Nothing strikes fear in an author’s heart like the prospect of self-promotion. Most of us are introverted bookaholics content to spend our days blissfully writing. Yet, creating a sellable book is just the beginning. Without promotion and a lot of buzz, readers will never know your book exists.

And as an Indie Author, it’s hard to cut through all the book marketing that exists.

There are some tried and true strategies that can help your book get noticed by current and new fans.

PR 101: Be sure you have taken all the necessary public relations steps to establish yourself as an author. A professional photo, author bio, and website are must-haves before promoting a book. Everything that you do after this point will build upon these basics.

Book Reviews: Racking up reviews before the launch of a book is a great way to spread the word about your upcoming release. Taking advantage of a Review Team or book bloggers is a wise step in creating book buzz.   

Press Release: Yes, even in our digital world the good ol’ press release is still important! Think of it as the essential document to garner interest with local media, reviewers, bloggers, and perhaps even the local six o’clock news. The press release should not only follow a conventional format, but may also include quotes from reviews, links to your social sites, links to booksellers, as well as general specifications: paperback or hardcover, page count, and genre.

Live Video Chat: Live video, such as Facebook Live,  is a great way to engage readers about an upcoming release. This is an ideal way to interact with readers about your book by having an Author Q&A coupled with a giveaway. An added benefit is that the video is recorded and can be posted on another social site, in eNewsletters, or on your website for continual viewing.

Pursuing these activities as well as your regular promotional efforts such as eNewsletters, social media engagement, and co-promotions with other authors will surely create the buzz your forthcoming book deserves.