You Need to Promote Your Book(s)
If you don’t do it yourself, you have to hire someone — or maybe persuade a friend or family member — to do it instead.
Traditional publishers might offer some publicity, but they’re unlikely to invest much money unless you’re a best-selling author like Diana Gabaldon or John Grisham.
Mistakes like the ones in this post could alienate readers and shrink your sales.
Although the following screen captures, edited to provide anonymity, are from Facebook, the same mistakes show up on Twitter.
Promo Blunder #1:
Ugly Facebook URL
On the right, we see a link copy-and-paste from a post elsewhere on Facebook. The writer (probably) provides more information on the original post, but here, readers will have to guess about the book based solely on the cover.
The book title might be misleading. For instance, would Hot States be a political satire? a nonfiction book about firefighting? a romantic comedy? a travelogue?
Prospective buyers are unlikely to click on the link — unless the book cover is phenomenal or they know the writer’s work.
Promo Blunder #2:
Free on Kindle Unlimited
Sorry, folks: Books are not free on Kindle Unlimited. Subscribers have to pay for the service. If a subscriber reads ten books a month, the cost per book will be about $1. Cheap, yes, but not free. If that same subscriber likes to reread books a couple of years later, the read will cost $1 — again — unless the writer has removed it from Kindle Unlimited. In that case, the reader will be forced to pay full retail, and the book ends up costing more than its original price.
Many readers scroll by anything that claims to be free on Kindle Unlimited, opting instead for those that are available.
It may not sound like a big thing, but every little thing adds up, and you should give your books the best opportunities for sales.
Promo Blunder #3:
No Blurb or Genre
Similar to the first example in this post, prospective readers will have to guess about the book featured here. Why would they waste time clicking on links that might be interesting, when they can scroll down on the page and select clearly identified books?
If a writer is too lazy to create an enticing promo, will the same laziness be reflected in the book itself? Readers might be enticed to buy after they check out the first few paragraphs via “Look inside” or the equivalent online preview, but you have to lure them to the book page first.
Promo Blunder #4:
No Link — Version #1
Let’s eavesdrop on the thoughts of someone browsing through the posts in their favorite book group. They see the promo on the right, and they smile.
Ah, fantastic blurb. Superb cover. Wait. What? Where’s the link? Does this [censored] writer expect me to search for the book? No way. I see too many others that look just as interesting.
Sorry, dear writer, you just lost a sale.
Promo Blunder #5:
No Link — Version #2
Here’s another promo similar to the previous example. The writer even tells readers how to search for the book. And better yet, it’s FREE.
Everyone should be interested in a free book, right?
So why aren’t people clicking?
Hmm.
The Writer’s Lexicon series
and additional resources on my Facebook page.
Promo Blunder #6:
Poorly Formatted Link
Poorly formatted links such as this are ugly and can negatively impact your book reviews and income.
The best way to create Amazon links is to begin with the main Amazon URL followed by dp and then add the book’s ASIN or ISBN-10:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/[ASIN or ISBN-10, no spaces or square brackets]
Change .com to the Amazon you wish to target: Amazon.ca (Canada), Amazon.co.uk (UK), Amazon.com.au (Australia), Amazon.in (India), etc.
When constructing links for Apple Books, Kobo Books, Google Play, etc., invest the time to discover the most concise format for each retailer.
Promo Blunder #7:
Bare Chest on Cover
If you browse through the romance novels in book groups, you’ll notice that a huge percentage of covers portray a male with a bared or partially bared chest. Many depict the man looking down at his six-pack, or they zoom in and omit his head.
Really?
The cover on the right shows me a self-absorbed character, and it doesn’t stand out among the overabundance of similar covers.
I’m more likely to purchase a book that depicts a sultry protagonist interacting with his love interest, or gazing from the cover into my eyes.
Promo Blunder #8:
This Is an Empty Post
I tried to reproduce this, but was unable to. Perhaps it was a Facebook glitch. However, it illustrates the necessity for double-checking whatever you post on social media. Everything you do and say is a reflection of your professional image.
Promo Blunder #9:
“Find These Books on My Author Page”
Scrutinize the following promotion blurb. Similar posts appear on both Facebook and Twitter.
Book Title
Author Page at: www.amazon.com/author/fake-author-name
Contemporary, Crime Drama, Suspense, Mystery, Police Procedural
Based on true events.
A woman suspects she is being followed and calls 911. Before she completes the call, her cellphone goes dead. The 911 operator notifies the police, who categorize the woman as a crank caller.
But bodies begin to pile up, and all the murders are committed within minutes of similar calls. Detective Irwin tries to find the serial killer.
Fake Author Name invites potential readers to navigate to said writer’s author page and find the book — not so bad if it’s the only book on the page. But if the writer has written several books, this could be a daunting task.
Will readers take the time to try? Probably not.
Promo Blunder #10:
Where’s the Link?
Blunder #10 is a distraction rather than an outright blunder, but every distraction reduces the likelihood of sales, shares, and retweets.
FIRST IN THE SERIES: Book Title, Series. How many times can Brell jump before time travel completely scrambles his brain?
#scifi #books #scifibooks https://amazon.com/dp/ASIN #timetravel #future #amwriting #writerslife #writingcommunity #sciencefiction
FREE on Kindle Unlimited
This promo repeats the dastardly Free on Kindle Unlimited boo-boo and introduces another problem: Readers are forced to find the link in a mishmash of hashtags.
Better Formatting:
FIRST IN THE SERIES: Book Title, Series
How many times can Brell jump before time travel completely scrambles his brain? Every jump might be his last.
