So, your dream of becoming a published author has finally come true. Every “I” has been dotted and every “T” has been crossed. Finally, after hours spent writing, editing, working with the publishing team and generally making your book everything you wanted it to be, you look down in your hands and there rests your dream: a book with your name on the front and the Dorrance imprint on the spine.

You’re ready for the world to share in your delight and immerse themselves in the words that you have written. But, before they can do that, a plot twist arises and halts your progress: How do you promote your book? Where does one even start? We’re here to offer you three simple and affordable ways that may encourage readers to put your book on their nightstands.

So here are a few tips to help you on the last leg of the journey!

Social Media – Right now, in order to read this blog, you are either on your smartphone, computer or tablet Just as you can access our website, and our blog, the Internet offers worlds of opportunity to promote your book. What’s more, for the most part, it’s free! Promoting your book on online social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Google+, just to name a few, will enable you to reach a people all over the world!

What does it take create a successful social media site that will inform your audience not only about your background, but also your book? First of all, engage your online friends – let them know that you are going to start a social site to promote your book. After all, you have probably heard countless anecdotes about someone sharing a story that catches like wildfire (aka, it “goes viral”).

One rule of thumb when posting to social media: Remember that there is a fine line between being informative and sharing your excitement, and creating an utter saturation of posts where your friends feel like they are logged on to “Yourbook” rather than “Facebook.” In other words, keep it light, keep it fun and try not to sound like an infomercial pressuring them to buy your book. You want them to buy your book because they want to read the story you’ve written, not because they feel like you forced them to.

To wrap up this section in 140 characters or less (as Twitter will ask you to do), “Social media is an easy way to reach your audience and promote your book! Remember less is more and quality always outweighs quantity.”

Timing is everything- Let’s say that you wrote a book about the military and highlighted events from World War II. When would be the most effective and relevant time to promote your book? Perhaps you could heavily promote your book around December 7, or Pearl Harbor Day. This aligns your book with an important news event that ties directly to your book’s subject matter. Do some research to determine the best time to heavily promote your book. Consider holidays, historical events and other things that align with your book’s theme. Always remember to keep your thumb on the pulse of the literary world to ensure that you can properly promote your book!

Leave your mark- This is an old-school promotional tactic, but like a wise man once said, “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it”. Over the years, the “leave behind” has proven its worth in helping authors promote their books.

So, what exactly do we mean by a “leave behind?” Well, for starters, remember those things people used to purchase to help them save their spot in the book they were reading? Ah yes, a book mark. But we aren’t talking about an old coupon or a ripped piece of paper. Leave behinds are professionally made bookmarks that include an image of your book’s cover, your name and contact information, and a URL where the reader can buy your book online.

Many would agree that there’s something great about getting something for free. That’s why it’s an excellent tactic to give out free handouts to people in order to promote your book. Quirky items like pens or key chains are another way to spread the word about your new book.

With permission, you could leave a stack of bookmarks, a pile of pens or a jar full of key chains at the checkout line at your local library, coffee shop or bookstore. Maybe someone picks up a pen with your book information written on it and brings it to a meeting.  Someone at the meeting takes notice of that pen and maybe does a little more research on your book, and decides to read it. She loves it, and recommends it to her book club for their next discussion. Just like that, with that one pen absently picked up at the coffee shop, your book is starting to take off.

These are just a few of the easy and affordable ways to promote your book. From making a short and concise post on social media, to picking the perfect, relevant time to promote your book, to leaving your mark, whether it be through a bookmark or a keychain, there are many ways to spread the word about your newly published book. All that it takes is a little creativity and ingenuity to get the book from your hands to the hands of the public!