There are two types of media that authors can use to promote their books, reach out to potential readers and increase their book sales; these are traditional media and social media. For you to be able to promote your book to your target audience and other potential readers, you have to use both types of media efficiently and effectively. You can concentrate on promoting your books on one media type, depending on your target market, but you have to make use of the other one from time to time too to really increase your book sales.

Before the internet became popular, traditional media was most often used by publishers and authors alike to advertise and market their books and increase their book sales. This covers advertisements and promotional activities that are accomplished using newspapers and magazines, the television, radio and billboards. Concentrate your promotional activities and marketing campaign on your local community first using traditional media, then take it from there.

Put up posters and distribute flyers to inform the residents in your community about any book readings or book signings you will be conducting in your local bookstores, libraries and schools. Talk to your local newspaper publisher and ask if they could write an article about your latest book. Get in touch with your local radio and television network and tell them you are available for interviews. Your book sales would definitely increase once you get your own community to support your book.

The other type of media that is commonly used nowadays to promote and advertise not just books but other products and services as well is social media. Most self-published authors use this method to market their books and increase their book sales since it is quite cost effective. This type of media covers any promotional activities that are done through the internet, mostly in online communities and networks. You could use social media to increase your book sales by advertising and promoting your book on major social networking sites like Facebook and Goodreads. Make sure to market your books on other websites or forums where your target market is found too.

However, social media is not just about promotions and advertisements. For you to be able to get people to buy your book and truly increase your book sales, you have to form and build relationships with the people who are subscribing to your network, following you on social networking sites and reading your posts. For you to do this you have involve yourself, make sure you devote at least an hour or two of your time every day checking your website and the sites where you have an account or page. Read your followers’ comments and respond to them time timely and appropriately.

Remember to keep an open mind, don’t just reply to people who left positive comments; if someone left a negative comment, try to see if they have a point and answer them too. If you do this, it will show your readers that you appreciate their feedback and will make them even more loyal to you, to the point of actively promoting your book to other people, thereby increasing your book sales.