Self Promotion is vital if you wish your novel to succeed. Finding a unique angle that can bring your novel before the masses is crucial but not easy. It can help if you develop a strategy using your own strengths and experiences so that you feel comfortable and confident with any angle that you take.
Create a fan page on Facebook, use Twitter profusely and make any other social networking sites work for you. Once you start getting the word out about your novel, this process will really start to become easier. Use the local press to help promote your creative venture, get interviewed, talk loudly and proudly about why people should read your book.
Eventually, people will start to listen.