The journey of a book starts even before it is written. No matter how touching the story is or how real the characters are. No one will pick the book off the shelf unless you (the author) speaks about its conception.
That’s right. Promoting your book is equally important as publishing/printing it. Narrate the conceptual journey of the story that you are going to publish. Just as an expecting mother keeps everything ready for her baby, you as the author also need to get ready and enthusiastic readers for your book. All you need to do is start it early! Tell your friends, colleagues, neighbors about the book- the idea behind it, your experience writing it, how it will interest them. This way the book will generate popularity through word of mouth. Your friends might recommend the book to their friends and so on. You already have curious readers awaiting your book’s release.
Next step is to keep their curiosity building up. Start a blog or a page on Social media network, wherein you keep the readers updated about the book’s publishing process. Or better still, post a sample chapter of the book just few days before the release of the book so that the story remains fresh in the readers mind. Do not give out every detail of the book or the characters; this will make the readers lose interest. Get people share their similar experiences, their stories might actually provide you with the matter for your next book!
Pay special attention to the book cover. Let it reveal the concept of the book without revealing the story. Get genuine reviews about the book printed on the cover, paid reviews will not only appear superficial but will also set a high expectation from the readers which in some cases your book might not be able to live up to. Instead of selling your book to a large number of people, set a target audience based on the contents of the story. Generating readership among selected section of people will be easier than targeting those people who might not be able to relate to the story.
Always have a positive attitude when promoting your book. No one knows the story better than you do, not even the publisher. The way to become a best-selling author is just a few talks away!