Publishing a book for the first time feels like getting to the finish line of a marathon. All the hard work and months of preparation that you poured into this moment is finally over.
This is especially true when you self-publish because you are responsible for every aspect of bringing your book to life. You probably worked with a copy editor to help refine your ideas into a beautifully structured manuscript. You may have hired a book cover designer to give your book a professional look and feel. Likely you also hired someone to do the interior format, and all the while you are writing marketing copy, picking keywords and making sure every last detail is correct before you hit “publish.”
So yes, publishing your book might feel like finally coming to the end of your journey. After all, your book is now out there in the world, ready to be discovered by readers. But just because it’s available doesn’t mean the hard work is over—far from it..
As a self-published author, the next steps after launching your book are key to its long-term success. Now comes the crucial part: building your book’s visibility, attracting new readers, and following a few best practices to help drive sales.
Here are five things you should do after your book goes live on Amazon:
1. Create Your Amazon Author Central Account
One of the first things you should do once your book goes live on Amazon is to create an Amazon Author Central account. It’s free to set up, and gives you more control over how your retail page is presented on Amazon. If you want to add things such as editorial reviews, an author bio and picture, and even “from the author” sections to your retail site all of that is managed through Amazon Author Central. You can also make updates to your book description and have more creative control over the formatting.
While you can’t add direct links to your website or social media channels, you can still include the URLs in your author bio, giving readers more ways to connect with you.
To set up your account, simply visit Author.Amazon.com while you are logged into KDP. It will ask if you want to join as your author name. From there, you can search for your book(s) and claim your titles. Once Amazon approves your request (which may take a few days), you can update the retail pages for each version of your book.
Pro Tip: don’t just claim your author profile for the US marketplace. Be sure to claim your pages in both Canada and the UK marketplace.
2. Get Customer Reviews
Customer reviews are one of the most powerful tools you have to drive sales on Amazon. Positive reviews build trust and social proof, encouraging potential readers to take the plunge and buy your book. But how do you get those first initial reviews that you need to increase future sales?
- Ask Friends and Family: Start by asking friends, family, and colleagues who have read your book to leave an honest review.
- Engage Your Readers: If you have a mailing list or social media followers, reach out and ask for reviews. Be sure to provide a direct link to your Amazon book page to make it easier for them to leave feedback. (You can create a direct link to leave a review by using https://www.amazon.com/gp/product-review + the ASIN of your book.)
- Be Genuine: Never buy fake reviews or encourage biased reviews. Genuine, honest reviews build trust with your audience and protect your reputation.
- Automate the Process: Set up an automated system to request reviews after readers purchase your book. For example, you can include a polite request at the end of your book asking readers to leave a customer review. For your ebook, they will automatically be rerouted to our Amazon page to leave a review or rating, but you can also include a thoughtful ask at the end of your print books as well.
Reviews don’t just build credibility—they also impact how your book ranks in Amazon’s search results. The more positive reviews you get, the better your chances of being discovered by new readers.
Related: How to Get More Book Reviews
3. Set Up Your Goodreads Author Profile
Goodreads can be an essential platform for self-published authors because this is where avid readers go to discover new books, leave reviews, and engage with other readers and authors. Setting up a Goodreads Author profile helps you connect with your audience and build your presence in the literary community.
- Claim Your Author Profile: If you haven’t already, claim your author profile on Goodreads. This allows you to manage your author page and interact with readers directly. You can even start a blog through your author profile as a way to further engage with readers.
- Link Your Books: Add your book to your Goodreads author page so that readers can find it easily. Ensure your book’s description is engaging and that you’ve uploaded a professional cover image.
- Engage with Readers: Respond to reviews, join discussions, and participate in Goodreads groups related to your genre. The more active you are on the platform, the more likely readers are to notice you and your books. Don’t just participate as an author, but also as a reader. Leave reviews on your favorite books, and add books to your TBR list.
- Host Giveaways: Goodreads offers a giveaway feature where authors can offer free copies of their print book to readers in exchange for reviews. This is a great way to generate buzz and increase exposure, especially in the early stages of your book’s release.
Goodreads can help you build a loyal readership and establish lasting connections with your readers. Down the road if you need ARC readers for your next book, your Goodreads team can be a great place to start.
4. Set Up Distribution Through IngramSpark
While Amazon is a major player in the book market, it’s not the only one. To maximize your book’s reach and increase sales, you should consider setting up distribution through IngramSpark. IngramSpark is a self-publishing platform that helps authors distribute their books globally to bookstores, libraries, and online retailers beyond Amazon including Barnes & Noble, Wal-Mart, Target, Book Depository, and Bookshop.org – basically anywhere books are bought online
Setting up your book for distribution through IngramSpark is as simple as setting it up via Amazon KDP, but it expands your reach beyond Amazon and therefore increases your book’s visibility. It also opens up a new door of opportunity by pitching your book to bookstores.
Related: How to Upload Your Book to IngramSpark
5. Run a Promotion
Once your book is live and you’ve set up your author profiles, it’s time to start thinking about promotions. Running a book promotion can be an effective way to increase visibility and attract new readers.
Here are some ideas for running a promotion:
- Price Discounts: Consider offering your book at a discounted price for a limited time. This creates urgency and can encourage readers to buy, and is a great incentive when you ask your network to leave you a customer review.
- Amazon Kindle Countdown Deals: If you’re enrolled in Kindle Direct Publishing Select, you can run a Kindle Countdown Deal, where you offer your book at a reduced price for a specific time.
- E-Book Giveaway: Amazon lets you give your ebook away for free for 5 days as a way to increase downloads. The caveat here is that your book has to be enrolled in KDP Select. While you won’t get royalties on the downloads, you will earn KENP page reads if folks who download your book choose to read through it. If you’re doing to do a giveaway, make sure you are prepared to promote the free book to your network, and on other websites and blogs that advertise free books.
- Goodreads Giveaway: For print books, you can host a giveaway through Goodreads for up to 30 days. You can set the parameters around how long you want the giveaway to last, and how many copies you are willing to mail out to the winners. Goodreads will handle the logistics, and even send reminders to the winners to post a review of the book once they finish it. It does cost money to run a Goodreads giveaway, but it can be one way to increase your exposure.
- Virtual Book Tour: Another option for increasing exposure is to run a virtual book tour, which is essentially finding book bloggers and book influencers who like to read your genre and offering them a free copy for an honest review. You can find reviewers by searching on social media for #ARCreaders who are interested in taking submissions.
Book promotions can be one way to generate buzz, attract new readers, and might even increase your sales on Amazon. Just be sure to plan your promotions strategically and track the results to see what works best for your book.
Remember, getting your book live on Amazon is just the beginning of your self-publishing journey. By creating an Amazon Author Central account, collecting customer reviews, setting up your Goodreads Author profile, expanding your book’s distribution through IngramSpark, and running promotions that make sense for your book, you’ll be building the foundation for long-term success.
