Kindle authors, do you have any tips on how to promote a book?

[Rocks_91]

I put out a short story on Kindle KDP and did have it listed in a couple subreddits on Reddit but I’m at a loss on what to do now to promote my short story. Anyone have tips on what worked for them?

 

[on_the_hill]

I know nothing about Kindle. But that won’t stop me from answering your question. There is an app/program called Fast Pencil that is designed to let people self-publish e-books. Our local public library has it available to cardholders. Upload prices range from free to $9.95 to a couple hundred dollars, I think, depending on how much revenue you want to try to generate.

 

[mountee]

I have no experience myself but I can refer you to a couple who might be able to help. John Paul and Annie who operate the web-site PrayMoreNovenas have published an e-book which I have on my Kindle. Maybe if you went to their site and sent them a note they may have an idea for you.

 

[bluerose]

Do you have a Facebook page? Look around for pages that support e-published authors and short stories. You’ll find pages for different genres that you can post your amazon kindle link to.

This is the biggest drawback to self-publishing… very little, if any, promotion by the publisher. The author has to be prepared to get the word out about their work, wherever they can. A lot depends on the subject or genre of the work. Can you give us more information?

 

[Kay_Cee]

That’s a very good question. It seems like just about every promotional idea I’ve ever seen doesn’t apply to my novels. I do know that if you have been on Kindle KDP for a while, you can price your book for free for a few days.

You might consider getting a review on Catholicfiction. Here’s a link: catholicfiction.net/index.php

I also suggest changing your CAF signature to include a link to your story on Kindle. As you can see, bluerose and I have both done that.

 

[Viki63]

The best thing you can do is keep writing more stories, and make sure they are the best work you can do and are well edited. No typos allowed! Ask friends, relatives, and strangers to edit them for you (well, kind of joking. I have a friend at work who helps me edit.)

As Kay Cee says put a link in your CAF signature.
Make a Writer’s page on Amazon.

Amazon has some suggestions they send you when your story goes live. Check those out. Go to KBoards and mention it. Put it on Facebook (yeah, between your friend’s pastrami sandwich she had for lunch and your cousin’s new pix of her baby).
But post here so we can see what and where it is.
Good luck.

 

[Arizona_Mike]

The best thing you can do is keep writing more stories, and make sure they are the best work you can do and are well edited. No typos allowed! Ask friends, relatives, and strangers to edit them for you (well, kind of joking. I have a friend at work who helps me edit.)

As Kay Cee says put a link in your CAF signature.
Make a Writer’s page on Amazon.

Amazon has some suggestions they send you when your story goes live. Check those out. Go to KBoards and mention it. Put it on Facebook (yeah, between your friend’s pastrami sandwich she had for lunch and your cousin’s new pix of her baby).
But post here so we can see what and where it is.
Good luck.

My oldest friend actually makes a good living from the income on her Kindle books, as well as teaching writing workshops. A good amount of her time is spent on self-promotion (in a good way, I mean) as she has to do the job that the marketing department at the mainstream book publishers do for you. My daughter is applying some of these ideas on her two books.

Some things that work for them:

• Create an e-mail mailing list of people who may be interested in your book. This will include friends, family, associates, other writers working in a similar vein, blog-writers who may be interested in your kind of genre specifically and independent writing in general. Continually update this list.
• You have the option of offering your book for free for a period of time you set. This may seem counterintuitive, but it can be useful to garner positive reviews and word of mouth. Make sure you ADVERTISE that the book is available. Set the book as available for free for, say, 3 days. Use your mailing list to send people a notice that your new story is available, and ask that they write a review on Amazon if they like it and recommend it to their friends.
• Start a Twitter account if you don’t have one. Tell all your contacts on Twitter that your new story is available for free from (date) to (date). Repeat this every now and then. If you get any positive reviews on blogs, etc., make sure to link to those reviews. Include any other non-writing-related tweets to make your account interesting enough that it is not solely a tool for self-promotion, but also has some interesting content.
• Create a blog or website, and update it with information on new stories coming out, reviews of other writers, and anything else you find worthwhile. Link to this website in your on-line promotions.
• “Logrolling” - support your fellow writers and they may support you. Identify writers who are ePublishing in the same fields as you. If you like something they wrote, add a short recommendation for their work on your Twitter feed and a link to their Amazon kindle book. Make sure you follow their Twitter account as well. They will be likely to review your work, and if they like it, you will start to get recommendations from them as well. You should do the same with reviewing their work on Amazon as well. Write a positive review of the work of other authors you like, and add a link to your Amazon author’s page (which you should have, with a photo and some information about yourself). Link to their blog posts, articles, etc. if you find them interesting.
• If your genre of story appeals to a particular type of blog or podcast, as you gain more exposure, contact the blog-writer and let them know you are would be available if they would like to do an interview (print or podcast), It helps if you can build your “brand” by describing something in your background or something unique in your story that will interest their readers.
• Likewise, if you write in a particular genre that has conventions devoted to it (science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery), look for cons in your area and contact the promoters EARLY, long before the event. Describe your background, what stories you have published, any awards or sales figures you have achieved, any other public speaking gigs you have done, and ask if they would be interested in featuring you on a writer’s panel, or moderating any panel discussions. Like blogs, like podcasts, convention organizers have to fill time with content. If you offer to help them it helps get your name and work out there.
• There are people out there whose full-time business is acting as publicity agents for self-published authors. Some do a good job for the money they charge, some don’t. My friend used one for a while, then just decided it was more cost-effective to do it herself.

Hope these ideas are helpful to you. Good luck!