Interacting in Groups and Forums
One simple way to market your book is to interact in groups and forums. This can help drive traffic to your website and boost the visibility of your work. But you don’t want to pick just any group or forum to participate in. You want to choose ones that will help you grow your brand.
For non-fiction authors, this means you should pick groups that are in your niche. For example, if your book is about dog care, then joining a forum focused on dog training or dog health would be a good idea. This will give you a chance to answer questions and establish yourself as an authority on the topic.
For fiction authors, this means you need to join groups built around your genre. For example, if you write fantasy and paranormal books, you should look for groups created specifically for fantasy readers.
Participating regularly in groups will also give you lots of content ideas. This means you’ll have plenty of inspiration to record Facebook Live videos and make blog posts. But the inspiration doesn’t stop there. The more you learn about your audience, the easier it will be to target them with your subsequent books.
Along with groups where your readers hang out, you also want to join groups where you can find fellow authors. If you write romance, then look for groups that focus on romance writing. Pick places where the mood is upbeat and authors encourage each other. If you join a group that’s negative or thrives on picking people apart, you’ll be pulled down by all the negativity.
Remember when you are part of a group to engage in discussions. It can be tempting to parrot what everyone else is saying. But you want to focus on adding value to each conversation. If you regularly share helpful information and encourage other members, you’ll develop a reputation as a trusted leader in your niche.
If forum or group etiquette allows self-promotion, share about your books when joining in conversations. The key here is to only do this when your book is relevant to the topic at hand. If someone asks how you know if your dog is sick, then it could be appropriate to link to your book on dog healthcare. It wouldn’t be appropriate to link to your book about computer programming.
If you’re not sure about the rules of etiquette in the group or forum, take a moment to reach out to the owner or a moderator. This shows you’re there because you genuinely care and want to help better this online community.