One of the challenges of writing books, especially if you self-publish, is marketing. You have to get creative and use all available resources to promote your book. There are so many books out there, so readers need to know 1) that your book exists and 2) how it can benefit them.
While still worth pursuing, word-of-mouth and posts on social media will have limited results unless you have a huge circle of friends and/or a large social media following. Aside from blogging and trying to get press releases published, another thing to do is to speak about your book. You may be able to find local clubs, places of worship, or non-profit organizations that could benefit from your subject matter expertise. Perhaps you could give a talk and then plug your book at the end.
Yet another thing worth trying is reaching out to local media outlets to see if you can get an interview. I received such an opportunity in November 2017 when I was interviewed on a local Chicago radio show called Radio Islam. For a good 45 minutes or so, I got to speak about the books I’ve written. The conversation even got into cars for a while, which is a personal interest of mine.
This was my first such experience and I was a bit nervous, but it was definitely worth it and I’m thankful for this opportunity. If the idea of speaking in public or being interviewed about your book scares you, I would recommend looking into Toastmasters. This organization has local clubs throughout the world, and can work wonders when it comes to public speaking confidence and aptitude.
If you’d like to hear my Radio Islam interview, you can check it out on SoundCloud.
Hey, I Wrote A Book 