Book readership is up by many measures these days, especially among younger people, which bodes well for the future. But the flip side is the ultra-competitive marketplace meaning that book marketing services are crucial. They help you reach target readers with news of your book and persuade them to purchase or download a copy. The book promotion process reminds you of the importance of marketing through a mix of traditional and online media. Relying on a single channel such as social media carries the risk of missing your goals. It's more effective to reach prospective readers in several ways.

The first marketing idea, especially for first-time authors, is to remember local independent booksellers and libraries. Both have relationships with their clientele and may recommend your book. You need to start buzz somewhere, and they are a place to begin. Successful book marketing is progressive, which means you begin small and work your way up to larger outlets. For online booksellers, ensure you provide complete information about your book, including the cover or other images if available. Because you need to come up in search results, write descriptions that take up most of the space you're allotted.  

The second idea is to remember traditional media in your marketing program. There are well-known stories about books going viral and becoming sales sensations, but they are the exception. Most authors need to seek media coverage as part of a well-rounded PR effort. A combination of media coverage and online visibility is the recipe for success. If you're able to reach target readers with your message more than once, you have a substantially better chance of interesting them in reading your book. Over-relying on a single media channel can bring the risk that you'll miss a substantial number of people.

The third valuable book marketing tactic is to become a guest blogger. It's an excellent way to reach larger audiences quickly, and you can appear on more than one blog. Each has a specific audience potentially interested in your topic, and if you're lucky, you can place a link at the end of the post that will take readers to a site where your book is for sale. It's essential to post genuinely helpful or entertaining content and not oversell. You can also investigate running a contest with the blogger that gives a copy or download of your book to the winners. When they comment