Many authors who self-publish are in search of competitive advantages in an industry that is full of great books. However, saturated as the industry might be, it is still possible to write books that sell remarkably well. One of the things that an author must do is carve out a niche for himself. He should identify his preferred target market and pay great attention to this market when writing new books. One easy way to do this is to stick to one genre.

An author needs to create a great marketing plan and stick to it, regardless of whether it is in writing or trying to sell a few more copies of books. The following are some tips for an author who wants to stand out from the pack.

Go local

An author should concentrate on finding a market for his books in the local community even before considering selling books in faraway areas. The local community is an important resource that an author can use to break into the market and create a foundation for his marketing campaign. The local community is also more willing to help an author when he encounters the teething problems of marketing his books. An author should figure out the best way to find his local audience and use this to tell them about his book.

Create stories based on themes in the book

An author can use the themes in his book to write articles and blogs about the various topics covered. When posting these articles, the author should provide a link to where readers can find the book. The articles should preferably be posted on niche websites where the author is more likely to find readers. Update the sites constantly with new articles related to your book. As readers like your stories more, they will be easier to sell the book to.

Marketing is not all about making deals with bookstores

Although it is recommended for authors to have good rapport with traditional bookstores, it is difficult to ignore that they don’t sell as many books as they used to. Authors should keep up the deals with bookstores, but they should also find other ways to market their books. For example, an author can speak in places of worship, events by nonprofits, recreations centers, libraries, and at other places where people will start talking about his book. The discussions are likely to lead to increased sales.

Genres and categories

An author can write several books in different genres and categories. However, it is difficult to sell books in different categories from the same author. Many people who have written several books know that the best way to create an audience is to choose an audience and write specifically for them. This will also help you build your reputation.