At Wasteland Press, we do everything a self publishing company can do to help your book be successful. First, we have your book distributed worldwide and secondly, we also provide review copies and press releases to various media outlets to let them know about your book. However, is this all you need to do to promote your book?

The best promoter of your book is, in fact, you. Only you, the author, truly knows the passion and insight of your book. You are the only one who knows how many countless hours you have pored into your book and how much it means to you personally, as well as what you believe others will feel about it too. Below, we have outlined a few things to help you market your book.


Where Do I Start?

How many people do you know? Do all of your friends and family members know you have a book out? If not, tell them and encourage them to tell everyone they know. In fact, there are plenty of reasons for a family member or friend to pay for your book to help support your cause. You might ask, How does selling my book to family and friends help? First, it helps you recover your initial investment. Remember, if you sell a little more than half of your free copies, you can recover your initial investment. This allows you to do two things: one, free up money to help you promote your book. Secondly, it puts your book in the hands of people who truly care about your cause and will help you promote it. Family and friends can spread the word via phone, email, on the street, wherever. Just simply going to a restaurant or park with book in hand can start a conversation. "That looks interesting", a stranger may say, "What is it about?" You can also hand out business cards to everyone and give them a few extras so that they can do the same on your behalf. Word of mouth is an inexpensive way to market your book.


Getting Your Book into Bookstores

As a new author, getting bookstores to physically carry your book on shelves can be challenging. Competition for shelf space is tough and then often goes to high-profile/famous authors. Most major booksellers want to see an expensive advertising campaign to help promote the book and result in sales. Since most self published authors do not have this going for them, there are a number of ways to help your books get into bookstores and on shelves.

First, approach your local bookstores. Talk to the manager/owner about carrying your book. Many stores have a “local authors” section and may be willing to carry your title. Don’t forget to mention: the book is returnable. This is a very important consideration, because it minimizes the risk of the bookseller (if your book doesn't sell, they simply return it at no additional charge) and encourages them to carry your book.

Second, you may apply to a bookstore’s acquisitions department directly to see if they will stock your book in stores.

To submit your book for consideration for Barnes & Noble stores, include a finished copy of your book along with marketing and promotion plans, trade reviews, and a note describing what makes the book unique, to:

The Small Press Department
Barnes & Noble
122 Fifth Ave.
New York, NY 10011

Please remember: you are competing against books that have expensive marketing campaigns, so it is very important that you emphasize the uniqueness of your book, most of all, to help encourage the reader to take up your cause and convince them that there is very little risk to them, like your book being returnable.

To have your book considered for Borders stores, send two copies along with a cover letter to:

New Vendor Acquisitions
Borders Group, Inc.
100 Phoenix Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48108


Join Amazon.com Search Inside!™ Program

When customers search for books on Amazon.com, you can actually submit the actual words from inside your title--not just the author, title, and keywords supplied by the publisher--to return the best possible selection of books. With Search Inside!, customers can also browse sample pages and do additional searches inside a particular book to confirm that the title is just what they're looking for. All of this helps you sell more copies! Click here to learn more about this program and Sign up.


Book Signings and/or Readings

Book signings and/or readings are great opportunities for you to sell your book. No one knows your book better than you do, and thus you are the best salesperson/representative for your book.

In order to have an event at a local bookstore, you will need to speak with the store’s community relations manager. You and the CRM together can decide when to have the event. It is important to mention, once again, that your book is returnable.

It is also important to invite your family and friends to ensure a good turnout to your event.


Recommended Reading

1001 Ways to Market Your Books by John Kremer

Guerilla Marketing for Writers by Jay Conrad Levinson, Rick Frishman & Michael Larsen