A Book Marketing Plan Template

No Comments

Marketing a book in today’s competitive publishing landscape requires more than just writing a great story—it demands a strategic (laser focused) approach that connects with readers and builds lasting engagement. Whether you’re a debut author or a seasoned writer, implementing a comprehensive marketing strategy can significantly impact your book’s success.

Also, don’t get upset with me if/ when you see things in this plan that you didn’t know you needed!  That’s what we’re here for, right?  If you didn’t have all of this in place for your first book, so be it!  You didn’t know what you didn’t know. Put it all in place now.

Setting the Foundation: Goals and Audience

Before diving into marketing tactics, authors must establish clear, measurable objectives. Are you aiming to sell a specific number of copies, build a robust email list, or establish yourself as an authority in your genre? These goals will serve as your compass throughout the marketing journey.

This is the “get your head on straight” step in any good checklist.

The Non-Negotiable Author Platform

Before you even think about launching your book, you must have three critical elements in place: a professional website, a compelling reader magnet, and an email list setup. This isn’t optional—it’s absolutely essential for success in today’s publishing landscape. Your website serves as your digital headquarters, where readers can learn about you, your books, and your unique voice. A reader magnet—whether it’s a free novella, short story collection, or exclusive content—is your key to building an email list. This valuable freebie entices readers to subscribe to your newsletter, creating a direct line of communication with your audience. Your email list is arguably your most valuable marketing asset; it’s the only platform you truly own and control. Without these three foundational elements in place, you’re essentially launching your book into a void. Take the time to set up these crucial components properly before your launch—your book’s success depends on it.

In case you don’t have any of these things in place and you’re tempted to just skip this section, go ahead, but soon I will prove to you that you have to gave this in place. 🙂

Building Your Author Brand

Your author brand is more than just a logo or website—it’s the complete package that represents you and your work to the world. A professional website serves as your digital home base, featuring your biography, book information, and contact details. Develop a consistent visual identity, including a distinctive color scheme and tagline that aligns with your genre and writing style. Get a great author photo taken (or take one yourself!) and include it across your entire platform. You want to do this as a job, so get your network looking super professional and together!

Pre-Launch Strategy: Creating Buzz

The groundwork for successful book marketing begins long before your publication date. Start by ensuring your book is market-ready with an eye-catching cover, compelling description, and strategic keyword optimization for platforms like Amazon.

Create excitement through a multi-faceted pre-launch campaign:

• Distribute Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) to influential reviewers and bloggers and to your own ARC team (which you created by segmenting your email list)
• Share strategic social media content, including behind-the-scenes glimpses and countdown teasers
• Create a dedicated landing page for pre-orders and book information, then email your list about that to spark some momentum in the Amazon Sales Ranks. BookFunnel is a good tool to use for this kind of thing.
• If you have absolutely no followers / fans/ people on your email list, I’m sorry, but the only things to do are the “follower funnel method” that no one likes, or the “launch with zero, then pay” method.  Pick one and go with it! Don’t get upset!

SEE!  It literally took two paragraphs before we got to something where you absolutely need an email list. This is exactly why I will never shut up about that reader magnet/ email signup, guys!

Launch Time: Maximizing Impact

Your book’s launch window presents a crucial opportunity for building momentum. Host engaging virtual events like livestream Q&As or book readings to connect directly with readers. Leverage targeted advertising on platforms where your audience spends time, whether that’s Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. Don’t overlook traditional media outreach—a well-crafted press release can open doors to valuable coverage.

Sustaining Success: Post-Launch Strategies

The work doesn’t end once your book hits the shelves. Maintain engagement through:

• Regular reader interactions via book club discussions and virtual meet-ups
• Content marketing initiatives that showcase your expertise and book’s themes
• Active collection and showcase of reader reviews and testimonials
• Strategic promotional campaigns, including limited-time discounts or special bundles

Measuring and Adapting

Success in book marketing requires continuous monitoring and adjustment. Track key metrics including sales figures, website traffic, social media engagement, and advertising performance. Use this data to refine your approach, doubling down on effective strategies while revising or replacing underperforming tactics.

