KamikazePotato’s Quick and Dirty Marketing Guide
Before I begin, here’s the #1, absolutely most important rule:
DISCARD YOUR SHAME.
You know how Youtubers give you the Like, Comment, and Subscribe thing? You know how it sounds silly and can come across like shilling?
They do this because it WORKS. Marketing yourself Involves putting yourself out there. It will feel very weird at first and get easier every time you do it. See, the truth about this profession is that the world of writing is cutthroat. If you want to succeed, you can’t just create a good story. You have to make people realize you wrote something worth investing their time in. You’re competing against every other story on the internet – never forget the importance of standing out and getting people to recognize your existence.
Oh, and that nervous feeling you get whenever you consider taking down chapter to make use of Kindle Unlimited? That feeling is the enemy. KU probably makes you far more money than Kindle will. You like money. Money can be exchanged for goods and services.
With that said, here’s a list of what I did to advertise, in general order of descending importance:
–
If you’re going on Kindle Unlimited (or even if you’re not), prepare your fans and have them help you.
People often worry that their fans will revolt if they take down chapters for KU. Some people will have their feathers ruffled no matter what, but overall, few people will take issue if you treat them like human beings and prep them mentally. Announce the move at least ten days ahead of time, explain that the move is done to help support your career as an author, and give them free PDFs of the chapter you’re removing. This will not reduce sales at all, as no one who already read it would have bought the Amazon version if they didn’t have a PDF. What it will do is make your fans appreciate that you care about them.
On launch day, make sure to link them to your story page and give them an emotional reason to support your launch. Talk about how much it means to you. Come across as a person with hopes and dreams. And make sure to avoid asking them to pay money – people that want to go that route already will, so asking for a handout will only turn away prospecting supporters. Ask them to add the book to their library if they ALREADY have KU, and to consider giving you a review.
If you’re going Kindle, you won’t have to go through the ‘prepare them for taking down the book’ spiel. You’ll still want to include a heartfelt message asking them to review the book.
Here’s the message I used, which was very effective in getting my (extremely awesome) fans to mobilize:
“After...a lot...of behind the scenes preparation, Book 1 of An Outcast In Another World is finally out on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Paperback! If you're interested in getting it on that platform, click here to go to its page. No pressure at all if you don't want to/can't support it - just the fact that you're reading the story means the world to me.
If you have the time or the inclination, though, please consider adding it to your library for free if you already have Kindle Unlimited, or giving it a review on Amazon, which you can do even without buying it. Books on Amazon live and die by the algorithm, and early sales + positive reviews have a big, big effect on your book's visibility. I'm not exaggerating when I say that each and every individual 'sale' and review helps a lot. If you already have Kindle Unlimited, you can add the book to your library for free, and that'll count as a 'sale' in the algorithm's eyes as well. Of course, direct Kindle sales matter just as much, but no one should shell out money unless they absolutely want to. Reviews can help a lot too - just make sure to mention somewhere in the review that you read the story on Royal Road first. Success on Amazon could very well lead to me being able to be a full-time writer (lifelong dream oh shit oh god), so any and all support is extremely appreciated.
Man. What do I even say at this point? I still can't believe how well this story has done, and that it's managed to resonate with so many people. Wouldn't have been able to come this far without you guys' support, and I mean that in many ways. The enthusiasm and feedback is what keeps me going, and I feel very lucky that I can actually look forward to the post-chapter comments instead of dreading them. Chapter 69 (nice) releases on Monday as normal - I'll see you all then!”
–
Get good cover art.
This is a no-brainer, but it bears repeating. Your cover art is your book’s identity to a prospective buyer. It’s the first – and potentially the last – thing they’ll see. Everyone’s monetary situation is different, but try not to skimp on this if possible. Search out an artist that will do your story jsutice.
And don’t try to get fancy. Appealing cover art clearly displays the main characters, usually in an action pose with a feeling of momentum. Artsy environmental stuff doesn’t tickle our monkey brains as much. Depending on the type of story you’re selling, this may not be as applicable, but if you’re writing a fantasy adventure novel or something similar? Make it generically cool and rake in the casualgoer’s money.
