So you’re a published author. You have your book, you’ve got your book tour scheduled, or you’re just looking to promote your book. One great way to do this is through giveaways. But obviously you want success. How do you do that?
Why are giveaways helpful for self-published authors?
This can be a great way to get your book out there. Someone wins the giveaway, they read the book, they tell their family and friends about the book. Then more people read it, and the cycle continues. You can reach many people this way.
Here’s another way that the cycle works. Someone (I’ll get to who in a second) hosts a giveaway of your book. They explain what your book is about. People get interested. Those people who don’t win the giveaway still are interested in your book. They buy the book. Continue earlier cycle.
Here’s another way. (Again, I’ll get to the specifics in a few.) People read the book for free. They write reviews. Good for you.
Where do I do giveaways?
There are a couple of ways. One – blogs, blogs, blogs. You can do this as a part of a virtual book tour or on its own.
Another – sign up to list your e-book for free with Kindle Direct Publishing. This isn’t a formal giveaway, but if you self publish with Kindle Direct Publishing, you can list your book for free for a select period of time. This gets you excellent publicity, and can lead to reviews.
How many should I do?
This is up to you. The most important thing is to not do too many. This will get people to just wait for your next giveaway instead of buying it.
I would suggest spacing them out, too.
What’s the deal with free e-books?
You can list your book for free or even for $.99, which is basically free. This gets you awesome publicity, coverage, reader, etc. If you’re just starting off as a published author, this is a great way to get your name out there.
Don’t forget – send me questions about self-publishing! I’m doing another Q&A post next week. You can send them to me by commenting here, emailing them to me, tweeting me, or using #spsquestions on Twitter.
Kate Mitchell is a blogger, chronic illness patient, and advocate who helps people understand chronic illness and helps chronic illness patients live their best lives.
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