No matter what your career, having the right professional and public image is key to getting ahead. This sometimes can be hard to navigate, particularly if you’re a freelance writer who is trying to balance making an income with keeping your readers interested and following your career. If you are a self-published author who wants to gain more attention for your book and yourself as a writer, here are a few PR tips that you might find useful:
Take advantage of all promotion opportunities
The first place to start is working on promotional strategies for your book. If you have used publishing services such as Amazon self publishing service KDP, for example, then you should utilize their marketing tools as well. This will help your book become more visible on the Amazon website to potential buyers. You should also make the most of free promotional tools like social media, content on your website or blog if you have one, and making promotional videos for your book and other visuals like a cover reveal to get people interested in your new book.
Give other writers a lift
Promoting your work is important, but if you want to gain a positive reputation in the writing community and with your readers, you should be promoting authors that you like, too. Writing as a career can be tough, so supporting other writers who have inspired you is a good way to give back, and they will likely start helping to promote your work as well to repay the favor. It’s also a great way to make connections in this industry, and perhaps a future collaboration could be on the cards? You might even be put in touch with a publisher or literary agent as a result.
Build relationships with reviewers and bloggers
You might have an incredible book that could sell millions of copies, but if it isn’t being talked about by the right people, it might never reach its full potential. You have to make connections with book reviewers and book bloggers if you want people to start talking about your work and buying a copy of your book. A lot of readers turn to these individuals for recommendations, so you do need them if you want to reach a wider audience and build your readership following. You should write a press release for your book and make sure that the reviewers/bloggers you’re contacting are interested in your particular genre and whether or not they are accepting review requests. You should also try to personalize your email if you can, rather than just sending a boring, generic one that might not pique their interest.
Get involved in events
Finally, make an effort to get involved in local or national literary events or other relevant events that can help to boost your image as a writer. If you can get on a panel discussing a certain topic that is explored in your latest book or the writing and publishing industry more generally, this will help you get noticed by more people. You could even organize an event like this in your local town and invite other writers to attend.
If you’re a self-published author who wants to further your writing career, use these PR tips to help you achieve your goals.
