Publishing a book to an international audience — whether you are self-publishing a book or working with a book publisher can seem like a long and arduous process. But, there are some marketing tips and tricks you should know about if your recent Google searches include “book publishing companies” and “how to get a book published?” These tips will help you break into the international book market with ease.
1. Make Sure Your Book Is Available With Popular Retailers by Region
The most popular book retailer varies by region and country. So, it’s important to make sure your book is available on the platform it is most likely to be seen and bought on in each country and region you plan to sell it. Although you may think Amazon is king, it actually only has 13 Kindle stores worldwide. And, countries, where Amazon isn’t king, aren’t as far away as you think. For example, Kobo is the market leader for ebooks across Canada. The bottom line is, make your book available with as many retailers as possible to expand your international reach.
2. Collect Book Reviews in Different Countries
Again, you can’t rely on just one country and its best book marketing strategies. Since reviews are such a critical marketing element for all books — consumers count on reviews to validate their purchasing decisions — you can’t afford to not have reviews in a certain region or language. A popular strategy among book publishers and authors is to ask readers for reviews of the book itself. A recent survey found that 84% of authors who asked for a review in the back of their book successfully saw a spike in reviews. So, you’ll want to ensure the international versions of your book include a heartfelt message asking readers for a review.
3. Run Social Media Ads That Are Country-Specific
Social networks like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter allow you to target your ads based on location. As you develop your marketing strategy and choose regions to target, you can allocate more of your budget towards the targeted regions to increase book sales and downloads. Don’t forget — it’s not enough to merely target a country. You want to target people who have expressed interest in similar books and authors to increase the effectiveness of your ads.
4. Use Region-Specific Promotions and Giveaways
Signed copies and bookmarks and other free swag are great giveaways to help you engage with your international audience. You can also choose to discount your book in foreign markets as a great strategy to drive downloads and revenue. Promote your price drop with tools like BookBub and social media so you can increase your reach and find new readers eager to discover new books and authors. Target specific countries or choose an international-only marketing option and watch your sales spike.
Take a look at this list of ebook promotion websites and look for the ones that offer international marketing options.
5. Partner with International/ Bloggers with a Large International Audience
Bloggers are a great tool in the book marketing arsenal. Seek out popular bloggers in your target region and partner with them for a book review, author interview, guest post, or giveaway. This will take a bit of researching and reaching out, but it will be well worth it if you can gain some international exposure and fans through the partnership.
6. Cast a Wide Advertising Net
When publishing to a worldwide audience, it’s important to remember that one successful advertising strategy in one country may completely flop in another. Remember, not every country has access to every retailer. So, although you may have cracked the code of selling books in the U.S. via Facebook ads, readers in foreign countries may not be able to understand the English ads, and they will leave no impact on them and no persuasion to buy your book.
7. Translate Your Book
Although there are plenty of English speakers around the world, not everybody knows — or wants to read — in English. The best way to make a significant cultural impact with your book is to publish it in a country’s native language. You can handle translation on your own with software or hiring a freelance translator, or you can work with a publisher who will ensure your book is translated into the language(s) of your choosing.
Publishing a book to a global market comes with its own set of unique challenges and complications, but it also comes with some pretty incredible rewards.
There are many book publishing options out there. But, nobody knows your book like you. So, as you search for a publisher or marketing team to help market your book internationally, make sure you find one who aligns with your goals and vision and who will let you have a voice throughout the entire book publishing process.
