- Buy their book for others as a gift. Think of which friends and relatives would enjoy the book/novel. Buy it for them as either a birthday gift or holiday gift. Get copies signed if possible to make gifts special. Even people who don’t read many novels will still take note if a gifted book is personalized and autographed.
- When you actually read the book, read it where people can see it. Read it in public. Leave it out for people to see.
- Leave a review on Amazon or BN.com or Goodreads or all. Reviews are still very important. Those first 10-20 reviews really matter and can set a book on the right path. (Note: You can leave the same review on all sites to save time.)
- “Like” the book on Amazon, “or both. I heard from a literary agent once that the more “Likes” a book had on its Amazon page, the more frequent it turned up in Amazon’s comparable titles elsewhere.
- Follow the author’s Social Media sites
- Attend or host a book release party and bring a warm body or two.
- Spread news of the book through your social media channels. When the author mentions it on Facebook, share the news with your social circles and include a small note about what the book is and why they should buy it. In other words, spreading the word by saying “My friend got published!” is nice — but it’s better to say, “This new book by my hilarious friend is a great gift for dads who are raising daughters. Laugh-out-loud-funny stuff for all fathers to enjoy!” See how the second one targets people in a simple-yet-specific way? Do this kind of targeting when you spread the word via Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, or blogs.
- If you have media contacts or know people of influence, arrange a connection.
- Have them speak to your team, club, company or professional association. Authors need two things – book sales and exposure to new audiences.
- Have your team and/or your book club read it.
- Feature them in your blog, podcast, or newsletter.
- Recommend your friend’s book to your local librarians or buy a copy and donate it to the library. Encourage them to buy the book. Let them know if the book is by a local author. Note: Libraries often order copies of books based on the inquiries they receive for the book.
- Recommend your friend’s book to your local bookstores. Let them know if the book is by a local author. Bookstores also stock books based on demand. The more people who ask about a book, the more likely it is that the bookstore will stock the book.
- CafePress your friend’s book. Upload your friend’s book cover to CafePress, and then order a T-shirt or two, a golf shirt, an umbrella, a kitchen magnet, a book bag. Then wear the apparel or use the item to help showcase your friend’s book.
The Confident Athlete: 4 Easy Steps to Build and Maintain Confident
Tami Matheny
Twitter: @tamimatheny
tami@r2l.mysites.io