So you’re publishing your book—congrats! Finishing your manuscript was a huge feat, but now the real work begins; getting the word out so people will buy and read the book.

At SparkPress, we strongly recommend our authors hire a publicist. We’ve written posts before on how to maximize your publicity campaign, but sometimes, a publicity campaign just isn’t in the budget. You’ll have to act as your own publicist to get your book placed in the media. Thus, we’ve compiled some resources that can get you started.

1. The SparkPress blog

We post articles twice a week, and many of them address aspects of publishing and promoting a book that authors are often uncomfortable or unfamiliar with. Here are a few that you may find helpful.

• If you have questions about ARCs, check out this post.
• If you have questions about blurbs, check out this post.
• Resources for writing content:
  • The Importance of Writing Content
  • Writing Content
  • Creating Content Relevant to the National Conversation
  • The Biggest Considerations When Creating Content
  • Crafting Your Pitch
• All about your online presence:
  • Publishing Tools: Curating Your Online Presence
  • Publishing Tools: Social Media Overview
  • Publishing Tools: Using Facebook
  • Publishing Tools: Using Twitter
  • Publishing Tools: Using Instagram
  • Unconventional Tools to Build An Author Fanbase
  • Bookstagram for Beginners
  • BookTube for Beginners
  • An Introduction to AuthorTube
  • Publishing Tools: Using Canva

2. HARO

If you want to get media hits and you don’t have a publicist to initiate that, one of the best things you can do is sign up as a source on Help a Reporter Out (HARO) or another similar service. They’ll send you emails three times a day with all sorts of topics that they’re looking for sources on. If you fit, email the masked email address listed with your pitch, answering their questions, and giving a little bio and your contact information. If you’re a good fit, they’ll reach out.

3. Plan author events

Your local market is one of your strongest assets, so market yourself locally! Reach out to local bookstores and libraries and see if they’ll host you. If we’re still in a pandemic, you can still have your events online! Zoom is a great place to host your events, as is Facebook Live. Utilize whatever platform you have, whether it be an email list or social media, and drive people to your event. Make sure to direct them to your favorite indie bookstore to purchase copies (especially if they host your event)—but also let them know where else they can purchase the book.

4. Write guest posts

An amazing way to connect with other authors and potential readers is to pop up in new places. The above link is a website that finds guest post opportunities. Below are a few other places that you should be able to get your articles on without the aid of a publicist.

• com
• Women Writers, Women’s Books
• Write to Done
• The Creative Penn

5. Places to be interviewed

Some websites and podcasts feature Q&As or Interviews with authors. Below are a few places where you should be able to arrange an interview without a publicist as an intermediary.

• Book Club Babble
• Women Writers, Women’s Books (again)
• Dropping In

As you can see, doing publicity alone is possible, but it is research-heavy, labor-intensive, and time consuming. If you’re willing to do the work, more power to you!

Do you have any other tips for being your own publicist? Great resources for media placements? Drop them in the comments below!