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Self-Published Authors Seek Our Advice in Record Numbers
We’re proud of these numbers and the interest from the authors they demonstrate. We work hard to make sure our website has information of value to the authors and publishers we serve. Our goal always has been to promote quality books, regardless of how they were published. Therefore, we’ve been a leader among major book publicity firms working with self-published books and authors in significant numbers. Since the beginning of self-publishing, we have tried to use our website to provide information about book marketing basics at no charge.
Visits to Our Marketing-Advice Pages Tops 10,000
Our Smith website pages that received a combined total of 10,000 visitors during the past year are our newly updated free-advice page “110 Book Marketing Ideas to Sell Your Book in 2020,” that received 5,250 unique visits; and our promotional pages overviewing our professional services “Self-Published Book Marketing Services,” that received 4,750 unique visitors.
Dan Smith, our CEO, and Founder says that while there are numerous crossover elements, self-published authors and books require specialized marketing strategies, tactics, and campaign aspects to help sales and build brands for their authors.
“Any perceived disadvantages about self-publishing are drifting into the past; media watch out for quality content, without concern how it’s published,” Dan says. “But, also self-published authors don’t have built-in support from traditional publishers. Therefore, they need to see that everything is done well — from editing and design to promotion and marketing. There is no doubt, they have more responsibilities.”
What started as the self-publishing revolution now is a confirmed and gigantic segment of the publishing industry. When measured by the numbers, it’s showing no signs of slowing down.
As numbers for 2019 are still being totaled, check out these facts published by Bowker:
- Since 2013, data shows a 213% increase in ISBNs for self-published titles
- Between 2017 and 2018 alone, self-publishing grew by an astonishing 40%
- In 2018, 1,677,781 ISBNs were issued; five years ago, in 2013, it was 461,438
As we continue promoting traditionally published books, at Smith Publicity, we’re proud to be the leading book marketing agency for self-published books. We’ve been at the forefront of the digital self-publishing revolution; since 1997, we’ve promoted thousands of self-published books.
Dan brings up five essential considerations for self-published authors when writing, publishing, and marketing their books:
- Original content for marketing – Dan notes that most successful campaigns, especially for self-published non-fiction books, include original content created by the author, often in the form of bylined articles, thought leadership pieces, or op-ed articles. “The media readily accepts content that can be published as-is.”
- Social Media -“Our experience confirms social media is one of the essential credibility-building aspects of book marketing,” Dan says. He reminds authors to start building a social media presence three-to-six months ahead of their book’s publication. Also, authors should generally focus on two social media platforms – don’t stretch yourself too thin. Twitter is effective for all books, while Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, are useful for specific genres.
Dan also says: “Two essential things for self-published authors to make a priority: Don’t push too hard with promotion on social media, offer information, and cultivate authentic relationships. Secondly, it is better to omit having a social media presence rather than leaving accounts dormant for months.”
- Hire professional help– Unless an author has the expertise and free time to self-promote, Dan says authors should strongly consider using a paid book publicity agency or book publicist. Self-published authors don’t have support from a traditional publisher. According to Dan, “Too many authors make the mistake of thinking book publicity is easy. It’s not. It calls for a plan together with specific skills and resources. For authors with small marketing budgets, there still are things professionals can do that help.”
- Amazon Optimization– Self-published books need Amazon pages as complete as possible. Be sure to include all content that can help improve discoverability. “Be sure to have a compelling book description with easily searchable keywords. Also, be careful and methodical when selecting genre categories,” Dan continues.
- Website – Dan advises: “A high-quality author website, preferably professionally designed, isn’t optional in book marketing campaigns, it’s a must-have.” Again, Dan says, when lacking support from a traditional publisher, self-published authors need to ensure they have an effective, well-designed online presence.
Smith Publicity is Uniquely Positioned to Help Self-Published Authors
At Smith Publicity, we bill ourselves as an equal opportunity book marketing firm. To date, we have promoted more than 4,500 authors and books since 1997. We are the most prolific book marketing agency in the publishing industry today. We work with projects ranging from self-published, first-time authors to New York Times bestsellers released by major publishers.
