how do i promote my novel?

[kathy_leo05]

I just published my novel and i want to know how i go about promoting my novel. its a sci fi romance story.

[asta]

Promote yourself, not your book. Everyone and their brother has a book out now, and just saying "hey come read it!" isn't going to convince anyone.

Put a link to the book in your signature, Twitter profile, etc. Then just participate in conversations with people, comment on book reviewers and bloggers' posts, etc. If you're interesting and thought-provoking, people will naturally come see who you are and when they do that, you'll find your book.

I see ALL THE TIME people trying to promote their books by talking about them constantly. All you're going to do is turn people off, trust me. If you sell yourself as an interesting person, the readers will come.


Other than that, I recommend:

- Giveaways on Goodreads.com

- Contests on Twitter/Facebook; don't just give away your own book, consider giving away gift certificates, etc. Make sure people get extra entries for sharing your various social media places (check out Rafflecopter.com for that)

- If you're hurting for reviews, consider reaching out to book bloggers who review your sort of book and offer them a free copy in exchange for an HONEST review. Be aware they may hate your book--there's nothing you can do about that. Please note that you must read the blogger's review policy, as many of them don't except self-published works unsolicited.

[Lynn]

You were supposed to know that before you decided who was publishing your novel. Since you didn't bother doing enough research back then, you're now stuck doing the research now. (Bad news, because if you do the research, you're likely to find easier ways to promote it than DIY.)

[Belladonna]

If you published it using a vanity press, just put your copies in the trunk of your car and try to sell them at craft fairs, street fairs, street corners, etc.