The book promotion piece is one of the most vital but neglected aspects of being a self published author. Today’s guest, Ricci Wolman, is not an author herself but IS a marketing specialist who has made a career (and a business) out of helping authors successfully promote their books. She is founder and CEO of Written Word Media the parent company of www.FreeBooksy.com – a site that authors can use to promote their own work across vast lists of interested readers. Today Mark and James chat with Ricci about promotional best practices for new and experienced authors alike. The insights and tips she shares could be the keys to increasing your sales and success as an indie author. Be sure you take the time to listen.
10 years of online audience building has placed Ricci Wolman in a unique place to help authors.
Book promotions don’t come easy for most authors because they aren’t marketers – they are writers. So when somebody comes along who has the skill and expertise to help an author get outside their own “writer’s head” and see how the bells and whistles of marketing their books can increase sales, it’s a winning proposition. Ricci Wolman is exactly that person. She began her venture into helping self published authors by endeavoring to help her own mother gain traction with her first self published book and the efforts have led to her very successful business. You can hear Ricci’s story and learn how she might be able to help you in this episode of the Self Publishing Formula Podcast.
“Free” book promotions on Amazon is not a sure fire way to get more downloads.
Free giveaways on Amazon are still very powerful, but there are so many free books on Amazon any given day, it’s hard for your book to surface. What should you do? Learn how to do great promotions alongside those free offers to increase your visibility, gain more downloads, and start the Amazon sales engine working on your behalf. If you listen to this episode you’ll come away with some very tangible things you can do to make your next book promotion a greater success than your last.
Why indie authors MUST build a mailing list now.
One of the most important aspects of your book sales is the ability to put your writing in front of audiences that are not only engaged with your genre but also interested in YOUR work in particular. That’s where building an email list comes in. As you publish your work you have the opportunity to build a list of people who express interest in your work, and once they are on your email list they are the first people you should tell about what’s going on in your writing process and publication schedules. Why? Because they’ve already expressed interest and are your first likely buyers once your next book publishes. Ricci walks new indie authors through the first steps of building an email subscription list for their followers.
If you promote your books, you will make more money.
That’s the blunt fact of the matter. On this episode, Ricci shares her advice regarding the step by step process indie authors should use to build an email list, set up promotions for their self published books, and improve the success of their writing.
Outline of this episode
- [0:21] Mark and James’ overview of the fun had at the LBF (London Book Fair).
- [2:21] Interview with Ricci Wolman begins.
- [3:32] How Mark came to be a “fan” of Ricci’s methods of promotion.
- [5:04] How Ricci began her own publishing in the first place.
- [8:46] Why “free” on Amazon is not necessarily the answer to book downloads.
- [10:42] The growth of self published books on Amazon.
- [12:20] Why authors need to develop their own marketing skills.
- [13:41] Entry level tips for building and engaging a mailing list.
- [20:46] Promotional tools self published authors can use today.
- [25:02] Tips for making promotions as successful as possible.
- [28:57] How much should new authors invest in promoting their books?
- [32:36] How full time authors can take their business to the next level.
- [38:43] Next things for Ricci and Written Word Media.
- [40:00] Upcoming episodes to look forward to.
