Your Book Is Published! Here Are 5 Soft-Sell Ways to Promote It Without Overwhelming Friends & Family Career

You’ve waited for years for this moment: the publication of your new novel or poetry book or memoir. The work is the culmination of years of your thoughts and dreams and is sitting in a box or anxiously waiting in an online “store” to find readers. It is tempting to flood all of your contacts with promotional announcements and sales pitches. Your publisher expects at least this much from you, but try not to overwhelm your friends and relatives with your success. 

Yes, you need to market your book, but you also need to recognize how many marketing promos everyone is hit with every day. Instead, try a soft-sell approach: 

• Volunteer to read at a summer event (and it does not have to be from your book).

• Offer a free workshop.

• Write a blog giving tips that will help other writers.

• Speak on another topic at a local event.

• Be ready to discuss your book when asked but don’t push or shove. 

You don’t have to let copies of your book languish in a box under your desk either, but be patient enough to create a long-term plan that will allow opportunities to flow naturally. 

Yes, my new book of poetry, "Innermost Sea," has been published through Finishing Line Press!