But would anyone miss him?
https://amazon.com/dp/ASIN
#SciFi #TimeTravel #ScienceFiction #Books
Available on Kindle Unlimited
Note the reduction in the number of hashtags. A few strategic tags are superior to a glut. Capitalization is leveraged to provide better understandability, which is especially important for visually impaired individuals who might rely on screen readers.
The reduction in tags increases room for the blurb, and strategic paragraphing results in a more appealing visual.
“But,” you might argue, “why would anyone need the link to be so visible? Facebook and Twitter will pull a graphic and display the cover.”
Answer: Readers might want to copy your link. It’s a lot easier to do so if it’s easily accessible. Additionally, the changes improve the impact of the hashtags.
I Could Mention More Book Promotion Blunders But …
It’s time to hear from you. Can you add another blunder? Or two? If it’s a mistake you’ve made, you can always [ahem] blame it on someone else. 😉
The Writer’s Lexicon series
and additional resources on my Facebook page.
Discover more from KathySteinemann.com: Free Resources for Writers
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Great post, Kathy!
That “Free on Kindle Unlimited” truly annoys me. No such thing as free! Pay your subscriber fee and reads as many books as you want, but no one is reading for free.
Linkless posts are growing on social media too. What is the point? I always try to post through reader’s eyes and include the info I know I’d look for. If I have to hunt the book down, chances are I won’t.
I’ve met authors who were not aware of how to clean up their links, but I still get far too many of them from blog services.
Don’t even get me started on “man chest!” 😀
😀 I see that the same boo-boos irritate you. It’s depressing to think of how much time some people waste in creating promos that do nothing for their books.
Thanks for so actively promoting writers on your blog, Denise.
Stay safe!
I’ve struggled to provide links. People have tried to show me how to do things like Bitly and I’ve failed. Your instructions for the Amazon link are brilliantly clear and I’m very, very grateful to you for all of this advice. I’ve written the link down and bookmarked this post. Thanks, Kathy!
Thanks, Alex. That’s one of the most frequent boo-boos, and it’s so easy to fix once you understand how it works.
Stay safe!
Excellent post Kathy. Most writers don’t adore the marketing part, but there are basics we should all know and you’ve done a great job of demonstrating. I can’t count how many times I come across a book promo on social media with NO link, as well as read someone’s book review with NO link. We, who spend numerous hours on computers don’t especially like adding more searches for things. If we’re good enough to share a book review, there should be a link to that book given so people can click right on it before interest is lost – as soon as they leave the page.
Thanks, Debby.
It seems writers are either in a hurry or not looking at their promos from a reader’s eyes. It’s sad to think of the sales they might be losing, especially from book reviews without links. The review often convinces a reader to try — But wait, where can I get this book? Oh, there’s another one just below it. I’ll buy it instead.
I hope you’re safe during the monumental snow event!
Hi Miss Kathy,
Thanks for another educational and helpful post.
I don’t like to brag but I’m “blunderless.” Haven’t made any of the mistakes you mentioned. Probably because I don’t have a book for sale. Lol. I haven’t completed my first novel. Ugh! When I’m ready to promote my fantastic novel, I’ll remember not to make any of the blunders you described.
Questions:
1. Is it okay to mention it if your book has 5-star reviews?
2. What about adding a brief review from someone of note? Gives the reader the idea that if he/she loved it, it must be worth reading.
3. Will wearing Jockey underwear help me get abs like the guy in #7?
Hope the new year is being good to you.
Stay safe.
Elbow bumps.
Oh, Lenny, Lenny, Lenny. You had me laughing out loud.
It’s good to be blunderless — much better than having someone point a blunderbuss in your direction.
1. YES. Great reviews help you sell more books. Here’s to lots of 5-star ratings when you publish your novel.
2. Double YES. If you receive a positive review from someone like J. K. Rowling, flaunt it.
3. Hmm. You got me on this question. I’ll have to think about it.
Thanks for providing a few moments of humor. Stay safe!
Reciprocal elbow bumps.
So true. I’ve made a few of these blunders, but luckily, not that many.
Thanks for sharing, Kathy!
And thanks for reading, Amber.
Stay safe!
1. I haven’t made that error (https://www.facebook.com/jamescrocksbooks/)
2. I wouldn’t make this mistake and have complained to one mail list about them doing so.
3. Definitely have blurb on my book … it was really hard work figuring it out.
4. Now this has proved seriously problematic because, for a wannabe author, you need a decent cover picture and they can be really, really expensive. I eventually resorted to using free-to-use NASA pictures.
5. I don’t really understand this one.
6. I was in IT so I probably wouldn’t be guilty of this … probably!
7. Not really a science fiction thing, though it might be for some.
8. I check these things (ex-IT, you know)
9. So we shouldn’t advertise our own web pages if we have many books? Not really a problem for me as I only have one and I’m rewriting that.
10. Again, ex-IT I guess.
#1: Bravo! Have you had anyone share inappropriate posts on your page? I turned off public poss.
Settings ==> General ==> Visitor Posts ==> Disable posts by other people on the page
#2: I detest “Free on Kindle Unlimited” promos too. To me, they are the epitome of false advertising.
#3: Agreed. Blurbs are so important yet so difficult to write, right?
#4: The point of this example was to show a fantastic promo ruined by not providing any link.
#5: Similar to #4. The writer, although telling potential readers how they can find the book, provides no link. People are unlikely to invest the time to search when they can scroll down on the page and find a more user-friendly promo.
#6: Probably? 😉 Thumbs up.
#7: Hey, maybe he’s an alien?
#8: If you ever figure out how the writer did this, please let me know. I gave up.
#9: It’s fine to advertise your own author page, as long as you also provide the link to the book you’re promoting.
#10: Another thumbs up.
Thanks, James. Stay safe!