Authors: Self-Promotion Book Checklist for Global Brand Consistency
Did you just write a book or e-book and it’s headed to an experienced graphic designer for a great cover and interior design? Now start thinking about the big picture.
Your branding across the web. Your promotional marketing for in-person events.
If you haven’t given this much thought yet, below is a check list to be sure you are ready to broadcast yourself and the book everywhere.
- Do you have a website ready with your own personal branding? If not, it’s time you had yourself branded by a professional. Consider creating another website devoted entirely to the book. Both of these need to be reviewed or created so you are ready to promote once that fabulous book is ready.
- Be sure to create a new Facebook page with the title of your book. This can either be its own separate page, or it can be a custom page under your current author page.
- Start creating advance Facebook, Google+ posts and Tweets using hashtags you will be using regarding the new book. (such as: #harrypotter)
- Create a Pinterest board for the new book, so you can post graphics, photos, and video once on tour.
- Make sure to post video of signings, talks, and events to your YouTube channel, and if the YouTube channel isn’t branded, do it.
- Have you created a Kindle version? An audio version?
- Perhaps a great time to add audio and create your podcast station? (Talkshoe, Blog Talk Radio)
- Make sure your Twitter and Google Plus accounts are branded also with the correctly sized graphics.
- Create other print marketing that you can give to others at events or to help in promotion, such as: bookmarks, flyers, postcards, magnets, business type cards but for the book, perhaps with a special discount code?
- Figure out which pages of the interior you will use to showcase the book in the pop-up section on Amazon.
- Be sure the cover looks good when reduced down to a postage stamp, as well as blown up really large. Have an assortment of cover graphics sized properly for every type of usage.
- Send out a press release about the new book with links to all the web presence pages.
- Send advance copies to a group of influential people who will write reviews for the book on amazon and social media as well as for your website. Share those on social media too.
- Review your LinkedIn profile and all other profiles and make sure all content is up to date and all new links are added in.
Here are a few examples I found of celebrated authors and their branded websites.
- Book and Author Branding: What Makes A Great Book Design?
- Printed Books vs Web Only Versions: Case Study of The Baseball Encyclopedia
4 thoughts on “Authors: Self-Promotion Book Checklist for Global Brand Consistency”
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As a newspaperman for the past several decades who was briefly a book publicist myself, I've seen a lot of book promotion material pass through my hands and the hands of other journalists. This is THE most complete list of what today's authors must do, at minimum, to promote a book, and it's all in one post! Congratulations for saying this in a valuable way. Authors need to know this. This needs to be shared.
Thanks John. I couldn’t agree more. Authors spend their valuable time crafting a book but then don’t know what to do once the book is published. – Susan
Thank you for putting all these wonderful tips together in one post. Writing the book is the easy part, promoting.. well, that’s a book all in itself.
Thank you.
Hi Donna, Thank you so much and I’m sorry for the delayed response! I am going to build a course on Udemy just for authors. What would you like to see included? Would so appreciate your feedback. – Susan