Writing a good book doesn’t confirm that you’ll sell more copies of your books. Remember that you have to focus on marketing to achieve your book sales goals.
If you have a marketing strategy for promoting the book and want to improve it, you’re at the right place. Keep reading this blog to find ten book marketing mistakes you must avoid at all costs – let’s dive in!
1. Not Choosing a Good Cover Design
The book cover design holds more importance than more writers think. A good cover makes your book stand out and makes people interested in buying your book.
Choosing a good cover for your book is not as difficult as you might think. You don’t necessarily have to learn to design to make a cover for your book. You can rely on a freelance book cover designer to get a book cover that properly highlights your book’s contents.
2. Not Building Your Website
One of the best ways to connect with your readers online is by relying on your website. Your website makes it easier to provide all your books, thoughts, interviews, etc., in one place.
Building a website is not as difficult as most writers think. It’s a misconception that a person has to pay a lot of money to get their website up and running. Contrary to popular belief, you can set up your website even if you’re not good at coding.
Make sure you spend your time learning how you can build your website from scratch. Doing so will help you create a website that attracts more readers and helps you get discovered through search engines.
3. Not Growing Your Email List
Many people think that email is no longer as effective as it used to be. However, the truth is that email is still the most reliable channel for communication. Your email list can help you inform your readers about your new books and encourage them to support you by buying your books.
Building your email list from scratch is not as difficult as you might think. You can use your website to add people to your mailing list in no time. After that, you can use your email list to market your books effectively.
4. Not Getting Followers on Socials
Social media can help you grow your influence online and sell more copies of your book in no time. Many writers think they have to “write” 24/7 and should not waste their time on social media.
There’s no denying that social media can affect your productivity if you don’t use it the right way. However, you should set some time aside from your daily routine to build your social presence. Doing so will allow you to inform your audience about your new releases and your writing journey.
Getting started with social media branding is not difficult at all. You can read online resources to successfully build and manage your social profiles the right way.
5. Not Learning About Amazon
Selling your books on Amazon is the easiest way to grow your book sales. If you don’t rely on Amazon, you won’t be able to grow your readership and achieve your sales goals.
Many writers think they only have to rely on their websites to sell their books. However, the truth is that you must not ignore Amazon if you don’t want your book to fail.
It’s not as difficult to get started with Amazon as most writers think. Creating your Author’s account and getting your books featured on Amazon is fairly easy. You can read online guides to benefit from Amazon as a writer.
6. Not Running Ads Online
Many writers think they need fancy billboards and TV ads to promote their books. There’s no denying that print media or TV ads can benefit you, but you don’t necessarily need those ads to increase your readership.
Online advertising can make it easier for you to get discovered and persuade people to buy your books. You can run ads on social media or search engines even if you are on a tight budget. And you can always boost your online advertising budget when you get results from your online ad campaigns.
7. Not Identifying Your Target Audience
You don’t have to target everyone to sell more copies of your books. Instead of trying to appeal to every book reader in the world, you have to identify the set of readers that fall in your target audience.
Finding your target audience as a reader is not as difficult as you might think. You don’t have to conduct lengthy surveys to identify the habits of your readers. Instead, all you need is a simple audience persona that allows you to connect with your readers the right way.
8. Not Expanding Your Network
Relying on your network is the best way to sell more copies of your book. Skilled writers and editors in your professional network can encourage their target audience to read your books. Therefore, if you want to sell your books effectively, you have to grow your network.
Expanding your network is not as difficult as you might think. You don’t necessarily have to spend hours and hours daily to find people writers and editors.
Instead, all you need to do is to focus on social platforms. You can easily connect with writers through Facebook and other social networks in no time. Another thing you can do is join the local organizations for writers.
9. Not Improving Your Communication Skills
You’ll have to get in touch with a lot of new people when you start marketing your book. If you don’t have good communication skills, you won’t be able to achieve your sales goals.
You need to sharpen your communication skills so you don’t find it difficult to connect with people. You can enroll in online courses to boost your communication skills in no time.
10. Not Editing Your Book
Nobody will want to read your book if it’s full of mistakes. You have to get your book edited before you publish it. It’s better to rely on a professional editor who can read your manuscript to ensure that it’s free from deadly mistakes.