So, you’ve got a great idea or concept, have written the next best-selling eBook and are ready to launch, right? Wrong. There are a few things that you need to make sure you do before you even think of releasing your eBook to ensure that it gets maximum promotion and sales. Of course, you could do these after the fact, but that weakens your impact and shows a disorganized front to the customer, two things that you never want to do.
What to do Before Launching your eBook
To help you get your “eBook house” in order, here are the top three things that most first-time (and tenth-time) eBook writers forget to do before going to market
1. Set Up Social Media Sites
You’re going to need a marketing hub for your eBook and assuming you have a website already—you do have a website, right—then your next best channels are going to be social media sites. You can stick with Facebook and Twitter even if you’re not that social media savvy, but be sure to go with other social platforms if they fit your niche. For instance, an eBook on business topics would want to market on LinkedIn while home and craft products (or a recipe book, etc.) would want to have a strong presence on Pinterest. Remember, once you set up your social media sites, add widgets to your website and in your email signature and then don’t neglect the site. If you aren’t going to update it constantly, hire someone to do it for your or just go ahead and resign to the fact that your social media sales are going to be non-existent (which is a huge mistake).
2. Start A Blog with Excerpts
On your site, don’t just have a bunch of copy up there with a “Click Here to Pre-Order” button. You need to get people excited about your eBook and start a blog. Share excerpts from your eBook on your blog or talk about the writing process. This gives you great things to share on your social sites. After the launch, you can give updates about awards or reviews or goals met. Keep the blog active and share it on social sites to draw more organic traffic to your website (thus increasing your potential sales).
3. Give it Away For Free and Build Reviews
Finally, don’t just launch an eBook into the cold waters of literacy without giving it some floaties. Give the eBook away with the understanding that the people you give it to will write reviews on your website, on Amazon or wherever else you are selling your eBook. Reviews not only let people know how the book is, but also let potential readers know that at least other people are reading it. That’s a huge selling point with any consumer, especially if the eBook is by a first-time author.
Bonus—Do You Have a Cover?
One other thing that we find many eBook writers forget about is so simple, it’s shocking: a cover. All books have covers, not just hardcovers and paperbacks. Your eBook cover says a lot about your eBook and lets people know two very important things: the title and who wrote it. On Amazon and other eBook sites, your cover will be the visual representation drawing the eyes of your viewers. Without a cover, your book won’t stand out and will look unprofessional.
To find out how you can design your very own eBook cover without having to send it off to a professional, click here.