It's no secret I am new to the publishing world. I may have been writing now for many years, but actually publishing a book is a whole new realm for me, and I bet it is for many of you out there. Whether you are traditionally published or self, you have to take up a lot of the brunt of actually selling your book.
So, how do you do it?
The starting place for just about any new author is friends and family, but they can't always be counted on to buy a book. (Most of your friends and family will want a copy for free.)
Of course, you can't give all your copies away, you do have to make some money, right?
Step One, get online and make your presence known.
Social networking is crucial to this.
Facebook, Myspace, Linkedin, Twitter, just to name a few, are full of groups dedicated to writing, publishing, and promoting. Get out there and start making connections.
Some of my favorite groups are:
Authors Book Review Exchange - Here you can submit your book and work out review exchanges with other authors. Reviews on places like Amazon.com Goodreads.com and Barnesandnoble.com can go far to help sell your book. People like books that have lots of reviews and the more reviews you have, the more likely someone will stop and pay attention.
Amazon Tags Authors Assist - Here is a group dedicated to helping you gain visibility by tagging your book. Tags are the categories your book belongs to. Let's say you write urban fantasy. Your book will not show up in a general search of "urban fantasy" unless it has been tagged as such. Good tagging = good exposure, something every author needs.
Authors, Agents, & Aspiring Authors - A great place to network with others and learn quite a bit. Check it out and surf through the links. Yes, authors do promote books here, but you will also find links to informative blogs as well as meet other authors in various genres.
Authors Promoting Authors - Exactly what the name says!
Ok, those are just a few of my favorites, I have so many that I subscribe to that I could get lost all day searching though them.
If you have some groups and or links you want to share, please do. This is what social networking is all about, cooperative marketing and spreading the word to as many people as you can.
About The Author
Katie Salidas is a USA Today bestselling author and RONE award winner known for her unique genre-blending style.
Since 2010 she's penned five bestselling book series: the Immortalis, Olde Town Pack, Little Werewolf, Chronicles of the Uprising, and the all-new Agents of A.S.S.E.T. series. As her not-so-secret alter ego, Rozlyn Sparks, she is a USA Today bestselling author of romance with a naughty side.
In her spare time Katie also produces and hosts a YouTube talk show; Spilling Ink. She also has a regular column on First Comics News where she explores writing from a nerdy perspective.