Our 5 Favorite – and FREE — Book Marketing Tools

Book Marketing Made Easy

One of the most commonly asked questions for authors that are self-publishing is ‘”How do I market my book?” We know. Marketing is a whole world in and of itself, and book marketing is very specific to the publishing industry, especially with certain book genres.

Truth is, most traditional or small independent publishers don’t help authors with marketing their book. Sure, they might do a couple things here and there, but as far as creating a marketing plan or really putting time and effort into marketing an author’s book, it just doesn’t happen.

So, it’s up to the author to create their own book marketing plan and get their book out into the world. And to that note, there’s a LOT of information out there about how to market your book – which can be completely overwhelming to a newbie author, especially after they’ve just spent months working tirelessly to get their book published.

Here’s our five favorite book marketing tools (in no particular order) that are easy to use and won’t send a first-time author screaming into the abyss:  

Animoto

We all love the short videos we see on social networking, and Animoto is terrific for promotions, book parties, and book clubs. We love that Animoto makes it easy, fun, free and video-based. And, as you know, video gets better SEO than the written word. 

Fiverr  

This is one of the greatest promotional tools that has hit the internet. You could almost considerer Fiverr to be your go-to marketing partner. Fiverr is great for creating social media headers, memes, flyers, logos, illustrations, postcards, bookmarks, and anything you need to market your book. Can you do it yourself on Canva? Sure, but why, when someone can do it for $5 and up. 

Canva

Now, if you’re a do-it yourselfer, Canva is terrific. It’s a free graphic design website that is so easy it brings out your inner designer! You can use Canva for all your marketing materials, and your creative genius will be one happy camper! For those with a little less time on their hands or who needs graphic design assistance, refer back to Fiverr.

Pixabay

You’ve probably heard all the hubbub about using photos or images without copyright permission, so here’s where you need to check out Pixabay. They offer Royalty Free images that you can use for memes and other fun stuff. This is great because you can’t legally use any ol’ picture on the internet just because it’s on the internet, so Pixabay has you covered.

** Buzz Bite: When creating a meme, be sure to quote something from your book — and don’t forget to use yourself as the quotee!

Help a Reporter

Known as HARO (Help a Reporter Out), they “provide journalists with a robust database of sources for upcoming stories and daily opportunities for sources to secure valuable media coverage.” Once you register, be sure to request a list once a day. If you opt for “As they come in” you will have emails coming in all day. And if you opt for “Once a week” you’re too late to take advantage of the opportunity, as this information site moves as quickly as the media.

There you have it….our five favorites. By using these simple tools, the author has the opportunity to take control over their marketing plan and do as much (or as little) as they can handle. It makes the daunting task of book marketing much easier and manageable, and without breaking the bank.

Now go forth and market ye book, with all the gusto of a seasoned pro!