What Steps To Take After Publishing Your Book

You've had a your book is on Amazon, B&N and indie book stores, so what now?

What happens after your book launch?

Well if you're an indie author who hopes to sell books, your work has just begun.

In fact, let me restate that: your promotional work starts a couple of years before your book is released through building your author platform. In a post on I discuss the importance of building your author platform. This is crucial if you wish to plan a virtual blog tour. Building relationships with bloggers with a following, who agree to "host" you on their blog, and interview you about your book is critical to keep the "buzz" going for a while.

When does your virtual blog tour start?

You generally want to start your online blog tour, the day after your launch date. Most authors will line up 2-3 guest interviews on other blogs/week, for about one month, after launch date.

What does a guest post mean, and what goes into it?

A guest post is an article you write which another blogger will put on their blog. With a blog tour, the person will interview you about your book, and will then post that article on their blog, which allows you to get new readers who can ask you questions about your book. If a reader likes your interview and finds your topic interesting, they will either respond to the post with a comment, ask to connect with you on Facebook, and perhaps even buy your book. It's important to respond to comments and show that you are grateful to your "host" and the people who comment. As usual, it's about forming relationships with people online.

What else do you need to do to keep the buzz going?

There are several things you can do:

• set up events
• organize a book tour
• set up speaking engagements
• write magazine articles
• set up radio interviews
• send your book to book reviewers
• tie your book into a topic that will get local TV coverage 
• hire a publicist

If this seems overwhelming, it is to a certain extent, but you can start locally.

Some authors hire a publicist to help them get into newspapers, radio and TV. If your budget allows, this may be for you.

If not, I believe that you, as an indie author, can accomplish more than you think, on your own. Good luck and keep working hard.

I am happy to answer any of your questions at sonia@soniamarsh.com.

Here are some photos of my book launch at Laguna Beach Books, if you're interested.

Here are two examples of my virtual blog tour guest posts which started on August 31st, the day after my Laguna Beach Book launch.

Sonia's 1st interview with author Susan Pohlman on Expat Chat 8-31-12

Sonia's 2nd interview with Shirley Showalter on 100 memoirs 9-3-12

I have included some of my local events, and hope to meet you in person at one of them.

Sonia Marsh Bio:

Sonia Marsh is a “Gutsy” woman who can pack her carry-on and move to another country in one day. She’s a motivational speaker who inspires her audiences to get out of their comfort zone and take a risk. She says everyone has a “My Gutsy Story”; some just need a little help to uncover theirs. Her story, told in her travel memoir Freeways to Flip-Flops: A Family’s Year of Gutsy Living on a Tropical Island, is about chucking it all and uprooting her family to reconnect on an island in Belize.

Sonia has lived in many countries – Denmark, Nigeria, France, England, the U.S. and Belize – and considers herself a citizen of the world. She holds a degree in environmental science from the University of East Anglia, U.K., and now lives in Southern California with her husband, Duke.

Sonia welcomes new friends, bloggers, writers and readers at Soniamarsh.com (http://soniamarsh.com) Contact her at: sonia@soniamarsh.com www.facebook.com/GutsyLiving or Twitter.com/GutsyLiving