can gather some charismatic objective commentary on your work that people are sure to pay attention to. Whatever your niche, there will be a guaranteed abundance of content creators flying the flag, and making your presence known to them is a big step in gathering the right kind of attention.
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23. Collaborate With Podcasters And YouTubers
Videos and podcasts are widely used platforms to discuss a great number of things, and books are no exception. With so many podcasts and YouTube channels solely dedicated to the world of literature, it’s a no-brainer that you get involved. Keep in mind that content creators are constantly searching for a topic of discussion, so putting yourself on their radar can yield great results quickly.
Consider becoming a guest on other people’s channels, be it as an interviewee promoting your material, or simply to involve yourself in a book-related conversation! Audiences will have an ideal way to hear your voice and gather a sense of what you, the writer, can offer them.