Putting It All Together: A Real-World Example

Consider this scenario: You’re launching a fantasy novel with a goal of selling 1,000 copies in six months. Your research shows your target audience consists of fantasy readers aged 18-34 who are active on Instagram and Goodreads. You develop a dark, mysterious brand aesthetic with the tagline “Unraveling worlds one page at a time.”

Your marketing plan might include:

• A pre-order campaign featuring exclusive bonus content
• Targeted Instagram advertising to reach fantasy enthusiasts
• Strategic ARC distribution to social media influencers, genre bloggers, and your own ARC list
• An interactive virtual launch event
• Regular blog content focused on fantasy world-building

The Path to Success

Book marketing is both an art and a science, requiring creativity, strategic thinking, and consistent effort. By approaching it systematically—from setting clear goals to monitoring results—you create a solid foundation for your book’s success. Remember that marketing is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor; adapt these strategies to align with your unique voice, audience, and objectives.

As you implement your marketing plan, stay flexible and ready to adapt to changing market conditions and reader responses. With dedication and strategic execution, you can create a marketing campaign that not only drives book sales but also builds a lasting connection with your readers.

Are You a Bestseller?

No Comments

How do you know if you are a bestseller? Or more properly, whether your book is a bestseller. Well, as with many things in today’s publishing world, the answer is “that depends”. I get asked this quite often, and while this used to be a very cut and dried answer, in today’s world of Top 100 lists on every retailer’s website, that question is a bit more complex. The lists may vary by hardcover, paperback and ebook. They may vary whether they are fiction or non-fiction (it is rumored that the NY Times created the children’s book category when Harry Potter dominated). If your book isn’t in bookstores that use BookScan (run by Nielson, they provide point of sale data for books), well, that may mean you never make some lists no matter how many ebooks you sell on Amazon.

Here is a rundown of some of the most popular bestseller lists.

New York Times – the most traditional, and by far the most coveted by authors. Also, by far the most manipulated, and likely influenced by advertising dollars (says anecdotal evidence). According to official information, the data is based on a proprietary methodology, but is said to be derived from actual consumer sales. Interestingly, they state they do not track certain types of titles including self-published work – however, several self-published titles have appeared on the list, so it seems as though there is some flexibility in this rule.

“Among the categories not actively tracked at this time are: perennial sellers, required classroom reading, textbooks, reference and test preparation guides, journals, workbooks, calorie counters, shopping guides, comics, crossword puzzles and self-published books.”

Scroll to the bottom of the page to see the full description of the methodology.

USA Today – another traditional media source but by all appearances more universal and less arbitrary than the NY Times. They are fairly open about their methods.

From their site: 

Methodology: Each week, USA TODAY collects sales data from booksellers representing a variety of outlets: bookstore chains, independent bookstores, mass merchandisers and online retailers. Using that data, we determine the week’s 150 top-selling titles. The first 50 are published in the print version of USA TODAY each Thursday, and the top 150 are published on the USA TODAY website. Each week’s analysis reflects sales of about 2.5 million books at about 7,000 physical retail outlets in addition to books sold online.

Book formats and rankings: USA TODAY’s Best-Selling Books list ranks titles regardless of format. Each week, for each title, available sales of hardcover, paperback and e-book versions are combined. If, for example, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice sells copies in hardcover, paperback and e-book during a particular week, sales from each format would be reflected in that week’s ranking. The ISBN for the format that sold the most copies is presented with each list entry.

