I will assume that a manuscript has been completed, professionally edited and that a cover is ready to go. But now what?
First decision: do you want to distribute widely or stick with Amazon's Kindle Unlimited?
This decision will determine a lot of the choices that follow. What tends to be currently popular on Kindle Unlimited are shorter stories (50k or less) with a frequent rate of publication (at least once a month). Kobo and iBooks are claiming increasingly large shares of the publishing market, but going wide means not being able to participate in Kindle Unlimited.
If you decide to stick with Amazon and Kindle, then you only need to work with Amazon KDP. If you would like to go wide and want to keep things simple, then I recommend Direct 2 Digital, which allows you to use one platform to access all of the online publishing options. Personally, I also recommend publishing directly with Amazon, Kobo, and iBooks (though only if you have a Mac) but if you're just getting started, only having one spot to check can help to keep things manageable.
Second decision: set up your online presence.
First things first, I recommend setting up your website and your mailing list. I use Mailchimp but I know authors who prefer Mailerlite. For websites, you can go directly with Wordpress or a company like Wix or GoDaddy. But your website is going to be the base for your presence online and, unlike social media, your mailing list is something you control.
After you have a website and a way for readers to sign up for your mailing list, then you'll need to decide how often you'll send out a newsletter or do a blog. The book Newsletter Ninja has some great recommendations for creating an engaged newsletter audience. And for authors who don't publish rapidly, a regular blog can be a good way to keep yourself in your readers' minds. However often you decide to publish a blogpost, make sure it's a schedule you can keep up reliably.
Social media is still a good way to connect organically with readers, though most platforms now require you to pay in order to advertise. There are lots of choices, so choose the ones that work best for you and match your interests and personality. I find Hootsuite makes it easy for me to manage my social media feeds by scheduling posts in advance.
Third decision: what's your promotion strategy?
The biggest challenge to making sales as an author is discoverability, letting readers who would love your book know that it exists. Increasing your discoverability takes both time and money, so it will be up to you to make a budget for both.
When I first began publishing, blog tours and bloggers were one of the best ways to introduce yourself to new readers. Unfortunately, that's no longer as effective as it was. A number of review sites require a fee to submit your book (which is fair, given how much time bloggers spend reading books, writing reviews, and promoting authors).
Paid advertising on Bookbub, Amazon, and Facebook can help you to reach new readers, but it will be up to you to decide how much you want to spend. Kobo runs promotions for their directly published authors, but you need to apply for them. Which means you need to apply regularly, which takes time.
Multi-author promotions can work, but often require an investment in swag or book giveaways. Conferences will also give you an opportunity to connect with readers, but again require a substantial investment in time and money.
Finding a strategy that works for you will be a matter of trial and error and it will be constantly evolving as the market evolves. Tracking which promotions you try and your sales can help you to figure out which strategies were most effective.
I wish I had a guaranteed "this will always work" option to offer, but sadly, what works for one author won't necessarily work for another. This is one of the reasons why we spend so much time complaining about how hard writing can be. Because it can be a frustrating challenge to spend so much time crafting a story that means so much to you, and then have to spend your time coaxing readers to give it a try instead of writing new stories.
But even with the frustration, it's still the best job I've ever had. And I'm thrilled and honored with every new reader who decides to give me a chance.
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