Indie & Small Press Book Marketing

by William Hertling

Why do some books sell a few copies and then languish, why others go on to sell tens of thousands?

In a word: Marketing.

Indie & Small Press Book Marketing explains how to market your book, with a detailed plan for what you need to do before launch, during the all-critical launch month, and afterwards.

Full of proven techniques to get initial sales and reviews, increase conversion rate of your blog and Amazon page, engage with communities of passionate readers, and connect with influencers and reviewers who can help launch your book into bestseller lists.

“Finally, a structured approach to marketing books.”
– Tonya Macalino, author of Spectre of Intention and The Shades of Venice

“Even for the traditionally published author, this book is full of great stuff! It takes a detailed, easy to follow approach to promoting your book. Highly recommended!”
– E.C. Ambrose, author of The Dark Apostle series

"Chock full of actionable marketing tips I wish I'd known years ago."
– Gene Kim, author of The Visible Ops Handbook and The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Business, Social Media

112 pages, Paperback

First published December 14, 2012

Reviews

[Ripley Patton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, a marketing book that isn't just another commercial for Amazon KDP Select.

I love how this book is broken into phases of a book's publishing timeline. As soon as I picked it up and started reading, I was stopping to apply things Hertling suggested.

I have read quite a few books on book marketing and this still had news for me. I especially enjoyed the summarizing check list at the end of each chapter/phase, and my favorite section was when the author shared what didn't work for him and why. Now I know exactly how NOT to waste my valuable marketing time.

The one thing I was surprised Hertling didn't cover in the book was pricing and its effect/connection to marketing, but I can forgive him this because many other books I've read have addressed it.

The book is short and concise, but you'll have tons of info to walk away with.

[Tac Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not an author and I still really enjoyed this book. It was very informative and enjoyable read. Not only are there tons of useful tips in here for authors but William's story is an interesting one.

Being an avid reader of his blog (http://www.williamhertling.com/) for years it has been interesting to watch William go through the whole process of self publishing his two previous fiction books Avogadro Corp and A.I. Apocalypse I know that He's learned these lessons the hard way.

If you are an interested in the publishing industry and the changes it's going through you will enjoy this book as it's the roadmap for how millions of self-published authors will make a living.

If you're an author at any level, this would be an interesting read. Having talked to several of my writer friends who have agents and publishers, I know that publishers aren't doing as much as they used to do and more authors are going to have to start being more involved in their marketing.

Lastly, if you are an independent author or publish through a small press or are even thinking about writing a book, you need to read this book.

[Max Everhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a small press author, I found this book incredibly helpful. The specificity of detail regarding every phase of marketing a book--pre-launch, launch, post-launch--was so insightful; in fact, I believe I used (and was reasonably successful with) every idea in there, from doing a Goodreads Giveaway to maintaining a blog to using social media for promotion. One thing that is particularly relevant and quite revelatory when I read about it in the book was this idea of the Favor Economy (no spoilers; buy the book and read about it). That strategy was something I employed whenever my publisher asked me to find authors to blurb for the back cover of my novel. . .and it worked. There were also some sections on tracking Amazon sales via analytics and other tools, and normally, these concepts would go over my head, but Hertling explained in a simple and straightforward manner.

Bottom line, I would recommend this book to any and all indie or small press authors, at least the ones who are interested in promoting themselves in an ethical and fun way.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet book with lots of good tips to get started. Easily actionable ideas. I kind of view it more as a launching point book then something comprehensive (which was never the point of this book in the first place).

[Ariel Hudnall · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent primer, but in need of an update.

William Hertling's book is a wonderful, systematic and focused approach to book marketing for self-published authors. "Indie & Small Press Book Marketing" makes an easy-to-follow path in the maze that is book marketing, but it is not all-inclusive, and due to not having an update in over two years, is also a little out of date.

I really wanted to give the book five stars. I enjoyed the banter of the text, and the simplified formulas for making sense of sales figures, however, the lack of mention of any platform beyond Amazon, LinkedIn, or Goodreads (nothing on LibraryThing, Shelfari, Smashwords, for example) as a venue for marketing was a little disappointing. I was also looking for more tips on how to find industry "influencers", either through directories like "The Indie View", or mentioning other large book sites, such as Shelfari, Book Riot, etc.

In addition, despite the title of the text, the book heavily leans towards self-publishing authors, as the most important tactics for gaining the initial reviews in Phase 2 require interpersonal relationships with friends and family. Book marketing practices for indie presses, as a business, are practically nonexistent, except for targeted marketing on FB or Goodreads (which I imagine has changed quite a bit since 2011). Considering the fact that I bought this as a study tool for an indie press I work for that is just starting out, I found the info lacking on that end.

However, for authors who are looking to promote their own work, this is a great, simple resource that points you in the right direction. I definitely recommend it for authors who are writing either non-fiction, or clear-cut genre fiction.

[Margo Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really appreciated the information in this book. I have a business degree, and while much of this book's content was commonsense, I still found many useful tips that I am excited to put into practice. Plus, there was a lot of information specific to the publishing industry, which will be essential to me as I market my books. I also appreciated Hertling's insight on connecting with the communities that discover a specific book. Maybe there's an element of luck involved with the success of a book, but I believe strongly that "luck" is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. And I feel more prepared after reading Hertling's book marketing strategies. The downside to this book was its length: only 97 pages.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes you through the process of what you need to do to market your novel, both before and after publication. The information is concise and easy to understand and walks you through the steps. It seems that it would not only be useful for those who self-publish or publish through small presses, but also for those who publish through larger, more traditional presses. Having this book in your arsenal is like having your own marketing department at hand.

[Linda Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick read for those who are veteran self-pubed authors, but a good read for the newbie.
It covers in an overview fashion everything from releasing your book in eBook form to print edition. Along with marketing techinques that didn't work for the author to everything that did, this book tells you a little of what not to do when you release your book along with what is a waste of money.

[Steven Schneider]

This book was very helpful and pointed toward great resources like goodreads. It narrowed down the questions I had and I learned how to make a print book and then an e-book both on lulu.com and amazon createspace. To look professional I had an interior design person make suggestions for the interior, font, headers, etc. and be married to someone who can make a cover in InDesign.

[M. Pax · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this better than most books on marketing I've read. Hertling gives concrete advice and actions to take. Whether just beginning or past start, their are loads of suggestions to pick and choose from. I'll definitely be trying a few.

[Greg Elder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for any author who needs advice marketing. Very practical methods. One of the better marketing books I've read.

[Joel Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

very helpful with explaining the process for self promotion for e-book publishing

[Diana McDonough]

Great advice for indie authors like me on marketing and sales.