Indie Author Tips

On this post, you'll learn:

  1. Tips to improve your indie author book sales
  2. Inexpensive resources from trusted professionals (no so-called guru book marketing courses recommended)

Book marketing plays a crucial role in a self-publisher's journey to success, yet it’s often overwhelming.

After years of honing my approach, I understand how a solid marketing strategies can mean the difference between gaining awareness and being overlooked.

My goal is to ensure your book reaches its audience, which is why we’ve gathered our top book marketing resources right here for you.

After making lots of indie publishing mistakes, I learned the following the hard, costly way by researching and - testing, testing, testing!

But these questions need answering first:

Q 1. Can you treat your publishing like a small business?
Set up and organise your writing schedule, social media posts, author newsletters and publishing.
Q 2. Do you want to achieve, at first, moderate success that you can build on?
Q 3. Are you prepared to learn about effective book marketing? 
Facebook posts aren't marketing, and Facebook and Amazon ads aren't particularly effective for indies without a decent ranking on Amazon and lots of money to invest in ads, they cost a fortune if not done properly, and there is a big learning curve. Even then, very few authors are successful with them.
Other techniques are easier, work as well and cost a lot less!
Q.4. Are you prepared to accept that readers DO JUDGE a book by its COVER 
Poor amateurish covers are off putting to most readers and kill potential sales instantly. The wrong fonts, titles, childlike images and poor typography.
Q. Do you want to earn 70% royalties on most sales?
Traditional publishers pay between 7%/12% and offer very little marketing support, unless it's one of the new bread of indie publishers such as Joffe Books who pay 50% royalties (however, they sell a lot of 99p books. Amazon pays 0,34p on a 99p book. But Joffe is worth considering.
Responses I've heard from several great indie authors over the years:
I hate marketing and don't do hardly any  = very low or zero sales.
 
My friend does my covers I don't want to offend him/her, or I make my own covers. They are original and unique.
Unless you are a decent cover/graphic designer with a specific knowledge of genre tropes and typography, this is a BIG No, No = very low or zero sales
 
I work full-time and just want to write, or I'm retired and just want to write.
Harsh reality - (both are perfectly understandable, but unless you sign a great publishing deal or are extremely lucky, don't expect much exposure to your books) = very low or zero sales

 

Advice in order of priority

#1. Build A Subscriber/Fan Base With A Free Reader Magnet

Start by offering a free eBook from the series you most want to promote. Send a newsletter to subscribers twice a month, sharing book-related content, asking engaging questions, and offering insights into your life.

Always include links to your social media, blog, etc., in each email, and promote 99p/99c discounts and freebies. Engaged readers on your list are essential for achieving a ranking on Amazon, as they are more likely to purchase your books.

Without a subscriber base, it can be twice as difficult for an indie author to sell books!

#2. Focus On One Genre Initially

Multi-genre authors often struggle to build an audience as readers find it hard to identify what type of author they are. Only well-established authors or indie writers with a substantial mailing list and strong marketing strategies can successfully manage multiple genres.

#3. Make The Most Of Amazon As A Search Engine

Amazon is more than a bookstore; it's a powerful search engine. Here’s how to make the most of it:

  • Use targeted search terms and keywords for your books.
  • Place your book in relevant but less competitive subcategories.
  • Ensure your cover aligns with the genre and resembles bestsellers, as covers that are too original may stand out for the wrong reasons.
  • Make sure the book’s interior format is clean, and that the prologue or first chapter is compelling enough to encourage readers to purchase or download the book.

#4. Avoid Targeting Big-Name Traditionally Published Author Fans 

Readers loyal to the well known published authors and paperback editions rarely buy indie books and often consider them inferior.

  • Instead, target the Kindle and Kindle Unlimited markets on Amazon. Avid paperback buyers are unlikely to switch to Kindle (some do, but not enough). I’ve found that focusing on eBook sales, despite my own love for physical books, has been far more profitable.
  • Amazon offers around £0.34 on an £9 paperback, while a Kindle book priced at £2.99 can earn £2.00 in royalties. Most successful indie authors earn the bulk of their income from Kindle, and Kindle Unlimited sales. This affirms why you should treat your publishing like a small business. 

A little proof to confirm this...

 

 

Highly Recommended Books:

 

Strangers To Superfans: A Marketing Guide to the Reader Journey (Let's Get Publishing Book 2) by David Gaughran.

David Gaughran's techniques are invaluable. Understanding your readers’ needs and preferences is critical for connecting with them.

From the author of Let's Get Digital and Amazon Decoded, this book will change how you think about marketing. Strangers to Superfans puts you in the shoes of your Ideal Reader, and forces you to view marketing from their perspective.

  • Learn the five stages in the Reader Journey.
  • Identify where your blockages are and how to fix them.
  • Optimize each stage to increase conversion.
  • Boost sales by making the process frictionless.
  • Build an army of passionate readers who do the selling for you.


The Reader Journey is a new marketing paradigm that maps out the journey your Ideal Readers take in their transformation from Strangers to Superfans.

 

 

5 Steps To Author Success: Write Books Readers Love and Become a Full-Time Writer by Rachel McClean

This book offers actionable advice from an extremely successful indie author.

The key to becoming a bestselling author is to understand what readers love.

Are you trying to get published?
Are you a self published author with great reviews but disappointing sales?

I was just like you.
After three years of publishing, I was no closer to my goal of being a full time author.

So I took a good hard look at my author career to see what I needed to change.

Two years later, I’ve sold over 400,000 books and have had multiple books in the Amazon UK Top 100.

This book is the story of how I did it - and how you can use what I learned to become a bestseller too.

 

 

Newsletter Ninja: How to Become an Author Mailing List Expert

Perfect for building and engaging a subscriber list.

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