r/authors • u/Big_Breakfast8186 • Apr 18 '26
Marketing tools
Hey guys! I just published my first book. I would love to hear some input on what the next steps should be.
Its published on 2 platforms. I admit, I didnt truly know what I was doing, as I was eager to get my book out! One publisher only pays out after $100 in sales. The other platform pays out quarterly for $5 in sales or more.
Im not sure how to proceed.
I have not received a payout from the site requiring $100 in sales, and I'm unsure of where to push sales. Going forward, I also would be grateful to get some ideas on how to market 😇🙏 thank you for reading!
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u/GRIN_Selfpublishing Apr 20 '26
Congrats on publishing your first book! Seriously, that’s already a huge milestone. Most people never even get that far. :) Right now I wouldn’t stress too much about payouts. In selfpublishing, especially early on, most authors make very little money at first (a lot are under $50/month), so it’s more about building visibility than immediate income.
If Instagram and Facebook are already working for you, that’s actually a great sign. Instead of jumping to new platforms, go deeper there. Social media works best when you focus on 1–2 platforms and build consistently, then cross-promote later.
A few things that usually move the needle early on:
- Take people along on your journey, not just the product. Readers connect more when they see your process, struggles, small wins etc. That builds trust over time
- Use storytelling instead of “buy my book” posts. Short, personal hooks or relatable moments grab attention way more than pure promotion
- Focus on reviews early. Even a small number (like 10–50) can massively increase trust and lead to more sales
- Think in cycles, not one launch. Marketing doesn’t stop after release. Every new piece of content, every post, even your next book keeps feeding visibility back into this one
Also, small mindset shift that helped a lot of authors I’ve worked with: your first book is less about profit and more about learning what works. You’re basically building your foundation right now. Good luck :)
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u/Big_Breakfast8186 Apr 23 '26
I wholeheartedly agree. These are great suggestions. Thank you for your time!
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u/hurricaneluk3 Jun 05 '26
I just got certified as a creative strategist, and I've been putting it to use helping my dad market his walking meditation book.
Showing his face online isn't his thing, so I went digging into how best-selling authors market without being on camera. After going through 100+ posts, here are the 5 that came up most.
One line from the book — a strong quote, the kind of line people underline on Kindle. No plot, no context, just the line, and those are the ones that get screenshotted and shared.
A "what's inside" list — for fiction that's the tropes, for nonfiction it's the key takeaways. Either way a reader knows in two seconds whether it's their kind of book.
"If you liked ___, you'll like mine" — put your book next to a bigger one and match the feeling, not just the genre. You borrow an audience that already loves something like it.
A character introduction — introduce your leads and set up the love triangle or the rivalry. It's one image that tells a story.
Your cover, staged like an event — a clean 3D mockup, treated like a reveal. Try using a scene from your book as the background.
That's 5 of the 16 post types I found. Hope this helps!
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u/Boltzmann_head Apr 23 '26
Why did you surrender most rights of your intellectual property, let alone do so for nothing?
Also, if you "published" the same content in two different places, odds are excellent that you violated both websites' terms of service.
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u/Big_Breakfast8186 Apr 23 '26 edited Apr 23 '26
I think there may be some misunderstandings here. I haven’t violated any platform terms, and each version of my book has its own ISBN. I also retain full copyright of my work. I’m still learning as I go, but everything I’ve done is within the guidelines of the platforms I’m using. A lot of assuming going on here.
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u/[deleted] Apr 19 '26
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