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How To Get More People To Read Your Book

By on April 26, 2017
How To Get More People To Read Your Book - Writer's Life.org

Marketing your book is arguably one of the hardest things an author has to do. For many authors, while they feel comfortable writing their stories, editing them and finding the best way to publish them, when it comes to actually getting people to read their books they come to a grinding halt.

The good news is that there is plenty you can do to promote your book and find new readers. Some of these take considerable time and effort (and you won’t always get it right the first time), some require a budget, and others are simpler, though perhaps not quite as effective.

So let's look at some of the things you can try to encourage people to read your book and find new readers:

Describe it well

A good book blurb is your chance to really sell your book to people that stumble across it and can make all the difference between those who simply carry on browsing, and those who click to buy. Learn how to make your book sound as exciting and enticing as possible. Think about what makes you decide to read a book. Look at other book cover blurbs and descriptions and gain some inspiration from there.

Book Clubs

A good way of getting your book more widely read is to offer it to book clubs. There are book clubs everywhere, all over the world. Some are virtual and some are local groups. Find them, contact them, and offer your book for free. You could even join in the discussion or come along to local groups to talk about it afterwards. Ask participants who loved it to promote it on social media, and so word of mouth will start to spread.

Friends and Family

When you first publish your book you are confident that all your friends and family will definitely buy it and write you glowing reviews. You’ve got over 200 friends on Facebook - you’ll practically be a bestseller on day one.

Unfortunately the reality is that it is surprisingly, often bafflingly difficult to get them to do it. Be persistent with your friends and family and make sure you ask everyone. It’s interesting to discover that those friends who you haven’t heard from in five years are delighted to read your book, yet getting your own sister to has been like pulling teeth!

Get it into libraries

Approach your library and explain you are a local author and ask if they would be willing to take a copy or two of your book. It may not be the way to sell more books but once you are in then it could be read by many people over the years. You could also ask if you could leave some cards promoting your book on the front desk -if you don’t ask you don’t get!

Find your audience

Promoting your book is all about finding the right people to read it. The importance of figuring out who your audience is and appealing directly to them cannot be underestimated. Take your time to research your audience. Who are they? Where are they? How do they shop? What excites them? What turns them off? How much will they spend on a book? What time of day are they most likely to buy a book? Are they impulsive or cautious with their purchases? Do they love a bargain? What is irresistible to them? If you know your audience inside out you’ll find it much easier to come up with creative ways of reaching them.

Freebies

Let’s face it, everyone loves a freebie and one sure fire way to get someone to read your book is to give it to them for free. Do a Goodreads giveaway and you’ll be surprised how many people enter, gently ask if the winners would write you a review if they enjoyed it. If you have published your book through Amazon you could offer it for free on Kindle for a limited period of time - if you do you are likely to see a real boost in ‘sales’ which could lead to more people buying your book even when the free period has ended.

There are no miracles or shortcuts when it comes to getting more people to read your book and a combination of persistence and experimentation is best. If you keep persevering and trying new things, there is no reason why you shouldn’t see the sales of your book increase.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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