Reaching New Readers Part 1-Strategies and Practices

Listen to the companion podcast episode

You’ve published your book (maybe two or three). You’ve used best practices. You’ve done everything you can to get off to a good start. Now your sales have stalled. How do you go about reaching beyond your existing audience and reaching new readers? 

Visibility is the key.

• A reader can’t buy your books if (s)he doesn’t know it exists.
• Even with Amazon, which is better than its competitors in terms of providing visibility, you won’t get much attention if your books aren’t selling.

How to get visible?

• Write multiple books in the same genre (readers don’t tend to cross over), preferably in the same series. The more titles you have, the greater the chance someone will discover your work.
• Make sure each book links to the next in your series.
• Offer your first book at a discount or free.
• Price pulsing- strategic, short-term price changes as a way of gaining visibility on bestseller lists or moving up on also-bought lists.
• Be sure to spread the word when you do this.
• Write a prequel and give that away for free (a short story could work in this case.)
• Put a “call to action” right after “The End.” (Try my next book, join my mailing list.)
• Write Kindle World stories for other authors in your genre.
• Don’t need permission
• Gets your name in front of readers in your genre
• You can make a little money.

Social media

• Facebook
• Images perform better than just text.
• Posts with hyperlinks are suppressed.
• The more engagements (likes and comments) the more likely it will appear in others' feeds.
• Twitter
• Use an image.
• Search out appropriate hashtags. 
• Separate links for different stores, use their handle and hashtag.

Cross-promotion with other authors in your genre.

• Announce one another’s new releases or special sales/giveaways.
• Newsletter "swaps."
• Boxed sets of your own books
• Good for short-term promos.
• Always have something at full price- don’t put everything in the set.
• Boxed sets with other authors (not short story collections.)
• Mutual promotional efforts
• If you curate it, have a plan in place before you approach other authors.
• Bundle Rabbit

Giveaways

• Insta-Freebie- give away free ebooks, bring in new subscribers to newsletter, gain new readers. Free or paid options.
• Goodreads giveaway- don’t give away more than a copy or two. Limited effectiveness.
• Amazon giveaways- jury is out.
• Wattpad- probably not much potential here, but some authors have had modest success, especially in YA/NA.

Next time- Paid Advertising