How to Publicize Your Self-Published Book

I started writing this article on November 7, 2007, and I am just finding the time to finish it - almost a month later. My time was taken up with the launch of my first, self-published book. That's how much time it takes to launch a self-published book and begin getting publicity for it.

It is becoming more common for good writers to self-publish today because traditional publishers are becoming more selective about what projects they take on as they watch their bottom line. If you think you have written a good book, self-publishing may be the way to go, but be prepared to do alot of work during the book publishing process, and especially after publication. Even though you will pay to have your book published, and even though you choose a reputable self-publishing firm, you will have to fend for yourself to attract attention to your work.

Here are some tips on how you can be successful with a self-published book:

- Think seriously about engaging a publicist if you can possibly afford it. There are many types of publicity firms, and the cost can be variable. Check out the website www.bookmarket.com for a list of book publicity firms. I chose a firm I had found on this site. However, be sure to check out the ones you are interested in with the better business bureau before you engage them.

- Even if you have a publicist working to get your book recognized, it is important that you think of every way you could market your book. Depending on the genre of the book, think of your book's audience and who would be interested in it. In my case, the audience could be both educators and students, so I am targeting every type of resource that relates to this audience - schools, magazines, associations, libraries, etc., etc. The internet can help you a lot in finding resources.

- Join an author organization, both on-line and in your local community. This will give you an opportunity to network and meet people who can help you get the word out on your book, or give you marketing ideas.

- Start a website or a blog. This is extremely important today, and it doesn't have to be too expensive. You can build a simple website through some of the internet service providers such as earthlink and others. You will need a hosting company, but after the initial cost of setting up your domain name, the monthly maintenance is relatively inexpensive.

- Find out where book fairs are being held in your local community and take part in them.

- Enter your book in book contests. Many literary organizations have yearly book contests covering all genre of books. You can get a list of these contests in the Writer's Market book that is published each year. You can also find these contests on the internet. For self-published books, some of the more popular contests are through Foreword Magazine, and Reader's Views. Writer's Digest magazine, published about six times per year, runs a yearly self-published books award contest.

Finally, just keep at it. You need to create a "ripple effect" in your publicity efforts. Give a few promotional copies here and there, and if your book is good, word will keep spreading over time.