Digital Book World – by far the most clear about their methods (although also up front that they do not tell us everything) and as one would surmise, focused on ebooks:

The basic methodology (according to their site):

1) Best-seller rank observed from five of six top retailers (Kindle, Nook, Google, Kobo, Sony)
2) Lists observed for seven consecutive days (Sun. – Sat.)*
3) Each appearance on a list gets an unweighted score based on the ranking
4) Ranking scores are logarithmically determined (i.e. top scores are much more valuable than lower scores)
5) Each retailer weighted by approximate market share as determined by the editors of Digital Book World and Iobyte Solutions
6) Additional appearance credit is awarded for appearing on multiple lists
7) Combined scores for the week determine final score for each title
8) Titles are ranked by final scores and also grouped into sub-lists by price (four separate price-band lists: $0 – $2.99; $3.00 – $7.99; $8.00 – $9.99; and $10.00 and above)
9) Minimum price that appeared at any point during the week on any retailer is used for determine price band (assumption that low price is an important driver of ranking)

Amazon – gives no information at all about how their lists are determined, aside from being directly tied to the sales rank. They even say as much on their own site. I can tell you from experience that book sales are not the full story. Click throughs, reviews, print vs. ebook purchases, all seem to have weight. And of course, there is a free versus paid rank to consider.

iTunes – a total mystery. They don’t even tell you how many “rankings” you need before they will display them (my own experiments say “5”). One of our authors made it to their “Top Author” list, but we have no idea why, specifically. However, if you do make it to the top somehow, you will sell more books.

Nook – this is one case where sales seem to be almost the entire driver. Sell the most, top the list. (I couldn’t even find anything on their site to link to. , if you do, please tell me in Comments!)

Kobo – simple, they don’t have bestseller lists. They don’t even have reviews.

So, how do you know if you get to call yourself a bestseller? As with many things, this is primarily marketing. For me, I say someone can call themselves a bestseller, once they have made it to #1 in an overall paid listing. In other words, I wouldn’t consider a book that was #1 on the free list on Amazon to be a best seller (nothing was actually sold). I also would not make that claim if something was #1 only in its specific category, unless you make that detailed claim i.e. #1 Bestselling Erotica Title on Amazon.

I guess the real question is, does claiming to be a bestseller improve your sales? Probably not. On the other hand, being on the actual list certainly improves your visibility and that WILL improve your sales. In other words, there are no shortcuts. Do the work, get the sales.

Happy marketing!

Weebly? Wix? WordPress? Which Website Platform is Right for You?

No Comments

First off, YES, YOU ABSOLUTELY DO NEED AN AUTHOR WEBSITE. Here’s a whole video about that:

So, I got into a heated debate with an author in a Facebook group the other day, and I thought I would share both the debate and my opinion on it here for your edification.   Here’s what happened (in brief, because the debate was on Facebook and went on for HOURS):

One author says “what is the best place for me to make a website?”

Another author jumps on and says: “I made mine out of Weebly and I love it.”

This is where I have to stop the presses and emphatically argue against using a platform like Wix or Weebly, simply because I want authors to OWN THEIR OWN WEBSITES and not be platform-dependent.   It has been my professional experience that building a site on a free platform like this (even if you are paying for the domain) almost always ends up in frustration and tears for the author.

Here’s the thing: I have THOUSANDS of hours of experience with this very subject, so I actually do think my opinion is really valuable here.   The debate ended up devolving into a “who is more right?” argument so I conceded just based on the subjectivity of opinion.

At any rate, I thought I would take this moment to express my opinion again to you, fellow author. Yes, it is true that some website is better than no website, but I have personally seen free platforms eat entire author websites, and I don’t want that to happen to you.

As plain and simple as I can make it, here is my opinion. I think you should have your own website, that is hosted on hosting that you pay for, and that the design should belong to you if you should ever want to switch hosting. I think you should be able to easily implement updates and changes to your website (like blog posts and minor updates, like to your author bio). I think you should be able to implement new features like email signup, giveaways, polls, and widgets with your book in them, and I think that all-in-one platforms like Wix and Weebly will start holding you back right around the time when you are motivated to grow your website and your platform (and therefore your audience/ following).

