It’s the rare book that somehow goes virulent and captures the public’s attention and admiration all on its own. Indeed, around 800 books are published daily in just the United States alone, so no matter how good your book is, the odds of it even being noticed are nil at best.

The reality is that indie authors and those who self-publish need to market their own books.

For most authors, the idea of marketing their book is anathema. Marketing for many literary writers means using guilt and fear to convince people to buy a product. Even for those authors who don’t hold such a view, they probably never studied marketing and have no idea of how to begin such an effort.

But the reality is that unless you’re satisfied with your book languishing in anonymity, you need a marketing plan to promote your book. As a minimum, you’ll need to do the following:
• Website – An online presence that at the least tells about your book and you the author as well as providing a sample chapter is necessary for almost any book. A website offers the media and fans who want to know more about the book and the author a place to obtain that information.
• Press releases – Once your book is available for sale, you’ll need to send press releases to media outlets in your hometown as well as to bloggers and periodicals that cover your title’s subject.
• Public appearances – If you’re a novelist, a book reading is a great way to connect with fans. If you wrote a nonfiction book, speak at conferences related to its subject. Radio interviews are another good way to get out the word about your book.

There’s a lot more you can do, from making business cards to even advertising. It’s a broad topic – broad enough that I’ve dedicated another book in my 7 Minutes a Day… series to it: 7 Minutes a Day to Promoting Your Book.

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My name is Rob Bignell. I’m an affordable, professional editor who runs Inventing Reality Editing Service, which meets the manuscript needs of writers both new and published. I also offer a variety of self-publishing services. During the past decade, I’ve helped more than 300 novelists and nonfiction authors obtain their publishing dreams at reasonable prices. I’m also the author of the 7 Minutes a Day… writing guidebooks, four nonfiction hiking guidebook series, and the literary novel Windmill. Several of my short stories in the literary and science fiction genres also have been published.