What are creative ways to market a self-published book?

[Builder Dave]

I'm going to help a friend self-publish a book they have written in the field of psychology. I'm thinking what creative ways I could implement to help spread the word.

One of the goals of publishing the book is making some sales as the book can actually be helpful to people in some specific aspects of their lives (I've read it, it's going to be useful for many). But the other goal is to help the author establish their name as professional in the field of psychology. Getting some good coverage in reputable places would be valuable even if it wouldn't bring in much sales.

I have some ideas, but I'm sure the BHW community can come up with some truly creative out of the box ways to market such a book. Also, if you've used good services from the Marketplace here, please recommend them.

 

[Panther28]

Publish on draft2digital. Go checkout what they have, they charge a % of your final sale, but nothing upfront, and publish you to a number of online stores, and international book clubs and things. I've only published one book with them, but i wouldn't go elsewhere, as it was really easy to do, and although i wasn't a best seller or antyhing, the process to earn and get those earnings has worked ok.

 

[Elon Snup]

For a psychology book specifically, few angles that work well:

**Podcast circuit** - Psychology podcasts are always looking for guests. Even smaller shows (5-10k downloads) can move copies. The author has expertise to share, which makes for easy booking.

**Reddit AMAs** - r/psychology, r/selfimprovement, r/AskPsychology. Do a legitimate AMA, mention the book naturally. These communities love actual professionals.

**Medium/Substack** - Repurpose a chapter or two as standalone articles. Gets eyeballs and builds authority. Link to the book at the end.

**Book giveaways on Goodreads** - Easy to set up, gets reviews rolling which helps Amazon ranking.

**Email outreach to therapists/counselors** - If the book could help their clients, many will recommend it. Offer a free copy for review.

The credibility angle is smart for psychology - a book is basically a giant business card. Even modest sales can lead to speaking gigs, consulting, or private practice referrals.

 

[SirTop]

I don’t know if this is something you might want to explore but just thinking about it like you said, maybe something out of the box.

I was thinking maybe having it promoted by influencers on social media who are already in the psychology niche and post around that topic

I bet some might be willing to do just a mention for free if you reach out to them.
You could target accounts that are not too big or too small instead of the big ones, unless you also have some budget for it, because those big accounts would really be helpful

Haven’t done anything related to publishing or promoting a book though but it’s just an idea that came to mind : )

 

[Rawspele]

I'm going to help a friend self-publish a book they have written in the field of psychology. I'm thinking what creative ways I could implement to help spread the word.

One of the goals of publishing the book is making some sales as the book can actually be helpful to people in some specific aspects of their lives (I've read it, it's going to be useful for many). But the other goal is to help the author establish their name as professional in the field of psychology. Getting some good coverage in reputable places would be valuable even if it wouldn't bring in much sales.

I have some ideas, but I'm sure the BHW community can come up with some truly creative out of the box ways to market such a book. Also, if you've used good services from the Marketplace here, please recommend them.

get creative on socials with reels and carousels. don't try to speak to everyone, speak to your target audience, use their language.

 

[sellsuite]

Author Swaps on Book Funnel is quite effective you swap books and mail them to each others mailing lists it's worked quite well for me.

 

[ImMagiC?]

Beside all these ebook marketplaces, you can try YouTube outreach. a little ads in some related channels

 

[ads studio]

I'm going to help a friend self-publish a book they have written in the field of psychology. I'm thinking what creative ways I could implement to help spread the word.

One of the goals of publishing the book is making some sales as the book can actually be helpful to people in some specific aspects of their lives (I've read it, it's going to be useful for many). But the other goal is to help the author establish their name as professional in the field of psychology. Getting some good coverage in reputable places would be valuable even if it wouldn't bring in much sales.

I have some ideas, but I'm sure the BHW community can come up with some truly creative out of the box ways to market such a book. Also, if you've used good services from the Marketplace here, please recommend them.

That's awesome! I would suggest that you first work on creating credibility and visibility. For example, you may reach out to psychological blogs, podcasts, or online groups where the book will really help people. Offering a free chapter, conducting a Q&A, or using professional networks are all creative ways to get the word out and build the author's reputation at the same time.