Also, I haven’t even begun to elaborate on my real-life experiences with these all-in-one platforms and SEO, which I find to be mutually exclusive. I have, more than once, had to sit a business owner or an author and tell them “Because you are using one of these all in one platforms, you are not ranking for YOUR OWN NAME in Google.”   This often prompts an expensive redesign, but at least at that point the business (or the author) can start to grow, since they are no longer within the confines of all that extraneous design code.   Again, my opinion, but backed up by hundreds (if not thousands) of hours of real-life experience.   In fact, as recently as DECEMBER, my company converted an orthodontist’s website from Weebly over to WordPress, and without exaggeration, within ONE WEEK it had multiple first page Google rankings and the business started getting phone calls. That is not an isolated experience, nor is it a coincidence. Yes, I even have this issue with the paid version of Weebly.   I’m sorry to people who love Weebly, but the “all-inclusive design” element really does slow everything down.

And with that, I will step off of my soapbox and let you go and build your author platform.  If you are at a complete loss about where to start, I have a whole course on How to Make a Website.

Interview With a Book Blogger: Amber from Me, MyShelf, and I

No Comments

 You guys!   Some time ago, I interviewed my friend Amber Sweeney from the awesome book blog “Me, My Shelf and I.”   I was positive I put the interview up, but now I’m not so sure (and I can’t find it anywhere in the archive), so I’m posting it today.   It has so much good insight, I really want everyone to see it.  So, before you submit to a single book blog, be sure to read this entire interview.   Amber lays down the law, people!

Why did you become a book blogger?

 In all honestly, it wasn’t an intentional choice. I literally fell into it. When I started I had no idea that the community was so large, that authors were accessible and “real people”, and I certainly had no idea what an ARC was. Once I found everyone my focus was learning the ropes and having a solid blog that gave honest reviews and having  fun along the way. After several months, I knew there was no turning back for me. Book Blogger For-Evah!

 What do you love about being a book blogger?

I have made some perfectly amazing friends, both bloggers and authors alike. If you had told me, before I started all this, that I would have So-and-So’s phone number  (and actually use it for random chats and such) or I’d be sharing a meal with an extremely popular YA author, I would have said you were full of shit.

The bloggers I have met, man I can’t even tell you how much I love them all. It’s so great to not just have a few friends that have the same interests as me, but to have a whole army of them!

Also, I can’t lie–  the books are a major bonus. Not just the free ones, though they are a fun treat. The books I know about now because of blogging. The authors I have learned about and the things I have read that I would have otherwise not picked up make up more than half of my Read List. My reading horizon was broadened and that is NEVER a bad thing!

What do you hate about being a book blogger?

Well HATE is a strong word. I prefer, dislike, loathe or makes-me-angry-enough-to-claw-though-my-computer-and-shake-the-sense-into-people. That’s just me though. Every community, (dare I say job?) has good days and bad days, and the blogging community is no exception. Some of the things that I really loathe about blogging are:

1. Author on Blogger Hate (in this case, the use of a strong word like ‘hate’, works perfectly) Examples: Snapping at a reviewer who gave a bad review. Guess what? Not everyone is going to like your book, it happens. Move on and focus on the good ones. And P.S., your reaction makes you look like spoiled toddler and will actually lose you more readers than that review you got all pissy about! Kay, kay?

2. Blogger on Blogger Hate Examples: Helping to attack another reviewer who wrote a bad review on a book they happened to like. Hey, High School called they want their drama back. Or fighting over, or verbally attacking others online after things like BEA and ALA They got more books than me. Waaaaaah!!!! Really, you can’t read 257 books in a year…so chill out. And if you want them only for giveaways….uh…if you can’t afford giveaways…don’t do them. Seems like common sense. Right? You see, the publishers and authors out there are not there to keep your blog running. If you can’t run it without the books they sometimes give out, then your blog doesn’t have much of a future and chances are you’re in this for the wrong reasons. Truth hurts.

