After Self-Publishing What Is The Best Way To Market A Publication For Free?

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The best way to market a book is not free. It is spending a little where you get more back, after you have fixed your cover, title, keywords and description. Then run Amazon ads, which cost little to start, and ask the readers on your email list for reviews. Below: how the buying path works, why small spending beats free, and which review methods Amazon allows.

Why do most self-published books not sell?

Because writing and publishing a book does not bring buyers. Many authors edit everything, publish on Amazon and then nobody buys. The book may be fine. The usual answer is that you need to do some marketing.

I started with no marketing and no idea how it worked. My books were edited and followed the instructions, and they still didn’t sell. So I tried things. I posted links on social media and ran free campaigns, and saw downloads but no sales once the free days ended. I tried Facebook groups and even paid people to post my books to their groups. That moved my ranking a little, but the rules changed and it stopped working. Then I found ads.

Selling from your own site is another free channel, and I cover it in can you sell directly to readers?

Should I spend money to market my book?

Yes, if you earn it back. If I spend $1 and get $2 back, that was a good use of money. So “free” is not the right goal.

Before any marketing, check the basics, because most authors already made a mistake here. A reader first does a search and sees your thumbnail. A good cover gets them to read the title, the title gets them to open the page, and the description decides whether they buy. A weak cover, wrong keywords or an off description each stop the reader at that step, and fixing them reduces what you need to spend later.

How do Amazon ads help a new book?

They put your book on the results page when someone searches. Amazon Ads for KDP books (no update date shown) are pay per click: you pay only when a reader clicks, you set the maximum bid per click and you set your own budget. KDP recommends starting with Sponsored Products, which show in shopping results and on product pages.

When I started running ads I saw a jump in sales almost immediately. It is more competitive now, but if the numbers are done and the ads are run right, you can make your money back. I run ads on Amazon, not Facebook, because Amazon is where the buyers already are. It takes some effort to learn. See Amazon ads for authors.

What should I set up on Amazon before I run ads?

Claim your books in Author Central, so they appear on your Author Page. KDP’s ads help page says Sponsored Brands ads need a pen name with at least three unique titles in Author Central. Every ad is reviewed before it runs, and the page says results usually arrive within 24 hours but can take up to 3 business days. Ads send shoppers to your book’s detail page, so the summary matters, and the page recommends support for any claims you make in an ad (KDP ads help).

How do I get reviews without breaking Amazon’s rules?

From your own email list. In your book, offer a free resource such as a mini-book in exchange for an email address. Then you can tell readers about new books and invite honest reviews from the ones who become fans. A free email plan, like MailerLite’s, costs nothing to start. To choose the tool that runs the list, read is MailerLite right for your book email marketing.

Many other methods are not worth it. Amazon’s Community Guidelines (no update date shown) don’t allow reviews written in exchange for payment, discounts or products, don’t allow reviews from friends or relatives, and say authors can’t require a review in exchange for free books. That rules out review swaps, paid review services and reviews from friends and family. Free copies are fine if a review is not a condition. My order for a book that has just gone live, reviews first and ads once the first review is up, is in what to do first when your book is live on Amazon.

You can also join forums on your topic, help people, and mention your book where it genuinely fits. Don’t just drop links, since most forums ban that.

There is also plenty of free online help for publishing a book.

If you want a marketing plan that fits your budget, book a free 25-minute discovery call.

What marketing has worked for you? Tell me in the comments.

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