Marketing a book does not have to be difficult, but it should never be taken lightly as well. Indie authors struggle the most with marketing because many of them have no experience with it or they don’t have anyone to guide them through the process. This is the reason why they make some critical mistakes that have the potential to sabotage their books and even their careers. If you are going to market your book by yourself, you need to make sure that you do it right.

Here are some common mistakes that most indie authors make when they are marketing their book by themselves.

1. Before you start marketing your book at major marketing channels, try to figure out if your book is newsworthy or not. You need to ask yourself some questions and they might be hard for you to digest. You need to ask yourself if your book is unique or not. What does it offer to readers? Should your book be publicized in the mass media? Once you answer these questions, you will know if your book is newsworthy or not.

2. Buyers are now savvier than they were before and they know what they want to buy and what will appeal to them the most. There is no book in the market that is for everyone, so make sure that you find your niche and your target audience. Once you have the correct target market, promoting your book will be easier. Even being mentioned in a newsletter or featured on a blog will help you secure a good position in the market and help you increase the sales of your book.

3. Many times, indie authors create their social media accounts, but they don’t keep them active. Simply having a platform and posting on it seldom will not get you noticed by anyone. You need to consistently use your social media platforms and keep your readers engaged. If you cannot find the time to post on all platforms continuously, then you should just focus on one platform and update it regularly. Keep it active and busy so that your readers know you are live and present.

4. Another mistake that authors make is having a poorly made website or a website that is lower quality. Websites are still very important, even though social media platforms are slowly climbing up through the ranks. You need to make sure that you maintain your website and ensure that you update the most important pages, i.e. about the author page, contact, blog, press room and store.

When an opportunity arises, you need to capture it and make sure you make the best of it. If a blogger wants to contact you or if they want to feature you on their website or social media, reply to them promptly and coordinate with them. Remember that this is your time to shine and use the available opportunities the best way possible. Having a platform is great, but using it correctly is very important.