3. Blogger on Author Hate Example: I once watched a blogger have a full blown temper tantrum and attack an author ON TWITTER…publically lashing out at them. Wha Dafaq? The blogger apparently did something for the author, what I gathered was she had Author on her blog for an interview. This interview was asked for by the blogger, and at the time looking at her blog, it was new and small and thus the author was really doing the blogger a favor, as author was fairly popular. Well ARC time came around and blogger didn’t get one. She proceeded to spew cliché teenaged guilt ridden comments “Fine I guess I’m just not good enough” whilst tagging the author in them, thinking she was being clever about it.

Then when author responded, in a polite way this started the:“Why didn’t I get one?! I helped you!? You owe me!?”  lines. Sigh. One thing the blogger hadn’t processed was she wasn’t in the US and just FYI here kiddos – if you’re not in the US, opportunities for ARCs decrease significantly. It’s not discrimination; it’s expensive as hell shipping. And oh, when your blog has 14 followers, is a hot mess with crap all over and no structure or flow and you post once a month…guess what princess…you’re not going to be the top of an authors list to promote their book. Facts of life.

LASTLY – Authors get like 8 copies of their ARCs…..so think about this….She wants to keep one, maybe give one to her proud mommy…then have a few small giveaways for her benefit…NEVER ASK AN AUTHOR FOR AN ARC! That’s not what the copies they get are for. If you have not yet sorted out and secured contacts with publishers, chances are you’re not yet ready to be getting them any way.

4. Bloggers who are in this simply because they want free books and/or ARCs Read: having a blog does not mean that you are entitled to free books and/or ARCS. They are both GIFTS and are to be respected. Don’t hoard them. Don’t hog them. Don’t take them if you don’t think you can actually read them and for the LOVE OF GOD: DON’T EFFIN SELL THEM!

In all honesty if I have to see one more new blogger pop up asking how they can get free books, where to e-mail, and complain they don’t get them….I will scream so loud that God himself will have to cover his ears from the pain of the frequency.

5. What is the stupidest thing an author has ever done to try to get you to review a book?

A few months back a series of e-mails were going out to bloggers all around the world. (I learned this from chatting with other bloggers after it happened) The subject line was something like “Thanks for joining our tour!  Your post is enclosed”.

Panicked I missed something I scoured my calendar, my e-mails, I googled and goodreads-ed and still this book didn’t seem familiar to me. I e-mailed back, dreading having to say “Um I totally spaced out like an effin idiot and haven’t the slightest clue what you are talking about…” Don’t worry, I spiffed that up a bit before sending it off.

Turns out I HADN’T missed anything. It was a ploy by the author to generate responses. Her response back to my confused note filled with apologies was loaded with LOL’s and sentences in quotes like this: Thanks so much for “joining our tour”

My initial reaction, which I had to hold back, was to yell at her and demand to know why she thought that was a suitable way to get her book on my blog. I wasted an hour hunting down info on a make believe tour for crying out loud!! Instead I told her I couldn’t join and let it go. All was fine and great until 2 more like this arrived from other authors over the next few weeks and they DID hear my roar. I told them that this was a horrible way to go about things and that because I don’t like being lied to off the bat I will not be reviewing this or any of their novels in the future.

True or False:  A lot of the book proposals you receive about vampire books?

Sweet Jesus yes! TRUE. I would have to say that at least half of what we get asked to review is vampire related. I think that a lot of them are probably really good, but the market is over saturated with them and if I tool them all it would primarily be a vampire blog. I like vampires, I do but just not that many of them.

Book Piracy – What It Is and What To Do About It

No Comments

Book piracy isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a real and often disheartening challenge for self-published authors. In an industry where many of us rely on direct online sales to make a living, piracy can feel like both a financial and emotional blow. But with the right knowledge and strategies, you can minimize its impact and protect your work while maintaining your focus on growth.

