Marketing A Book On A $100 Dollar Budget. Step 2

If you haven't seen part 1, then I indeed suggest going back to read it. Part 1 was all about Networking, Introducing your book and Starting the snowball effect of word of mouth.

Step 2: Marketing And Advertising

Marketing is the advertising and presenting you with a stage. You've already started to introduce people to your work, but now it's about taking people to the store and making them buy it (not literally, but that might work too, hahaha!). This means making people travel to your site, Amazon Page, Merch Page, and more, then getting them actually to buy your product. If the last part were the calling card, this would be the follow-up call. This is a significant step and one that builds critically on top of introductions. Here are some ways to market your book, and for all of them, make sure to add your website, book title, your name, and place they can find it:

Book Cover~ The first thing people see of your book is the cover. The cover has to be enticing, it has to make them wonder about the curiosities within, as well as the adventures and lessons the book will grant them. The cover has to stand out from all the other books that will also have attractive covers to make the reader see it in the first place, and of course, spark the curiosity that makes them pick it up. Book Covers come in a variety of prices, and some of the best are in the less familiar places. Search the web for freelance artists who make great covers, and in some cases, they'll be cheap. Total: $5 - $50 (For Cheap Covers. I got my cover for $15 here: https://www.deviantart.com/gwendolyn1, and she made alterations to make all the others covers in the story for only $10 after that!)

Book Title~ The second thing people react to is the title, so how does it make them feel? Thrilled, Happy, Angry, Scared, or more curious? Any of these will be good (as long as the emotion fits somehow with the genre), but if it sparks no passion what-so-ever, then it's likely people will just continue to scroll or walk past it. Emotions catch a reader like a hook, and if the passion in the title sparks interest, it will most likely result in a sale of the book. Ex. Penny's Adventure sounds fine. However, The Grim Tale Of Penny's Demise captures more attention. Book Titles are free, you just have to put them on the book cover! Total: $0

Book Summary~ The summary at the back of the book or next to the cover of the ebook is the last chance to catch the reader's attention and the last chance to impress them with the plot. I never buy a book if I dislike its summary or if I'm unimpressed after reading the summery. Creating a summary is harder then you might think. It not only has to generate emotions and hook the reader with enticing speech, but the best summaries are unique and do so in a way that is unexpected and even funny in some cases. Many books have exciting summaries and causing your book to blend in with many. To entice readers with the final straw, make sure to create a summary that causes emotion and excitement, but catches the reader off guard while they read. Standing out in this way will be a very rewarding feat. These as well are free, and they generate a considerable amount of the actual sale. Total: $0

Youtube or Skype Reading~ By having a live broadcast, or a prerecorded video of you reading a chapter or two of your book, you will be able to convince readers to buy your book by letting it speak for itself. If you do this for the first 1-10 chapters in several videos, it should pick up readers on youtube as well! You can use this video and its audio to advertise, or leave links for people who are on the fence about buying it! Plus if it's a live broadcast, you have the opportunity to use your book for charity, people can donate, and you'll still get people interested in your novel! Another way to do this is youtube collaboration readings with other authors, take turns on the channel reading from your books and turn each other's readers into your own customers! (Bonus: If it get's enough views, it's possible to earn some extra $ from Ad revenue!) Total: $0

Podcast or Radio Station Tour~ Tour multiple podcasts on Pandora, or Spotify and get interviewed on various stations! Or, Interview with reporters or radio stations to help boost the book, and all of these are free. This kind of attention can reach hundreds of thousands of people, and if you do a different radio station or podcast a day, the job doesn't get as dull either! Usually, you have to ask to be interviewed, and you have to make sure you chose people favorite station or stations that have things in common with your novel, it is also possible you will be put on a waiting list. Most stations and podcasts would be happy to help you for free! As long as you give a shout out to them on your site or in your novel, or have something interesting to say for their viewers. In fact, if a story is controversial or different, it is more likely to be accepted. In some cases, some stations will ask for payment, and it is up to you whether you wish to pay for that service. Helpareporter.com is an excellent way to an easy acceptance and a boost in book sales for free! Total: $0 For most interviews, $5 - $20 for a paid service.

