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Mike Kowis
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Smart Marketing for Indie Authors: How I Sold my First 1,563 Books and Counting! Kindle Edition

by Mike Kowis (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 out of 5 stars 43 ratings
HOW DO I SELL MORE BOOKS? WHICH MARKETING TOOLS WORK BEST FOR INDIE AUTHORS? Have you ever asked yourself these questions? If so, this is the perfect book for you! In this award-winning* guide, Mike Kowis, Esq., shares his successful book-selling formula and explains the marketing tactics that he used to (currently) sell over 3,000 books in his first three years of being an indie author. Don’t worry, it’s MUCH simpler than you think! In this book-marketing guide, you will learn: • Mike’s proven BOOK-SELLING FORMULA, • 16 MARKETING TOOLS that he used and their results, • EFFECTIVENESS RATING, COST, and TIME required for each tactic, plus • 12 COMMON ROOKIE MISTAKES to avoid. * This book was chosen as the Winner in the 2019 Tenth Annual International Book Awards for the Business: Writing/Publishing category, the Solo Medalist Winner in the 2018 Fifth Annual New Apple Book Awards for Excellence in Independent Publishing (Writing and Publishing category) and a Finalist in the 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Awards (Writing and Publishing category). This handy guide also includes a summary of all marketing strategies that he tried so you can decide which tactics to use for your book.
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  1. Print length
    148 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    November 25, 2018
  5. File size
    2.9 MB
  6. Page Flip
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Editorial Reviews

Review


"Are you an independent ("indie") author, struggling to get people to buy your books? I know I am. Let's face it, we authors are (hopefully) good at writing, but not often good at the sales and marketing side of our business. And it's exactly for people like us that Mike Kowis has written his outstanding guide, Smart Marketing for Indie Authors. It's packed not only with generalities of how to approach the challenge of marketing your books, but also with lists of real, practical actions you can take, including step-by-step instructions in many cases. Even better, Kowis has rated each of these actions, based on his personal experience, for effectiveness, cost, and time investment, so you can decide where your time and money are best spent.

For me as an indie author, I felt my heart rate quicken as I read this book.This is pure gold. It is written clearly, concisely, and candidly, interspersed with gentle touches of humor. Kowis shares his experiences, both the successes and the failures, establishing his credentials without ever coming across as boastful, and giving the aspiring best selling author a toolbox packed with practical advice, tips, and suggestions, all expressed clearly with easy-to-follow instructions. The fact that he shares his personal experience relating to each of these actions, both positive and negative, gives his adviceso much more credibility. I found Smart Marketing for Indie Authors a pleasure to read, and I am excited to start putting what I've learned from this book into practice! Fantastic book, all round."

 - Shaul Behr, Reviewer for Readers' Favorite

"Award-winning author Mike Kowis, Esq., has done it again, practicing what he so eloquently preaches. He has rolled back the mysterious veil that has long kept many an independent writer from commercial success with his impressive new guide to help Indie authors market their book. Called, appropriately enough, Smart Marketing for Indie Authors, this erudite little book packs a value-laden punch with almost every word.

Warming nicely to his theme in a clear, conversational voice, Kowis challenges Indie authors to stop muttering discouraging words about how woeful the task of self-promotion is, and do something about it.

For example, he suggests making good use of social media in promoting your book. In recent years, of course, the word "tweet" has entered the public lexicon as a savvy way of succinctly sending a pithy promotional message to a select -- yet massive -- audience instantaneously.

In another section, he examines the relative merits of a book's informal "soft launch" versus a "hard launch," offering a concise explanation of the difference between the two and why a soft launch might work more in favor of the Indie author.

Then, in short order, he delivers a verdict on the relative impact of such historically revered tools as the press release, and reviews by book bloggers -- both of which may be falling out of favor with Indies as being too expensive, too unpredictable, and (in the case of bloggers) way too long to wait for feedback that might (or might not) do the author much good.

Finally, in amongst the many other tips, Kowis points out the importance of frequently checking sales data to maximize book sales -- and tells exactly how to do that. Then, he offers advice about using online ads and public speeches to boost sales after you've launched your book. (He favors both marketing strategies and offers compelling data showing why.)

Seriously, this how-to guide is good. It succeeds where other guides have failed because of Kowis' strongest suit -- the analysis of cold hard data in determining a viable marketing and promotional plan for your book.

We award it our highest five-star-plus rating!"

 - Don Sloan, Reviewer for Publishers Daily Reviews

About the Author

MIKE KOWIS, ESQ., is a corporate tax attorney, business law professor, frequent speaker, and award-winning author. In his spare time, he enjoys spending quality time with his family, reading, writing, performing stand-up comedy at Open Mic Nights, and competing in off-road racing on ATVs and UTVs.

