Your best route for promotion?

[Mi_De]

I was curious to know what promotional avenues self-published authors have found to yield the best sales results.

[bektamun]

Can only speak for myself, I haven't found any one particular method or avenue to win out over others. For me it's a combination of guest blogging, blog tours, book reviews, social networking and getting the next piece of work out there.

[Old Hack]

You might like to read this.

[Mi_De]

I appreciate the input. Thank you both!

[merrihiatt]

For me it has been writing the next book and writing trilogies or series.

[Michael Davis]

Actually wrote an article on this topic. Over four years I collected site hit data correlated to 2 dozen promote avenues and the top performers where reviews, awards, free Lister sites, and reciprocal linking. Worst performers where ads, general contests, newsletters and Social networks. Yeah, I know that surprised me too, but that was what happened for me. I talked with a dozen author friends and 80% agreed so could be an individual thing. If ya want to view the entire article go to Davisstories.com, scroll down list side to yellow box "Want to write a novel" and it'll take ya to a bunch of articles I put up for a workshop I give. Check the one entitled Comparative benefit of promotion avenues down left side.

[Blondieco]

I just received detailed advice from a mid level author. Since I'm writing non traditional true crime myself, his advice was really good I thought. I think that posting it will help others. I excluded the name of his book and used BLANK BOOK inserted into his sentences.
And remember, he is speaking specifically about 'niche markets' here in his commentary....

I have been surprised with the reception for my book. I don't work with agents or mainstream publishers because I don't see where they can add anything to the process anymore where a book is written for a niche market. In the case of true crime, those publishers have robotic elements they follow to the letter, including the rule that every true crime book must have a murder that is solved with a conviction. I don't have that in BLANK BOOK, which is more of a memoir than a formulaic true crime title. But the book has sold about 7,000 to 8,000 copies and continues to sell at a rate of three or four copies per day. Most of that comes on ereaders. Besides my Kindle edition, I also have an account at SmashWords, which distributes self-published title to Apple, Sony, Kobo and others. I also have a separate account with B&N for the Nook, so I am distributing on many channels. Kindle is easily the most successful and Amazon ensures marketing on its own with those emails to buyers of certain genres and links to similar books. If you haven't visited the SmashWords web site for those other channels, I highly recommend it. SW will distribute to B&N and Amazon, too, but I prefer to do those on my own because I have more control over the book-detail and description pages.

My strategy when I published BLANK BOOK was to enter it into contests and see how it would do. I also found some reviewers on sites like POD People (for print on demand) and ReaderViews. Positive reviews and contest results bolstered my confidence and inspired me to invest a little bit in marketing. There are many aspects to what I call guerrilla marketing. Don't forget to visit the website called GoodReads. You can run a giveaway there for millions of book readers. Offer one copy of your book and GoodReads will run the giveaway. In the course of a month while it is offered, you'll have expsure to hundreds of potential readers who merely submit their names for the lottery. One person wins it, and you send a copy of the book. Along the way, however, your book has been seen by hundreds of readers searching the giveaways. With self-published books, it is important to provide potential buyers with confidence that the book is properly edited and well-written. To accomplish that, I entered it in as many contests as possible in the true crime and general nonfiction categories.

[henry_krinkle]

Originally Posted by Blondieco

My strategy when I published BLANK BOOK was to enter it into contests and see how it would do. I also found some reviewers on sites like POD People (for print on demand) and ReaderViews.

I just visited this ReaderViews Site, and I would NOT recommend it. It's a business that provides you with positive reviews only if you pay them. Not only is this incredibly unethical, how much exposure do you expect to get out of this site? This is the first time I've even heard of it.

[Old Hack]

Originally Posted by Blondieco

I just received detailed advice from a mid level author. Since I'm writing non traditional true crime myself, his advice was really good I thought. I think that posting it will help others. I excluded the name of his book and used BLANK BOOK inserted into his sentences.
And remember, he is speaking specifically about 'niche markets' here in his commentary....

I have been surprised with the reception for my book. I don't work with agents or mainstream publishers because I don't see where they can add anything to the process anymore where a book is written for a niche market. In the case of true crime, those publishers have robotic elements they follow to the letter, including the rule that every true crime book must have a murder that is solved with a conviction. I don't have that in BLANK BOOK, which is more of a memoir than a formulaic true crime title. But the book has sold about 7,000 to 8,000 copies and continues to sell at a rate of three or four copies per day. Most of that comes on ereaders. Besides my Kindle edition, I also have an account at SmashWords, which distributes self-published title to Apple, Sony, Kobo and others. I also have a separate account with B&N for the Nook, so I am distributing on many channels. Kindle is easily the most successful and Amazon ensures marketing on its own with those emails to buyers of certain genres and links to similar books. If you haven't visited the SmashWords web site for those other channels, I highly recommend it. SW will distribute to B&N and Amazon, too, but I prefer to do those on my own because I have more control over the book-detail and description pages.

My strategy when I published BLANK BOOK was to enter it into contests and see how it would do. I also found some reviewers on sites like POD People (for print on demand) and ReaderViews. Positive reviews and contest results bolstered my confidence and inspired me to invest a little bit in marketing. There are many aspects to what I call guerrilla marketing. Don't forget to visit the website called GoodReads. You can run a giveaway there for millions of book readers. Offer one copy of your book and GoodReads will run the giveaway. In the course of a month while it is offered, you'll have expsure to hundreds of potential readers who merely submit their names for the lottery. One person wins it, and you send a copy of the book. Along the way, however, your book has been seen by hundreds of readers searching the giveaways. With self-published books, it is important to provide potential buyers with confidence that the book is properly edited and well-written. To accomplish that, I entered it in as many contests as possible in the true crime and general nonfiction categories.

Do you have the author's permission to quote him at such length here? Because if not, there's a problem.