–
Get shoutouts from other authors – and your friends and family.
Comparatively speaking, it doesn’t take a loot to shoot up the early Kindle rankings. Kindle rank #5000 takes 34 sales. Kindle rank #3000 takes 70. That’s a hill to climb, yes, but with support from other people, it gets much easier. Contact the Discord, ask your friends and family to get your book, then ask them to contact THEIR friends and family and repeat the process. Hell, direct message authors in Royal Road you have no personal connection with – if they say yes, that’s a win for you. If they ghost you or say no, you lose nothing. Each person who supports you is free exposure, and exposure is your key to victory in advertising.
The farther you climb up the ranks, the more the algorithm loves you. Appease the algorithm. Worship the algorithm.
--
Consider paid ads on Amazon and Royal Road.
If you don’t have the budget for this, then you can ignore this bit. No shame in being careful with your wallet.
However, Royal Road’s ads are priced quite well for how many clicks they give you, and Amazon’s targeted ads – assuming you write an attrative blurb to go with an attractive cover art – will make back a lot of the money you spend on them. These ads will push you up the algorithm, which leads to more sales, which leads to more success. If you can afford this, I definitely recommend looking into it as an option.
Side note: Royal Road has two kinds of ads: Leaderboard and Rectangle. Leaderboard has a less overall click rate in most cases, but fewer people buy ads for it, so you’ll have less competition on the main page. It’s the better advertisement for doing an early push. Rectangle has a better click rate but is much more competitive, causing it to last for a long time. Good for longevity, less good for momentum.
–
Include important metadata in your title and book description.
My book’s title is ‘An Outcast in Another World (Book 1 - Human Insanity)’. Its title on Amazon is ‘An Outcast in Another World: A Fantasy LitRPG Adventure (Book 1 - Human Insanity)’. The description for the book also specifically includes keywords such as LitRPG, progression, isekai, and fantasy. This is to make it easier for people searching on Amazon to find your book. By including keywords, the algorithm prioritizes your book to those customers’ searches.
--
At the back of the book, include links to your Patreon, your Pre-order page for your next book (if applicable), and to the Review page.
People that reached the end are most likely to be the people that liked your story. Tell them how to support you! More of them will listen than you think. Also, if you’re doing a sequel, make sure to set up a placeholder page for it so people can pre-order it. That’s free future sales you’d be leaving on the table otherwise.
--
Advertise on Reddit.
The prime subreddits to shill your book (for most of you reading this) are at r/LitRPG and r/ProgressionFantasy. Post a picture of your cover art, a summary of the book, and include a link to your Amazon page. This strat is low-effort and guaranteed to get you at least a few clicks.
If your book is in another genre, search out that genre and advertise there instead. Just that simple!
–
Advertise on Facebook.
There groups might get you a few clicks:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGAdventures/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/618412771839288/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGReleases/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/progressionfictionaddicts/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheFantasyNation/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPG.books/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGsociety/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/litrpgforum/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGGroup/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGRebels/
Same deal as the Reddit advertisement. Cover art, description, link. More exposure is always a good thing.
--
Create an author profile on Amazon, a Twitter account, and a Mailing list.
The first is essential, the last two are optional. Your author page introduces readers who see it to who you are. Perfect time to present yourself as a real person! Sell yourself. Invest them into your own, personal story.
And as far as social media goes...well, it never hurts.
–
Create an Imgur post.
An Imgur post that goes viral gets a LOT of views. There’s no magic way to do this, as the upvotes follow Trending rules, and the first 20 people can sink your post easily. That’s why you should delete the post if it doesn’t pan out, then post it again half an hour later. Then do this again...and again...until you’re on the front page. Might take a bit of finagling, but there’s no downside. If it doesn’t work, no harm, no foul. If it does, the rewards can be huge.
Here’s an example of the Imgur post I made that ended up being viewed 106,000 times: