5 second thoughts that make a big difference

When I say author platform or book marketing, what do you think of? Most people will talk about a website, a blog, social media, Amazon tactics, blog tours, and things like that. All of those are important. But they are not the whole story.

This week I want to walk everyone through a few specific tactics you can take that will make a big impact on your book's visibility and go a long way toward

1. Amazon browse categories: Where you put your book on Amazon has a huge impact on who finds it and who you are competing with. I'll talk about how to figure out what browse categories are right for you and how to change them.
2. Video trailer: Have you seen all those terrible book trailers? Me too. I'll show you what a good one is and what it can do for your book.
3. DIY Book Release: The impact of a fun, well-done book release party can't be overstated. I sold almost 100 books at my own party, and I'm going to talk about how you can do it with a small budget and limited time on Thursday on Writer.ly. Click here to register: http://www.writer.ly/community/590/
4. Free PDF preview/ mini-sampler: What are you giving away to entice people to check out your book? Do you have a custom short version that is designed to get people to buy your full book, or are you still counting on the clipped sample that the online retailer creates for you?
5. KDP Select Free Days: Any author who has your book listed with the Amazon KDP Select program has the ability to make the book available for free 5 days out of the month. That may not sound like a great deal, but if you leverage those days with highly visible giveaways you can move the dial and make a lasting impact.

Are there any other lesser-known marketing tactics that you have used for your books that you would recommend?

Image Source: Looking Glass via flickr