4 Ways to Promote Your Book - for Free

Once you’ve written your book, it’s not enough to simply upload it online and expect orders to roll right in. You have to actively promote your book. There are people out there who will love your book, find it useful, become fans, start following you, and turn into perfect leads for your business, but you have to proactively go out and find your audience.

This is easy to do online. You just need to find opportunities to engage with potential readers and share your book. There are many ways to do this that are easy and effective.

Update Your Online Profiles

Put a short blurb about your book on all of your online profiles; this includes your website and all social media platforms. Mention your book with a link where people can buy it on your social media profiles. Put a link to your book in your email signatures and forum signatures (if the forum allows it). Wherever you have a presence online, make sure it mentions the book and, if possible, includes a link.

Guest Post on Other People's Blogs

Publish guest posts on other people’s blogs. Seek out blogs that are related to your topic and whose readers would find your book interesting. Reach out to the owners of these blogs and offer them a high-quality piece of content in exchange for a mention of your book. It’s a win-win for both parties.

The post itself doesn’t need to mention your book. Just choose a topic that’s relevant to the blog’s readers. Tackle a common problem they face and offer a solution that works for it. You’ll mention your book in your author bio. This is the perfect place to promote your book that seems a natural "content upgrade." Readers who enjoy your article will then check out your book.

Ask for Feedback

Nothing helps sell a book like social proof. It has much more impact when another person sings your praises than you yourself. You can reach out to readers and ask them to leave feedback, or give away copies in exchange for a review. You can then:

• Ask them to review you on Amazon or other review sites (although Amazon does like to feature "verified buyers")
• Solicit a review to put on your website, blog, or social media
• Ask readers to take a photo of themselves reading your book or do something that's whimsical and fun. This works great for Pinterest and other visual platforms.
• Give your book to influential bloggers and ask them write a review.

Seek Out Interviews

Whenever an author puts out a new book, you’ll see them making the rounds of TV talk shows and podcasts. You can do the same. Reach out to podcasts, internet radio shows, YouTube influencers, and anywhere else where you could be interviewed. Make a (brief) pitch to the show, emphasizing the benefits of featuring you in exchange for a mention of your book. Of course, you are the expert on your topic, so you can benefit their audience, right?

Start by considering where your potential audience is finding content online and then think about how you can put yourself, your expertise, and your book in front of them. 

Bottom line is this: If you want to position yourself as the expert on your topic, publishing a book is one of the best ways to do that. However, you have to take the lead and promote it. There are plenty of paid ways to do this, including investing in a "best-seller" campaign, Facebook and Google advertising, and even paying a media strategist to find interviews for you. The good news is that the investment should pay you back handsomely because you'll be attracting new clients and other opportunities, not just book sales.

Again, where your attention goes, energy flows!  

Want to learn more about how you can get started writing your book? Download my free resource, 5 Steps to Becoming a Published Author in 20 Minutes a Day. Just go here.

Carol Ann DeSimine is a Creative Business Coach and Book Mentor and the Founder of align.believe.create on-purpose coaching and The Goddess Way to Thrive in Business. Her signature book-writing program, Just Do It, Write Now! Start Your Movement 90-day Book Plan helps aspiring authors go 'from concept to completion' to write and publish a powerful book.