5 Easy Ways to Upgrade Your Reader Engagement

by Penny Sansevieri | Apr 23, 2019 | Book Marketing Basics, Getting More Book Reviews

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It’s one thing to write and publish a book, but reader engagement is a whole different ballgame.

Reader engagement is what gives you longevity, it helps you sell more books, and it should be the driver for all of your book marketing.

But I’ll be honest, it’s also really hard, especially when you’re just starting out.

So I’ve collected a few tips but really the key to book marketing isn’t doing everything, it’s doing what works for your genre and your reader market. Smart book promotion is what sells more books.

It will take some trial and error before you sell more books in response to your efforts, but it will be worth it, because remember, reader engagement is the key to longevity for your publishing career.

Get Feedback from Your Fans

Readers love to feel involved in your life, so a great way to boost reader engagement is by asking for their opinions.

Mix it up with some personal and some book related.

So maybe a quick poll on something going on with your favorite TV show, or have them vote on a few names you’re considering for a character in your next book.

Book marketing is so much more effective when it gets personal, remember that.

Run Promotions to Get Books in New Hands

Another key benefit to higher reader engagement is their recommendations. People recommend things they feel connected to, and this definitely goes for books.

I’m a big fan of the BOGO offer, so when you release a new book invite fans to send you a copy of their purchase receipt in exchange for your gifting the eBook to a friend or colleague of their choosing.

You may be thinking, “How do I sell more books by giving them away?” They strategy here is that you’re encouraging your current fans to help you create new fans – and if you succeed, you’re looking to sell more books at your next release.

Book marketing, and being a successful author is a marathon, not a sprint.

Create a Contest for the Die Hards

These people are also known as your super fans, they’ll buy every book you put out, so you want to keep them happy and reader engagement with them should be the easiest to get.

Release a trivia contest on social or via your newsletter, or even on your website, and offer prizes for those who get all the answers correct. If you have a really big network you could limit it to the first 5-10 submission with all the correct answers.

Be Camera Ready

Most of us hate being on camera, me included, but I can tell you it’s a book marketing strategy that works and so few authors are doing it.

And if you want to sell more books, you have to do things that make you stand out.

Videos you post on social shouldn’t be long, no one has time for that anyway, but be thoughtful about what you post.

Make an announcement, do it from a fun locale, or get in a routine of doing a weekly update for fans. But have a purpose.

Ask Fans to Get Creative

If you’ve written a really good book you’ve created a world your fans can connect with. And that’s an amazing feat.

Use that to your book marketing advantage and increase reader engagement by asking them to share images or quotes that remind them of your book.

Have them share images of famous actors that could play the starring roles in a movie!

Ask them for quotes they can imagine your main characters connecting with.

Get personal and ask them to post selfies of them reading your book, or of their favorite reading spot.

The Takeaway

One of the most consistent ways to sell more books is by creating a platform with strong reader engagement, because readers who engage buy almost every time.

The added bonus?

These are fun ways to spend your time too, versus staring blankly at your computer wondering what to post on your blog or social, again.

No one said book marketing can’t be fun – you just need to get into a rhythm with the right strategies. Need some guidance? Contact me. I can help!