If you’re like most authors, the arduous process of writing and publishing your book feels like you’ve reached the top of Mount Everest.
enjoy the view while you’re there because reality will quickly set in and you’ll realize there’s a lot more work to be done when it comes to marketing. soon it will be time to advertise and market the book you have worked hard to produce.
You are reading: Websites to promote children’s books
Most authors are so exhausted when they finish their books (and often so strapped for cash) that they don’t know where to start an advertising and marketing campaign, especially with little or no budget.
You don’t need a $20,000 publicist. or a $5,000 assistant. If you have more time than money, you can do most of the advertising and marketing work yourself like a pro if you know what to do.
Help is on the way.
After two decades as a newspaper editor, I now work with fiction and nonfiction authors, among others, to find the best places online where they can promote their expertise and books.
You will recognize some of these book promotion websites. others will be new to you. explore them all. choose the ones that work best for you, depending on what goals you’re trying to achieve beyond just selling books.
13 book promotion websites
1. meetup.com
This social networking portal makes it easy to find offline groups in millions of communities around the world who might want to know about you and your book. meetup allows members to find and join groups united by a common interest, such as politics, games, movies, health, pets, careers, hobbies, and books.
Many of these groups do not plan formal programs, but often welcome speakers. When I travel to an out-of-town speaking engagement, I try to contact a nearby meetup group and ask if they’d like a free presentation. this is a great way to share my message and get prompted to sign up for my email list. many meeting groups will be honored that you have reached out to them.
If you’ve written a book on homebrewing, for example, look for beer clubs, homebrewers, and tasters’ guilds. they can host a presentation and even a book signing.
If you live in a big city, speaking at meetup events could provide a great source of new followers and readers for your work.
2. usnpl.com
This is my all-time favorite online media database because it’s free, comprehensive, and allows media to edit their own listings. is the largest and best online resource for finding tv stations, radio stations, daily and weekly newspapers, and college media in the us. uu.
also includes links to twitter feeds from major news organizations. some of the individual media outlets link to release guidelines on their websites.
If you’re launching an advertising campaign, look for the easiest fruit first and target your own community outlets, like weekly newspapers, that see local authors as stars. here is a short video i created that explains how to use ulsnp.
3. directory of freelancers of the society of professional journalists
This huge free directory is the perfect place to find freelancers writing about your topic or reviewing books. Search by state, specialty, or “international” freelancers who live outside of the United States. if you are a freelance writer, you can add your listing.
What is the value of building relationships with freelancers?
most write for a variety of publications. Let’s say you’ve written a book about us. Parks If a writer uses you as a valuable source for a story in an outdoor magazine, he might call you back for a story he’s writing for the US. uu. park service.
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Also, many of these freelancers review books.
4. book club
The nonprofit book club connects readers with local book clubs, book groups, and literary salons. has a strong presence in the us. and the UK and has over 1,000 book club lists.
Simply click “search” at the top or bottom of any page and enter your zip code. Assuming there are groups in your area, they will appear with the closest first. the database is incredibly sensitive to distance, so in urban settings listings are often broken down by individual miles.
all listings remain indefinitely as long as they are updated from time to time.
5. guidestar directory of charities and nonprofits
If your book promotes a cause or issue close to nonprofits, this site could be a goldmine. Search the database of more than 1.8 million irs-recognized charities and nonprofits and use the information to get reviews, speaking engagements, and book sales. if you’re booked to give a speech, try selling your books wholesale by suggesting that the event organizer give each audience member one.
categories include:
- arts, culture and humanities
- education and research
- environment and animals
- health
- human services
- international
- public and social benefit
- religions
6. itunes podcast directory
This list includes more than a quarter of a million podcasts in more than 100 languages.
Podcasters, especially those whose shows are dedicated to specific topics, have loyal audiences because people often can’t find this kind of detailed information anywhere else, and they love the convenience of audio. lucky for you, many podcasters interview authors.
Before you ask a podcaster to be on your show, listen to a few shows to determine if they would be a good fit. pay attention to the podcaster’s interview style. read the show notes to determine if the podcaster has already covered your topic.
7. helpareporter.com
This service, known as haro (help a reporter), provides free emails for media opportunities several times a day. Since searching this list is like drinking from a fire hose, reviewing these lists is the perfect job for an assistant.
if you have gmail, you can also set up email filters for all emails from haro so you only see media queries that include your keywords.
If you see a query that matches your area of expertise and can offer exactly what the reporter needs, respond quickly and keep it short. here’s a video from peter shankman, founder of helpareporter.com, explaining how to answer a query from a haro journalist.
