Each year more self-published authors become successful, and their breakthroughs will help others in the future. While it's true some authors go the conventional route and find a literary agent who connects them to traditional publishers, and their numbers aren't increasing as quickly. For the many who are publishing their work independently. Time has shown what works best. One of the first things to keep in mind is that writing a book for niche audiences is much more likely to succeed than going after the masses. Narrowing your focus and appealing powerfully to a smaller audience works.
If you write a book on personal finance, you'll face a sea of competition. But if you make it a book on personal finance for baby boomers about to retire, suddenly you have a highly interested audience. Or write one about how buying high-quality used cars versus new ones saves people a hundred thousand dollars over a lifetime. Your book needs to stand out in its genre. Cultivating a fan base of people willing to buy all the books you write is another wise move. It means communicating with readers by becoming appropriately active on social media and engaging with them through videos, podcasts, etc.
Because so much of marketing today takes place online, it helps to find groups on social media that relate to your book and its topic and become involved. For example, if you're writing a memoir about raising a family while being a working mother, find groups for new parents. Join the discussion, answer questions, provide information that may be helpful to other group members. Then when you release your book, you'll have a group of people already interested in its topic. If you're working far enough in advance, you can also start your own social media groups. When they focus on your book topic, it helps.
Email is an excellent book promotion tool, and you'll benefit from developing a mailing list. Marketing experts advise that email brings reader engagement far above what you can achieve on social media. One of the first steps to becoming a successful author is to concentrate on building a significant email list. There are many ways to gather addresses. Find out more about opt-in devices for your website and other places where you appear online. Lastly, don't overlook the power of podcasts. They are an excellent book marketing tool and each year gain new listeners. Niche podcasts can often work the best.