Local Bookstores, Thrift stores, and Small businesses~ These businesses will either display or sell your novels! This is usually done for either a cut of the profits or asking you to do something in return; like a live reading or marketing plan that works for both parties. You can also ask them to perform a live reading or signing in these places, most will agree if it seems profitable. This is called a 'Joint Business Venture' and reaching out to as many businesses to start them up is essential, and free for the author. Total: $0

Create Urgency~ A lowered price, a limited edition version or a signed copy can create a lot of buzz and a lot of customers. Make sure to have these events scattered around the lowest sell times of the year. This will bring in a new swarm of customers and make you a profit in the low months.

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High Amazon Listing~ This is an important marketing technique, getting on the first few pages of Amazon or attaining a High Amazon List rate could be the difference between selling 10 or 100 books. The more your book is mentioned by readers, or by you in comments and reviews (not necessarily on your book) the more it will increase your ranking and help you sell more books. This is a free process but a critical one if you want to sell books. Total: $0

Free Books and Samples~ Give away books in raffles, have periods of time where the ebook is free, and offer free samples of your works. This may sound counterproductive - you need to sell books not give them away - but if you give them away to the right people, who will review BEFORE the book comes out, it means helping that High Amazon Listing. Giving signed copies in local raffles can me establishing yourself as a writer in your community, which could mean selling more signed copies later. And having free samples of your work, or a free edition online of the first five chapters or less can have multiple links to the full version at the end, forcing people to buy it. Giving free ebooks away can help sell the rest of a series and hook a person on to the first book before right before another book comes out. Total: $0

Create Urgency~ A lowered price, a limited edition version or a signed copy can create a lot of buzz and a lot of customers. Make sure to have these events scattered around the lowest sell times of the year. This will bring in a new swarm of customers and make you a profit in the low months. Total:$0

Pre-Orders~ This is the easiest way to create value for your book before it comes out, but remember, most people want their book then and there, so they will wait until after it is released. But if you managed to follow the rest of this list, there might be a few who invest in the pre-order. This is a useful marketing tool as you establish yourself and after. $0

And it's at this point I have to talk about my savior: Fiverr. Fiverr is a cheap and accessible website that one can hire individuals cheaply for their skills. Fiverr is a site I would absolutely recommend, especially on my low budget. Affordable, secure, and effective you can find most of the advertising media and more to help the success of your work. I found all of the following on the website, and then I listed the most expensive and cheap prices I saw on the site, and the best part? You can get 20% off your purchase if you click the link!: http://www.fiverr.com/s2/f035309430

Shout Outs~ Having people with many followers and experience of helpful shoutouts, is a great marketing technique if your book is sold somewhere ANYONE can get a hold of it. Having multiple shout-outs from multiple people is a great way to reach different audiences. However, you must make sure that it is an audience that would be intreated in your book, an audience that can connect or spark an interest in your book. Total: $5 to $15

Promotional Videos~ Promotional videos are videos that show a product and positive quotes about the product. In this case, it would be a video of a Book Cover and quotes by readers, the videos are incredible for Marketing and sometimes only cost $5! Total: $5 - $30

Promotional Audio~ This is a soundbite created by a professional that can be used in as many marketing mediums as the marketer see fit. They are cheaper then videos and can be used in videos, and are amazing for podcasts. Total: $5 - $15

Book Trailer(s)~ These are trailers that reflect the plot of the book similar to movie trailers. They leave the audience wanting more and can be cheap if provided with enough information! Total: $5 - $25

Book Covers~ For more options on book covers, look no farther! Total: $5 - $50

Editor~ This too is an important step, maybe not for marketing, but for any writer to continue to give their readers the best experience! Total: $5 - $50 Here is the link of the person I used! They were a great help, and I enjoyed their high-quality service at such a low price!: https://www.fiverr.com/purplethorne/edit-and-proofread-your-story-or-essay?arrived_from_manage_gigs=true&display_share=true

Overall Total: $35 for it all at $5 for each paid service! Most of the list was free, and the rest was the cheap Fiverr Gigs I would tell anyone on a budget to use! And why stop there? There is so much more you can do to promote your book and gain more readers! I will continue with more ways to sell your works in Part 3!