Mike has written four nonfiction books about various topics he feels passionate about, including a humorous book about college teaching tips (Engaging College Students: A Fun and Edgy Guide for Professors), a self-publishing guide (14 Steps to Self-Publishing a Book), a book marketing guide for independently-published authors (Smart Marketing for Indie Authors: How I Sold my First 1,563 Books and Counting) and his latest book about off-road racing (Texas Off-road Racing: A Father-Son Journey to a Side-by-Side Championship).

In addition, he co-authored a FREE eBook about authorship with Ms. Sharon C. Jenkins (Maximize Your Book Sales with Data Analysis: The Cure for Authorship Analysis Paralysis).

Mike has earned a bachelor's degree plus two law degrees (including an advanced law degree from Georgetown University Law Center). He lives in Texas with his wife and family. You can find more information about his helpful books and speaking engagements at mikekowis.com.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07KVRRB1R
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lecture PRO Publishing
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 25, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.9 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 148 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1732863002
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 43 ratings

About the author

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Mike Kowis

Mike Kowis

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Mike Kowis, Esq., is a corporate tax attorney, business law professor, frequent speaker, and award-winning author. In his spare time, he enjoys spending quality time with his family, cooking, reading, writing, and competing in off-road racing.

Mike has written several nonfiction books about various topics he feels passionate about, including college teaching tips, self-publishing, book marketing, off-road racing, tax trivia, and humorous quotations. His most successful title (14 Steps to Self-Publishing a Book) has sold over 5,000 copies to date. In addition, he co-authored a FREE eBook about authorship with his dear friend, Sharon C. Jenkins.

Mike has earned a bachelor's degree plus two law degrees and currently lives in the piney woods of east Texas with his family and a rambunctious puppy named Mr. Pickles. You can find more information about his award-winning books and speaking engagements at mikekowis dot com.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
43 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's advice valuable, with one mentioning it includes a useful checklist tool. Moreover, the guide is concise and down-to-earth, making it easy to read. Additionally, they appreciate its practical approach to book marketing, with one customer noting it makes the process easy for indie authors.

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Advice contentReadabilityMarketing tacticsAuthor content
20 customers mention "Advice content"19 positive1 negative

Customers find the book's advice content valuable, with many noting it offers great guidance and is helpful for understanding marketing strategies.

"...effort they put through a project. Not only he gives advice filled with common sense, but he is also sincere when the things that did not work..." Read more

"...this will be a good reference book whenever I eventually finish my masterpiece...." Read more

"...Based on his own experience, this book is helpful to understand things that a simple writer is not aware of, assuming that a writer is not a..." Read more

"This is a fantastic, extremely digestible read, especially for those who’ve never promoted something, or even published until now...." Read more

14 customers mention "Readability"14 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable and well-written, describing it as a concise and down-to-earth guide that is easy to follow.

"...writer who describes his recipe for success in an amicable, easy-to-follow manner...." Read more

"...Marketing for Indie Authors” is engaging and speaks in a tone that everyone can clearly understand that can easily help writers be able to get their..." Read more

"...Bad jokes aside, the author presents in clear and logical fashion the steps he took taking his book to market, and what he did to keep sales going..." Read more

"...contains advice and information on how easy can be selling books...." Read more

10 customers mention "Marketing tactics"10 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the marketing tactics in the book, describing it as a practical guide that makes the process easy for indie authors.

"...Smart Marketing for Indie Authors” is engaging and speaks in a tone that everyone can clearly understand that can easily help writers be able to get..." Read more

"This handy guide “Smart Marketing for Indie Authors: How I Sold my First 1,563 Books and Counting!"..." Read more

"“Smart Marketing for Indie Authors: How I Sold my First 1,563 Books and Counting!”..." Read more

"Smart Marketing for Indie Authors: How I Sold my First 1,563 Books and Counting!..." Read more

6 customers mention "Author content"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be a great resource for indie authors, with one customer describing it as a guide to help budding writers.

"Mike Kowis is a self-published book writer who describes his recipe for success in an amicable, easy-to-follow manner...." Read more

"...This book is the holy grail for authors who have written their first work and are struggling with figuring out what to do with it next. “..." Read more

"...Particularly suited for indie authors, this book-marketing guide explains the marketing tactics the author Mike Kowis used to sell more than 1,500..." Read more

"This is a really good guide to help budding writers get themselves out there, get published and market their writing...." Read more

