(photo by Feridun F. Alkaya)
You’ve published a book. Congratulations! Maybe you think the hardest part is over, but really it has only begun. Now it’s time to spread the word.
As an Indie Author, you need to hustle to build buzz, and it’s not a one-time deal. If you want readers to know about your work and buy your books, then you need to let them know about them.
Here are 7 sites that I personally use to help build my readership. I’d like to share them with you because I think they can help build up your fan base, too.
2) Goodreads
6) Awesome Gang
7) Book Goodies
1)Library Thing is a great site that connects authors with readers. They have over 2.6 million members and over 160 million books cataloged, and their community keeps growing. Signing up is completely free. You catalog the books you are reading. You can even borrow and loan material. As an author, you can post up to 5 of your published books on their site for free. You can also create an author profile. They have other writing resources as well.
2)Goodreads is a real juggernaut. If you’re an author, you need to be on it. If you’re a reader, you need to be on it, too. Get the picture.
Goodreads has bloomed into a launch platform in and of itself. Everybody seems to be on it now, and it is an essential part of every aspiring author’s diet. If you haven’t become a part of it, you need to join now.
When you get there, make sure you do these 5 things promptly. 1) Setup your Author Page and Bio 2) Request Friends 3) Join Groups 4)Connect your Blog to Goodreads (if you’ve never blogged before, you can set up a blog right on your author dashboard) 5) Add the books you are reading (it’s important to stay active)
Above all else, you need to be an active participant. Creating a Bio and sticking a few books on their site will not cut the mustard. Even if you connect with 100 readers, it means nothing if you don’t make regular updates and connect with others.
3)Book Reader Magazine happens to be one of my favorites. This is one of the best sites for an upcoming author. There are no gatekeepers here to shut you out. Book Reader Magazine is always on the lookout for great new writers who want to share their work.
They are an especially good site for authors who have a Book Series.
4)Pretty-Hot Books is part of an author promotion network that also includes Awesome Gang and Discount Book Man. They have a loyal base of readers and actively post on social media. They have a very wide range of book categories to choose from, including Business, Cooking, Healthy Living, LGBT, Action/Adventure, Memoir, and Sci-Fi, Poetry, and Paranormal Romance.
I have been interviewed on their site, and I was very proud to have had an opportunity to engage with their staff. Start with a free marketing campaign and see how it works out. From there, you can go for a featured author promo.
5)Best Book Monkey is another great site for Indie Authors. They have a dedicated following of readers and a wonderful newsletter. They offer many different promotional packages at very reasonable rates. They also offer FREE Book promotions which is a great way to build some buzz and improve your Amazon rankings. They work with both Fiction and Non-fiction authors in practically all genres. First-time authors on a shoestring budget should definitely add Best Book Monkey to their marketing platform.
I recently used them for my own Nebilon Series marketing campaign and saw a noticeable jump in my Amazon ranking on the days of my promotion.
6)Awesome Gang is another great site. They are also run by the same people who run Pretty-Hot Books. They have an excellent newsletter, and they do a Featured Author arranged by genre. You should connect with them to set up an author interview. They are very accommodating, and so far, I have only had good experiences using their services.
7)Book Goodies is also worth checking out, but at the moment, there seems to be a high demand for listing on their site. At the time of this blogpost, the wait-time for listing was about up to 4 weeks. But the wait is well worth it. They have a loyal base of readers, a wonderful newsletter, and lots of giveaways. They also have a large section for Non-fiction books, including How-to, Biography, Mind and Spirit, Crafts and Hobbies, Faith and Religion, Travel, Pet, and Gardening Books.
I hope you found this article helpful. Remember you are building a readership. It takes time and stamina. Keep writing and good luck!
