We are in a period of transition in the still fledgling e-book industry. We have fly by night companies calling they publishing house and taking advantage of new authors that are bombarded by conflicting avenues to be the next New York Times bestselling author. Let’s be completely honest, a book is no different than most products. There are two vital components, a great product and great marketing.
Step one: A great book
This is obviously the first and most obvious step. How do you become a great writer?
- Write, write, and write. Writing is no different than any other learned skill. Some people have an uncanny propensity for it but most writers learn their art by doing it over and over again. So, every spare moment that you have, write. Some days it will flow and come easily, most days it won’t. Keep at it and the hard days will lessen and the great prose will start to flow and the days that you sit and stare at a blank page will diminish.
- Read. Read author website that you admire that share a similar style that you strive for. As you read examine the flow of their writing, their character development, conflict and how they build suspense.
- Find a great editor. A really good book editor will make a huge difference between a manuscript and a polished novel. Don’t scrimp here.
Step two: Great marketing
To cover a complete marketing strategy here would be impossible but here are the basics.
- To move up the Amazon best seller list you need to sell as many books as possible in a one week period. Drive all the sales you can at the very beginning and offer your novel as a free download for the first two weeks to create interest and buzz to get your novel on to the top seller lists.
- Great reviews move your book up the best seller list. Write a great book and after book editing then follow up with your readers and ask for that review.
- Create a great website that captures your readers, give them the opportunity to opt-in to your newsletter and get them involved in your content. Great content will build your audience.
- Social media. Social media is a great medium or publishers to drive people to your site. Generate excitement through contests, giveaways and teasers for your up-coming book and blog tours.
Rick Momsen is CEO of Pegasus Publishing and author of The Complete E-book Marketing and Publishing Guide
Pegasus Book Editor 