First, you need to know who your book audience is; this is so you can plan your marketing strategy effectively. Once you know your market you can best plan how to get your book ‘out there’; after all, there is no point in writing a book if nobody knows of its existence.

Write an author bio that defines your reason for deciding to write your book, in essence why you decided to tell your story. However, remember to keep it to two or three short memorable paragraphs that will have an impact on your readers. You need to let your personality shine through because readers like to identify with the author.

Make sure that you have an up to date author website listing details of all your published books and any books in progress. You can also add your author bio and photograph to the site. If people know where to look for information about an author this will help direct them to your books.

Build upon your email list and Invite people to subscribe to your author website. By doing so they will be kept up to date on your latest book releases.

Make it easy for readers to buy your book. Include links on your author website and on any blog that you might write. Keep the list simple, add book covers so that the book is easily recognisable, and create links to all of the sites that the book is registered with. Remember to link your book to trending topics; this can be achieved by writing articles about your chosen genre and posting them onto your blog.

Set up a Goodreads author page where you can post your published books and promote free book giveaways.

Promote your book before it is released by creating a press release and sending to local newspapers, radio stations and bookstores. People need to know about your book before it is released so create a buzz around it.

Write a compelling and informative press release. Give details about yourself, the plot of the book, where the book can be bought, and include your email address and author website. It is only by telling people that your book has been published that they will know where they can buy it.

As already mentioned, your local independent bookstore can be your best friend so ask if you could sell a few copies there and tie it in with a book signing event or Q & A session.

Also do not forget about reviews as they are powerful tools in helping to get your book noticed and sold. Ask family, friends, people who have already read your book and professional reviewers to write a review. Ask everyone.

You just need to remember as an author that you need to put yourself out there and promote yourself as nobody else will do it for you. Many authors are uncomfortable with this, but it is a fact that promotion sells. If people are unaware of your book then they cannot buy it.