How else can you persuade people to follow you on your journey? The most you should ever really be is yourself. It’s the easiest thing in the world and most satisfying when you actually have fans. Have people who want to follow you for you or your work.
That said think of these items:
- Giveaways
- On Goodreads, I went from 60 to 115 adding my book in four days
- Nothing is free, so don’t go in thinking you can have hundreds of fans without giving away a few free copies now and again. It’s promotional and those that don’t win, still might buy.
- Review Groups
- There are other Indie authors out there looking for reviews and notice too. Find them and offer a book swap for reviews. Those without the time won’t but you’ll catch some that will want to.
- Book Clubs
- Find local ones. Find them on Goodreads. Find them on Google +. See who would be interested and if it’s a last ditch effort, offer digital copies.
- Local Resources
- Local bookstores, libraries, businesses. See who would accept your book on consignment or if there is a local paper to read your book. If you’re doing YA work, contact High School librarians. See if your local library would want to host a Q&A.
- Social Media
- Try to hunt out groups in your genre. Genre-related author groups are great, but you’re looking for fans not colleagues. See what groups are chatting about, join in, find out more. Then down the road, you’ll know what people are looking for and it just might be what you’ve written.
Granted these options are not totally free. But beyond shipping charges and the cost of any paperbacks, it’s the next best thing. And yes, I know I didn’t keep this short and sweet like part 1. Still, I included bullet points and that has to count for something.
Jonas Lee 