10 Ways Nigerian Authors can Promote and Market their Books

Although selling books in Nigeria often looks difficult for Nigerian authors, the concept is really simple. Check out 10 ways to promote and market your book.

Many Nigerian authors I have met complain about not getting enough sales from Nigeria/Nigerians.

Although selling your book in Nigeria looks difficult but the concept is really simple, the implementation is going to require some time and effort, especially in the beginning.

However, with a good plan, you’ll soon reach a tipping point where your fans begin to market for you in numbers great enough to really impact your book sales.

Plan 1: Before you write the book

Before you write that book, build an audience. It takes time to build relationships, learn your readers wants and needs and develop a base of rabid fans that clamour for more.

So while you’re working on your book, or even before that, you need to really focus on building that list so you have a built-in network of potential customers when it comes time to launch.

Plan 2: Write for your audience

When writing a book make sure it is a book that would interest Nigerians. . If you’re writing something that won’t appeal to these people, then you won’t benefit from all that work you did to build your list/networking.

So make sure that you’re writing with that audience in mind. And you might even consider asking them questions along the way to really cater your offering to that audience.

Plan 3: Establish a budget.

How much money are you able and willing to spend marketing and promoting your book? Include everything from paid advertising to travel costs.

Plan 4: Choose a platform that will reach as many people as possible

Whether you’re creating a book or an ebook, you need to find a platform to publish and sell your work. The most popular of which is Amazon, not too many Nigerians use Amazon so use bookwebsites like okadabooks or Bookhubng or use the e-commerce website like Jumia, Konga etc.

Your goal should be to get your book in front of as many people as possible. However, if there are any more niche platforms that are popular with your specific audience, they may be worth considering.

Plan 5: Create Early Buzz

You can also build some interest around your book before its launch by simply announcing its release shortly beforehand. You can let people know through your blog, social media accounts and email list. Social media should, of course, be a part of your online promotional strategy, use platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Develop a relationship with local media, including radio, newspaper and tv connections. Find an angle that hooks reporters and will benefit their readers or viewers.

Plan 6: Give away, give free copies

Please consider giving away a few early copies of your book to generate some buzz and reviews among your target audience. You could offer the book to a select group of subscribers or even bloggers or other influencers within your industry who are likely to share their thoughts on your work.

Plan 7: Focus on Reviews

Aside from announcing your launch to your subscribers/followers and trying to build some early buzz, getting positive reviews for your book should be your main focus. You need several good reviews before a large number of people are really going to trust your work enough to invest in it. So you really need to encourage the people already in your network to share their thoughts.

Also, your university, secondary or even primary school can be a great resource. Notify your alumni of any upcoming events, check to see if they have a listing of alumni books (so you can add yours), and ensure that they are on your press release distribution list. You can even offer to do a presentation for faculty or the students.

Plan 8: Do a book trailer

Nigerian authors don’t do this but you can and you should. Just like a movie trailer, show your creativity, humour (if appropriate) and personality. If you don’t feel you have the skills to create a book trailer that steals the show, you can hire a company to make one for you–just do a little cost analysis first to see if the marketing benefits outweigh the price tag.

Plan 9: Market yourself

List websites and newspapers you have written for. Your marketing efforts should also focus on you and your personal expertise. There are plenty of books out there from plenty of different authors. So you need to tell people why they should listen to you above all those others.

Plan 10: Make it easy and cheaper for people to buy

Make sure your book is not too expensive. Donate and build goodwill by getting your book into the hands of people that might not normally have access to your work. Considering donating your book to hospitals, shelters, churches, libraries, doctor/dental offices, hair salons, public schools, organizations or clubs.

Culled from Pulse