Sell More Copies of Your Book on Social Media

If you’ve recently completed your first manuscript, congratulations! All those late nights, endless cups of coffee and countless revisions have finally paid off.

Your heart, soul, and probably a bit of your sanity went into the creation of your book, and now it’s time to market the heck out of it. 

As a self-published author, no one will hear your story if you don’t do everything in your power to get it in the hands of soon-to-be adoring fans. And one of the most powerful ways to get your story heard? Social media.

Social media is how a staggering 75% of Americans find information about new products and services — including new books. 

Social media platforms are where you can nurture your relationship with fans, build your authority on your book’s specific topic, and sell more copies of your book.

Most of us are familiar with the basics of social media use, from posting a selfie on Instagram to tweeting. But knowing how to effectively market your book on social media might be new territory for you as a new self-published author.

Here’s how to market your book across social media platforms to grow your fan base and sell more copies of your book.

Host a Twitter Launch Party

Launch your book with a Twitter party. 

A Twitter party creates a unique atmosphere where you can engage with your target audience and let them know you’re available to answer all their burning questions about your book (including when the next one will be arriving!)

Tell your Facebook, Instagram and Twitter followers the date and time of your Twitter party a few weeks in advance. Include a hashtag for your special event and a participation prompt, such as a question-and-answer session.

Engage, Engage, Engage

Engaging with your social media audience as much as possible is essential to selling more books.

Don’t be one of those Twitter or Instagram accounts that can’t be bothered to reply to comments and messages, Let followers know you care about them by engaging with them on a regular basis.

Retweet their words, “favorite” their comments, and take the time to write them back. 

The more love you show your social following, the more your fan base will grow.

Post Pictures

Got a story to tell or exciting update to share? When it comes to social media, tell it with pictures. 

Articles and updates that feature images enjoy 94% more total views across social media platforms. 

So show, don’t tell your followers about your book’s new cover design, the beautiful lawn in front of your writer’s conference, and — every once in a while — how cute your cat is. 

Staying visual on social media doesn’t mean inundating your followers with images every day. But it does mean regularly posting images of your book, related merchandise, fan engagements, events, and everything else that helps boost your book’s online presence. 

Go a step further with caption contests, or encourage your fans to recreate your photos with their own spin. Be sure to like, repost, and positively comment on the results!

Get Creative with Contests & Specials

Contests, special discount codes, and other incentives to buy your book help answer the “what’s in it for me?” question in the back of every buyer’s mind.

Encourage your followers to join you on social media for access to exclusive offers. For example, the first 100 people who follow you on Twitter could receive a special code that gets them 10% off your book on Amazon.

The more people feel like they are gaining access to special deals, the more likely they are to follow you on social media and learn why your book rocks. 

Plus, just about everyone on the planet loves free stuff, so offering a free gift with purchase is a huge incentive. 

The “gift” doesn’t have to be anything huge. It could be as simple as a sneak-peek of your next book — but the fact that it’s free will have your fans jumping. 

Cast a Wide Social Media Net

While it’s important to have a Facebook page, it’s just as important to use all of the other social media platforms available so more people can become acquainted with you and your work.

Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, Tumblr, YouTube — the more options you give old and potential fans find your book, the better. 

If you’re new to managing multiple social media platforms, never fear: apps like HootSuite and Buffer make posting on multiple channels a virtual walk in the park… or bookstore…or library….you get the idea. 

Cross-Promote Like Crazy

Networking with other authors in your genre is a great way to boost your book’s reputation. When you team up with other authors to promote each other’s books across social media platforms, you both gain the attention of the each other’s audience.

Reach out to your author friends or other up-and-coming self-published authors for cross-promotional opportunities. 

Offer to post a positive review of their book on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or YouTube if they’d be willing to do the same. 

Not only will fostering a relationship with other self-published authors boost your current book’s sales, but it will allow you to build a community of people who are willing to read, edit, review and promote your future works (assuming you’re willing to help do the same for them!)

Don’t Push the Sale

Ever hear of the 80/20 suggestion? This ratio is the golden rule for successful social media promotion. 

Promote your book about 20% of the time, and devote the other 80% to related topics, contests and discounts, cross promotions, and any other posts that are fun or informative. 

No one wants to see the same “Buy my book now!” tweets or posts over and over. And pushing a sale too often and too forcefully is a quick way to lose the interest and trust of your followers.

Don’t Forget Paid Advertising

Paid promotion options are available on most social media platforms. And while paid promotions require cash, they’re a worthy investment for getting your book into the hands of more adoring fans.

Paid promotions on social media allow you to get your book in front of a highly-targeted audience. This means your work will be seen by the people who are going to be most interested in its content. 

Without paid advertising, it’s virtually impossible to organically get your book to reach its intended audience across all social platforms. Paid advertising can give your book the leg-up it needs to be seen amongst the competition.

Take advantage of as many social media platforms as you can for your book, but only open as many accounts as you can actively and effectively manage. 

A consistent social media presence is key to letting your audience know you’re available and attentive. Don’t get in over your head with too many accounts if you can’t give all of them the attention they deserve. 

By the same token, don’t go overboard with constant posts and updates. You don’t want your followers to think you spend all your time surfing social media rather than writing!

Ready to take your social media education even deeper? Learn the best tips and tricks for self-published authors to sell their book on Facebook >