I am a new author and, like most, I want people to learn about and purchase my book. I've followed all the links and suggestions from other authors and book promoters about where and how to advertise. Some have been helpful, some not so much.
For many advertisement sites, it seems like nothing more than spamming your book cover and blurb in people's faces which annoys even me. And looking at the author posts on this forum, I notice that most have a handful of views but no one is engaging with the author to discuss what their book is about or what a reader might learn from it.
Then it occurred to me- why am I taking suggestions from other authors when I should be asking potential readers how they'd like to be approached?
So, how do all of you, as readers, prefer to learn about new books? Is it through an author's social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, website/ blog, etc.)? Do book ads on forums or from e-mail lists you subscribe to get your attention? Do you search Amazon for subjects of interest?
I'd love to be educated by my potential audience rather than other "salesman" authors like myself. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
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How do readers prefer to learn about new books?
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josette
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Getting Comfortable
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Re: How do readers prefer to learn about new books?
If I'm familiar with the author, I find out about their latest releases from their twitter account.
Otherwise I search for genre's I'm interested in, from Goodreads.
Otherwise I search for genre's I'm interested in, from Goodreads.
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stefandiamante
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Official Newbie!
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- Location: Arkansas
Re: How do readers prefer to learn about new books?
I'm also a first time author and what I've seen so far is a lot of smoke and mirrors. Twitter is filled with authors posting large followings and rave reviews. Most of these reviews were bought, and having 50k followers doesn't mean anything when you're following 60k people. Those are simply reciprocal follows out of politeness. That said, the marketing rules are different for fiction vs. nonfiction.
What I'm learning at the moment is that, to sell my nonfiction book, I'll need to cross market it with something else that further cements my credibility on the topics covered in my book. In my case, I'm currently working on producing dance fitness videos aimed at women and using my background as a seasoned male stripper (which is what my memoir covers) as the main selling point. Since my book is evergreen, I at least have the luxury of building sales slowly.
What I'm learning at the moment is that, to sell my nonfiction book, I'll need to cross market it with something else that further cements my credibility on the topics covered in my book. In my case, I'm currently working on producing dance fitness videos aimed at women and using my background as a seasoned male stripper (which is what my memoir covers) as the main selling point. Since my book is evergreen, I at least have the luxury of building sales slowly.