Down to earth approach on all things self-publishing
5 out of 5 stars
Down to earth approach on all things self-publishing
Mike Kowis knows his stuff. As I am preparing to enter the world of hybrid publishing, this down to earth and simple to read book offered many great items of advice. If you are unsure on the key concepts to getting published, take a moment and read this book cover to cover.. you won’t be disappointed. Looking forward to learning more in this area of publishing.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Lorenza Seldner
    5.0 out of 5 stars Keys to successfully market your book. Well done!
    Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Mike Kowis is a self-published book writer who describes his recipe for success in an amicable, easy-to-follow manner. If you are an indie author or are just curious about how this whole process works I would encourage you to read Kowis’s book. It focuses on the second part about writing. I think he is 100% right when he says that writers, being more artists than business persons, lack sales skills and therefore end up frustrated with not getting the results they hoped for after all the effort they put through a project.
    Not only he gives advice filled with common sense, but he is also sincere when the things that did not work for him, wish is not very common in self-help books, in my opinion. He also points out the most common mistakes when writing or self-publishing in a detailed way. Often underestimated by writers, Marketing is a powerful tool that can turn a book into one of the thousands forgotten titles or a bestseller. Well written, entertaining.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Amy K.
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Guide!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Writers who are seeking to publish and market their first work will rejoice at the release of “Smart Marketing for Indie Authors”. This book is the holy grail for authors who have written their first work and are struggling with figuring out what to do with it next. “Smart Marketing for Indie Authors” is engaging and speaks in a tone that everyone can clearly understand that can easily help writers be able to get their works off the ground and make their first successful sales! This book is a great how-to guide that can significantly help you with the marketing process from start to finish so that you can be sure to successfully find all the tools that are necessary and required to be able to get started in the sales and promotion of your first book.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Steve Merryman
    5.0 out of 5 stars In an evolving market, some clear advice from a successful author
    Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    First off, this isn't one of those "Rah! Rah! You can do it! Here's some inspiration!" kind of books. This book is more like a "I've been there. I've done it. This is what worked for me. This is what didn't work so well. This is what I'd do differently." kind of book.

    It's sort of like the difference between Schindler's List, the movie, and Schindler's actual list: While not as dramatic, it did get the job done.

    Bad jokes aside, the author presents in clear and logical fashion the steps he took taking his book to market, and what he did to keep sales going afterwards. He also explains the steps he chose NOT to take and why, which is also very helpful. Throughout, the author is careful to point out that what worked for him may not necessarily work for every author or genre of book. That's good advice, but I think most everything he did to market his book would provide a good blueprint for anyone with a book they want to sell, with some wiggle room for personal preferences and genre variations.

    I appreciated his analytical approach to the myriad options available to indie authors. Not being an author myself (I'm still alternating between writing and ignoring my manuscript), this will be a good reference book whenever I eventually finish my masterpiece.

    To be clear, I think the marketplace for indie authors is constantly evolving, so there may be a need for an updated edition someday. But for time being, I think this book can serve as a welcome foundation upon which to build a successful indie book marketing campaign.

    I highly recommend it.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Sdan12
    3.0 out of 5 stars Marketing tactics and success
    Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    This handy guide “Smart Marketing for Indie Authors: How I Sold my First 1,563 Books and Counting!" contains advice and information on how easy can be selling books. Particularly suited for indie authors, this book-marketing guide explains the marketing tactics the author Mike Kowis used to sell more than 1,500 books. Based on his own experience, this book is helpful to understand things that a simple writer is not aware of, assuming that a writer is not a business person and he or she doesn't consider everything is behind a guaranteed success... He describes what marketing strategies to follow and mistakes to avoid to become a successful indie author.
    The book is a quick read full of useful tips.
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Newbies to Marketing Anything
    Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This is a fantastic, extremely digestible read, especially for those who’ve never promoted something, or even published until now. It was too simple for me given my expertise in marketing and self-employment. However, I was reminded of two tactics that might be revisited in the future.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Chelsey McQuitty
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource for indie authors
    Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    A lot of people are under the impression that self-publishing and being an indie author is easy, when the fact of the matter is it takes a lot of sweat, blood and tears to get things accomplished. On top of that, you’re on your own. Luckily, there are great resources out there like this book. The author is able to put his own experience to work, as he shares easy to follow tips and tricks that will help indie authors get their books off the ground. The writing is excellent and very engaging, so you won’t find yourself bored as you turn page after page of insights. The book is a quick read too and is very well organized, which will make rereading a breeze. I’d recommend this book to anyone planning on self publishing, as well as those who already have a book out there, but would like some help getting it noticed.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Mia C87
    5.0 out of 5 stars The key to success for selling your book
    Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    “Smart Marketing for Indie Authors: How I Sold my First 1,563 Books and Counting!” is a book written by Mike Kowis, a corporate tax attorney, college instructor, frequent speaker, and award-winning author.
    This is a short book (a hundred and twenty pages) on how to sell successfully the book you’ve written. It does not focus only on the selling but on the marketing side of it which comprises many other duties other than selling. I liked it. It is clear and gives you a lot of ideas. Apart from reading what Mike says it’s his formula, it opens your mind and inspires you. At least it happened to me. I would definitely recommend reading Smart Marketing for Indie authors.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Ava M Rose
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great structure
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 12, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    I really liked the structure of the book and the grouping into 3 key areas, which were then further broke down into sub topics. I found this appealing and logical in approach.

    It was very useful to see the various approaches Mike used and the level if success with each. I've already started using some of these but some I've yet to try. It maybe worth updating some sections with new evidence/techniques, such as there are companies you can use to build your list of subscribers which will give you a discount advantage in your genre to build targeted lists.

    This book is an easy to digest read full of useful tips. Thank you for sharing your experience.
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