Monthly Archives: August 2021

5 Unique Ways to Market Your Self-Published Book

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One of the biggest deterrents to self-publishing is that the author must be not only a creator but a marketer too. There is no experienced book publisher behind the author promoting their work to the world. Instead, that responsibility falls onto the creator.

Most self-publishing authors have considered using various ad services for their self-published books, but there are many other creative ways to market. While ads are a valuable tool, they aren’t the only hammer in the proverbial toolbox. Below are five other marketing ideas perfect for self-publishing authors.

1. Sponsor a Video on Social Media

Content creation sites such as YouTube and TikTok offer viewers entertainment and creators the opportunity to earn money in various ways. One of those ways is sponsored content. If an author is writing non-fiction, they should find content creators on their topic and send them a message asking if they would promote their book in a video for a fee. Fiction authors can reach out to those in the reading community and ask if they will sponsor a video. These videos are not book reviews but instead tie into the genre or featured tropes of the fictional book. For instance, a romance writer might sponsor a video about what makes a great love interest. The content creator will talk about what they love in a romance and then introduce the sponsored book to their audience.A self-published author promoting self-publishing a book giving a presentation

2. Create a Meet and Greet

Authors can ask their local libraries, independent bookstores, or coffee shops if they will host an author meet and greet event. This may include a book signing and/or a book reading.

This gives the author a chance to get their name out to the local population of readers and may open doors to get their books onto library and shop shelves. In addition, many independent books stores will agree to sell books on consignment if they believe there are enough interested local readers.

Authors don’t have to limit their meet and greet opportunities to local areas either. When an author plans a vacation, it doesn’t hurt to reach out to venues near their destination.

3. Be a Speaker at a Local Organization

Non-fiction authors can reach out to local organizations related to their topic and ask if they can be a guest speaker. Authors are considered experts on the topics they write about, and organizations often appreciate learning more about the subject they already love. In addition, the author might make a few sales to members, and the members might tell other friends with similar interests about the author’s presentation. This creates wonderful marketing opportunities through word of mouth.

4. Share Book Related Photos on Social Media

There are reader communities on almost every social media platform. Authors can find fun ways to share their custom book covers on social media platforms such as Instagram. This could be a post of the book chilling with a morning cup of coffee or a book visiting Niagara Falls.  Fun and enticing pictures of a book create a cover and name recognition, making readers more likely to try that book when they come across it online or in stores.

If the book has a unique and enticing cover, seeing it might be enough to convince a book lover who comes across the image to buy the book.

Images don’t even have to be of the books themselves. Images can be taken of something representative of the book, and the title and the purchase link to the book can be shared in the image description. People love sharing intriguing images with their friends and family. The image might even go viral, introducing a wide readership to the featured book.

5. Create Your Own Content on Social Media

Authors can start groups online related to the topic of their book. They can talk about their love of books or their writing process while creating content to share. They can live-stream book readings or other content they think their group members will love through various social media platforms.

Readers love having the opportunity to interact with their favorite authors, and they also prefer buying books from people they like. Becoming a content creator won’t only get an author’s name out, but it will also help them establish a relationship with their core-reader community. When authors establish a good relationship with their readers, those readers will line up to pre-order the author’s next book. Relationship building is one of the most useful marketing tools that an author can use to create a long-standing readership. As long as the author delivers quality content, they will create loyalty amongst their social media community.

There are many ways to market a book. A little creativity is all an author needs to share their book with the world and get readers hungry for their content.

But, for that content to be marketable it must be more than a neatly typed manuscript at the bottom of a draw. A marketable book needs to be published.

If you are a self-publishing author, InstantPublisher can help you with your book printing needs. They offer a wide range of books publishing services, including custom book covers, interior book design, and digital printing services. Our expert staff is available to assist you at 1 800 259 2592. So call today, fill out our online contact form, or send an email to questions@instantpublisher.com. We look forward to helping bring your dream book to life.

4 Things to Think About When Buying Custom Illustration Services

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Writers don’t always agree with the sentiment that a picture is worth a thousand words. However, there are times that books need pictures to help the words convey information to their readers. Many people need to buy illustrations before printing a book. Fiction authors may need to purchase custom illustrations to add to the substance of their stories. Non-fiction writers may need custom illustrations to help readers better understand their meanings. Companies may need to buy images for promotional and training purposes.  Before a buyer approaches an illustrator, they should already have made decisions about the following things:

1. What is the Purpose of the Illustration?

Why is an illustration needed for the book? What function does the author want the illustration to fulfill? For example, is the illustration being used as a tool for storytelling, such as in a graphic novel or children’s picture book? Is the illustration offering additional information to the readers, such as a map in a fantasy novel? Is the book helping readers visualize a concept in the book, such as a labeled diagram? Understanding the function of the illustration will better allow the buyer to explain their needs to an illustrator and help the illustrator deliver an image that is the best fit for the job it is doing.

A custom Illustration created for a self-publishing author

2. Color, Grayscale, or Black and White?

Color adds to the costs of publishing a book, but sometimes it is necessary. The author should consider the genre of their book and what kind of illustrations are typical for similar books.

Children’s picture books are typically in color. Pie charts and line graphs are easiest to read in color, but they may sometimes be done acceptably in grayscale. Simple diagrams within a non-fiction book are often acceptable in black and white.

The author should consider the costs that the illustration will add to printing a book and the benefits of that illustration to the readers.

3. Who Owns the Image Rights?

Many buyers approaching an illustrator haven’t considered rights of ownership. Typically, an artist owns the work they produce. They can sell usage to the buyer, or they can sell the rights of ownership. Often, buying ownership is more expensive, and in some cases, it may not be necessary.

A buyer who has written a children’s book should buy ownership rights to the characters the illustrator creates if they want to use it in marketing and merchandising. A non-fiction author who buys a diagram may buy only usage rights to the image if they don’t need to reproduce it outside of their book or use that image in their marketing. Typically, if an image is being used a single time to clarify information in a book, usage rights are adequate. If the buyer does not purchase the ownership rights, the illustrator can use and sell that image to someone else.

If there is an expectation of using the images purchased for marketing, trademarking, or merchandising, the buyer should purchase the creation. Rights of ownership should be clearly stated in any agreement or contract signed between the buyer and seller.

4. What Else Should be Considered?

Most agreements between buyers and illustrators indicate delivery times and ownership rights, but there are other things that buyers should consider in their negotiations. For example, how many revisions is the illustrator willing to do? Is the buyer obligated to purchase the finished illustration even if they determine it is unsuitable for their needs? If the buyer chooses not to buy the finished picture, is there a fee for the artist’s time and work put into the illustration? Can the artist use the image in their sampling if the buyer has purchased ownership of the work?  Is there any reason that a non-disclosure agreement might be needed?

Buying custom illustration services can feel overwhelming, especially the first time one needs to do so.

InstantPublisher offers a wide range of self-publishing services, including custom illustrations to help authors and publishers. Their skilled illustrators are experienced and easy to work with.InstantPublisher understands the unique needs of their customers, and they are equipped to meet the individual needs of anyone who is considering self-publishing a book. Custom illustrations are just a phone call away—dial 1 800 259 2592 for an InstantPublisher representative. Or, if you prefer,  fill out the online contact form, or send an email to questions@instantpublisher.com for more information about all the self-publishing services they offer.