What Is Book Piracy?

Book piracy is the unauthorized copying, distribution, or sale of written works. In the digital age, this usually takes the form of illegal downloads, unauthorized PDFs posted online, or eBook files shared on torrent sites. For self-published authors, piracy not only represents lost income but also risks devaluing your brand and compromising your visibility on legitimate platforms.

I do want to stop and make the distinction here– PIRACY is when someone is representing your book as their work.  This is completely different from DROPSHIPPING, which is when other people are selling your book (like on your Amazon listing).  It is a very (VERY) common first-time author mistake to confuse the two and think someone is pirating your book when they are actually just a third-party selling it.  Dropshipping is an actual legitimate business model, and those people are actually buying the book from you (through a distributor), so eventually you are going to get those royalties.

Let me explain a little more about this so you know the difference.  Here is the listing for my book “Funny You Should Ask: How to Make a Website.”

As you can see, you can buy this book for $8.99 from Amazon and it will be shipped to you by the weekend.

By the way, I’m not trying to get you to buy the book (which is why it’s not linked), I’m just trying to show you what dropshippers are because people ask me this all the time, thinking that their books are being pirated.  In fact, if you scroll down a little bit, you’ll see this:

ok, you think– no big deal, who cares.  But, check out these other sellers who appear to be selling my book!

Right, so– this is dropshippers selling my book. I don’t get their pricing and I’m not sure who would buy one of my paperbacks for $21.80 if they could get the book for $8.99, but this is DROPSHIPPING, not PIRACY.  Eventually I am going to get the money for my book that “BigNameBooks” is selling for $21.80.

I’m not talking about this.  I’m talking about another author taking your book and publishing it as their own.  That’s not what this is.  I hope that makes sense. Dropshipping is legal, piracy is not.

ok, back to our regularly scheduled informative article about piracy and how to avoid it.

Why Should Self-Published Authors Be Concerned?

1. Loss of Revenue: Every pirated copy could represent a missed sale—or several if the file is widely shared. Although, if the pirates are lazy and don’t edit your content and you have your reader magnet and email list signup set up properly, you’ll probably still pick up some new subscribers. Just looking on the bright side!
2. Brand Devaluation: Poorly formatted pirated copies can tarnish your professional image among readers.
3. Security Concerns: Some pirate sites distribute malware alongside stolen content, potentially associating your name with harmful downloads.
4. Emotional Toll: Discovering your hard work stolen can be deeply discouraging, leaving many authors feeling violated. This has happened to me before and I can verify that it super, super sucks to spend a long time writing something only to have someone else pass it off as their own work.

How Does Book Piracy Happen?

Book piracy happens in several ways:

• File-Sharing and Torrent Sites: Once a legitimate eBook copy (in EPUB, MOBI, or PDF format) is obtained, it can be uploaded and shared illegally.
• Unauthorized Scans: Physical copies of books may be scanned and converted into digital formats for distribution.
• Private Sharing: Some readers share files via email or messaging apps.
• Hacked Platforms: In rare cases, hackers gain access to an author’s accounts or retailer platforms to redistribute their entire catalog.

Strategies to Reduce Piracy Risks

While there’s no foolproof method to stop piracy entirely, there are effective strategies to reduce its likelihood and impact:

1. Use Digital Rights Management (DRM)

DRM technology limits file sharing and copying, making it harder for casual users to pirate your work. Retailers like Amazon Kindle and Apple Books offer DRM options, but note that some readers dislike DRM due to device restrictions. I’m on the fence about this one. I generally think pirates are too lazy to steal a book from a reader. I think most piracy happens from un-watermarked pdfs floating around out there (although I could be totally wrong about this, and you should turn on DRM if you want to and if it makes you feel more secure!).