8. prleads.com
if going through the voluminous list of media contacts on helpareporter.com is too much for you and you have more money than time, subscribe to dan janal’s service.
for $99 a month, it sends you highly targeted leads in your area of expertise so you don’t waste time sorting out irrelevant leads.
9. bulish.com
Thousands of authors around the world use the free and paid versions of bublish to write, promote and sell their books and brand.
You can write your book in bublish or copy and paste existing chapters. Create “sliced” book bubbles as you write, complete with your photo, your book cover, and an excerpt from the book, and share them on social media to reach new readers, track engagement, and build branding. Author that drives sales.
add “buy” links to your book bubbles so readers can buy your book directly from major online retailers like amazon, barnes & noble, ibookstore and kobo.
10. quora.com
This gigantic Q&A site is perfect for flaunting your expertise and answering questions related to the topics of your books. the questions run the gamut from world events, life decisions, how people think, and how things work.
When you answer a question, others can vote your answer “up” or “down”.
If you’re writing a book, the vast majority of quora’s content is available for you to freely republish, as long as you link directly to the original content and give proper credit to quora and the original author.
11. specialized media databases
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Many journalists and broadcasters belong to trade associations. In most cases, you must join your group to get full access to all content on the group’s website.
but if you’re willing to dig a little, you can find juicy tidbits of information that will help you track down journalists who might be interested in hearing about you or your book.
here are three examples:
- The Society of American Travel Writers includes 1,100 writers, photographers, editors, broadcast, video and film producers, bloggers, website owners, public relations experts and travel representatives. the hotel industry in the united states and canada. i found a long list of blogs and columns written by satw members, with links. Please read the journalists’ blogs before submitting your proposal because they are full of topics and issues you feel are important.
- The Association of Healthcare Journalistsincludes a valuable list of freelance journalists , complete with their bios, resumes, websites, and clips. the clips will tell you about other outlets that have bought your articles.
- the religion news association has a member search box that will help you find journalists, bloggers, students and educators. . you’ll get their names and states where they live, but you’ll have to find contact information on your own. use google, a researcher’s best friend.
12. chase events calendar
The Chase Events Calendar is the most comprehensive reference available for special events, holidays and festivals around the world, civic celebrations, historic anniversaries and famous birthdays. use this directory in three ways.
First, you can create your own day, week, or month of the year and use it as a springboard to get publicity on a topic related to your book.
Examples: Home Office Safety Week, Hug Your Grandkids Month, Check Your Blood Pressure Day.
I recommend creating a month, so you have at least 30 days to generate advertising. The best way to convince publishers to accept your listing is to provide proof that it already exists. that means it must be included on your website.
Second, you can tap into someone else’s day, week, or month of the year and come up with a related story idea.
third, if you sponsor an event, you can submit it to the directory. The deadline for entries for the 2018 directory is April 15, 2017. Please use this entry form.
13. goodreads.com
goodreads is the world’s largest readership and book recommendation site. Its more than 55 million members have added more than 1.5 billion books to their digital libraries and reviewed more than 50 million books.
the two most valuable features for authors:
- the thousands of special interest groups, many on very specific topics, where you can find readers talking about their favorite topics, books, and characters. Get Involved!
- the goodreads author program that encourages you to promote yourself and his books. Synchronize your blog with your goodreads profile. Help readers discover your book with giveaways, advertising, and excerpts. meet readers in discussion boards and groups. You can even measure your success by tracking how many people have added your book to their digital bookshelves and marked it as “to read.”
Check out our free detailed guide to promoting your books on goodreads.
special bonus: inkitt
Are you working on building your platform, growing your audience and learning the ins and outs of the publishing business? trying to decide whether to self-publish or pursue a traditional publishing deal, either with a small publisher or the big five?
why not check out inkitt, a collaborative publishing option that can help you do all of the above?
At inkitt, you can upload your manuscript and start connecting with fans from around the world who will read and give feedback on your work. the more popular your book becomes, the more it snowballs…and readers’ favorite books get publishing deals through inkitt!
You can build your fan base and get more marketing, distribution, sales and advertising all at the same time with this innovative model.
get more publicity for your book
This baker’s dozen websites will keep you busy for months.
I recommend that you start with just 15 minutes a day to advertise and market your books. If you keep up that habit, every day for a year, you’ll be amazed at how much free publicity and exposure you can get for your work.
If you’ve used any of these book websites to promote or advertise your books, or have other great book marketing websites to share, please post your comments below.
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