One of the best ways to promote an audiobook is, not surprisingly, via audio (sound). Fortunately, when you publish your audiobook with Outskirts Press, a 5-minute retail sample is created for you and uploaded to sales partners like Amazon, Audible, and iTunes on your behalf. Your audio clips are also shared with you throughout the audiobook creation process. Be sure to keep them; you’ll need them for marketing.
Having your sample on Amazon and iTunes will carry the majority of your marketing weight, but there are other outlets you can pursue. Among them: YouTube, Facebook, and SoundCloud.
The best way to use your audio sample clip on YouTube is to incorporate it with a book video. If you already have a book video, and some basic editing software, you’re 90% done. And if your book video doesn’t have any sound, you’re 95% done. If it does have sound, use your editing software to separate the audio track from the video track and then lay your audiobook track down onto the video instead. Rarely will the length of the audiobook track and the video match, so you’ll need to be creative to bring them in sync. Once you’re happy with your new audiobook video, upload it to your YouTube channel and other various video platforms.
If you do not have a book video, the easiest solution is to get one by clicking here. Or you can create a “video” by simply using a still image of your book as a static image for the video-length of your audiobook sample. Alternatively, and preferably, you could use your smartphone and a small tripod, and record yourself reading your book. Now that’s an audiobook sample that any YouTuber can enjoy!
In either case, don’t forget to take full advantage of the description field when uploading your video by making sure to include links to your author webpage and your product sales page on Amazon so they can buy your audiobook (or your hard copy alternatives if they prefer).
Since Facebook makes it easy to post videos, the easiest way to promote your audiobook on Facebook is to use the same video you just created for YouTube and upload it to your Facebook page. Again, don’t forget to include the necessary purchase links in the “Write a post” box so your friends, family, and followers can easily find your audiobook and buy it.
One of the newest ways to market audiobooks is via SoundCloud. Create an account at soundcloud.com and click “Upload” to upload your audiobook retail sample. You can also upload an image. Obviously, we suggest the cover of your book. Then complete the rest of the form, which includes the book’s title, the author’s name, and the narrator’s name. Just as with YouTube and Facebook, use the “Description” field to include links to your author webpage and Amazon product sales page.
Are you ready to publish your masterpiece with the A+ and #1-rated self-publishing company according to the Better Business Bureau and Top Consumer Reviews, respectively? If so, click here to experience full-service, custom self-publishing the way it should be, at Outskirts Press.