2. Publish on Reputable Platforms

Platforms such as Amazon KDP, Smashwords, and Kobo Writing Life offer tools to track piracy and legal teams to issue takedown notices. Publishing through these platforms can provide additional security. If you’re going to sell direct (like from your website), you’ll need to use BookFunnel for delivery so you aren’t just selling pdf files and hoping for the best.

Which brings me to my next point (ok, it’s a rant), which is:

3.  NEVER release pdfs of your work.  I’m talking never.  Not to a friend, not to an editor, never never never ever.  I will only release a finalized version of a manuscript on BookFunnel, with watermarking. This is especially true if you haven’t published the book yet, because if you haven’t published it yet, you don’t have a copyright and it’s going to be hard to prove it belongs to you and that you wrote it first. I have an author client who this actually happened to (through one of the ARC services that I am not supposed to mention), so I cannot caution you against this enough. DO NOT upload a pdf into any service, ever ever ever!

4. Use Unique Watermarks

Embed unique identifiers in each sold copy. Watermarks can help trace the source of a pirated file. BookFunnel can do this for you.

5. Control Review Copies

Only provide ARCs (Advance Review Copies) to trusted reviewers. Services like BookFunnel allow you to limit downloads and track file access.

6. Monitor Metadata

Ensure your book’s title, keywords, and author name are correctly and uniquely registered to reduce confusion and accidental infringement.

How to Respond to Piracy

1. DMCA Takedown Notices
   Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, you can issue a takedown notice to sites hosting your pirated content. Check the site’s copyright policy for instructions on filing.
2. Enlist Specialized Services
   Anti-piracy tools like Blasty and MUSO monitor the web for pirated copies and file takedown notices automatically. Evaluate whether their subscription cost fits your needs.
3. Alert Legitimate Retailers
   If pirated copies appear alongside your official listings, notify the retailer’s support team. They’ll often act quickly to remove unauthorized listings.
4. Make Public Statements (With Care)
   If piracy becomes widespread, a professional and calm social media post can raise awareness without alienating readers.

Balancing Piracy Concerns with Marketing

While protecting your work is important, it’s essential not to alienate your audience in the process. Heavy DRM or strict anti-piracy measures can frustrate legitimate readers, while fair pricing and accessibility can reduce piracy incentives. Focus on engaging fans and building loyalty—they’re more likely to report piracy and support you by purchasing legitimate copies.

Practical Tips & Best Practices

• Register Your Copyright: Strengthen your legal standing by registering your copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office.
• Set Search Alerts: Tools like Google Alerts can notify you if your book is mentioned or shared online.
• Educate Readers: Inform your audience about piracy’s impact on indie authors and direct them to legitimate purchasing channels.
• Focus on Growth: While addressing piracy, don’t let it overshadow your main goals—keep writing, marketing, and connecting with your audience.

Final Thoughts

Book piracy is a frustrating reality of the digital marketplace, but it doesn’t have to derail your self-publishing journey. By taking proactive steps, monitoring your content, and focusing on building a loyal readership, you can minimize the impact of piracy and continue to thrive as an author. When in doubt, consult an intellectual property attorney to navigate complex legal situations.

Protect your work, stay vigilant, and most importantly—keep creating.

How to promote a book

No Comments

If you are looking for a great way to promote your book for free, get involved in the social networks. And we mean INVOLVED, don’t just sign up for an account and leave it at that. They are a free way to connect others with you and your book and there’s a ton of them out there. As a general rule, if you are wondering which social networks you should use to create an online presence for yourself, the answer is: use them all. Just recognize that how you use the medium and the way you communicate with others may vary from site to site and be prepared and organized so you can stay on top of them. To get started, make a list of all the online sites you are currently a member of – and not just Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., it could be a blog, your own website, or a forum where you have a profile and link. Then sign up for some new ones to increase your online presence.

If you don’t have a book yet, there has never been a better time to self publish and get your work out there.

If you want to self publish a book and want exceptional service, visit www.lulu.com to learn more about what they can do for you.