How to Market Your Book
As soon as you make a commitment to finish your book, you should begin marketing it. Not when you finish it, when you start it. When you’ve made a promise to yourself that your book dream will become reality—and it will if you persevere—then it’s never too early to get the word out.
No matter how amazing your book is—even if you land a publishing deal—no one will buy it if no one knows about it. Even publishers don’t do much marketing for authors anymore, and the ones that do often charge for it (or expect you to use the advance they gave you on marketing). And you’re more likely to land a publishing deal if you already have a large platform. I know that seems backwards, but no one really knows which book will sell and which won’t. Every book is a risk. Therefore, publishers are going to mitigate that risk as much as they can. The bigger your platform, the less risk. The same goes for you if you’re self-publishing.
In 2023 there were over 32.8 million published titles available on Amazon. Most authors sell less than 2,000 copies of their book, and half sell less than twelve! One reason for low sales, as I mentioned in Step 2, is when authors fail to ensure their book really speaks to their readers. The other reason is a lack of marketing.
How to Start
I should start by saying that this is not an exhaustive list. There are many resources on book promotion. But this will give you a good start. If you do even some of these things seriously, you’ll be better off than many other authors who, understandably yet mistakenly, assume that writing is their only true task. Marketing is part of your job as a published author.
Before you get overwhelmed, know that initial marketing doesn’t need to be anything fancy. In your various groups of people that might be interested, let them know: “I started a book on that topic;” or: “I’m going to talk about that in my memoir;” or: “I just learned something fascinating while doing research for my book.”
If you’re worried people will think you’re crazy for trying to write a book, that’s okay. If someone is critical of your author goals, just smile and nod. It’s easy for people to judge others for what they’re usually too afraid to do themselves.
In fact, telling people about your book idea may just be the impetus you need to finish writing it. You might hear people say, “That’s a great idea!” or “I wish I had your book when I was going through that.” If you don’t get any feedback (or any positive feedback) on your book idea, then you need to find your audience—the readers who need your book.
For many writers, marketing is the worst part of being an author. It shouldn’t be. Your book aligns with something you’re passionate about. Otherwise, you wouldn’t bother writing it. Therefore, book marketing is really just an extension of who you are. Whatever networking, activities, and online engagement you do that coincide with your book’s topics and themes are ways to market your book.
For example, if you’re a speaker or business owner, then your book can help land more speaking engagements and clients. More engagements and clients equal more book sales, and so on.
If your book doesn’t align with any current business or media presence, or you’ve been avoiding social media and are basically a hermit (I’m describing myself here), don’t worry. There are a lot of options. Below are more ways to promote your amazing book.
Before Publishing
Author Website: How often have you searched for a restaurant or business and been surprised to find they don’t have their own website? It’s annoying, right? People want information. A website is an easy way to provide that, which leads to more sales.
There are a lot of tutorials and suggestions for writer and author websites, so do some research. You can do it yourself or hire someone to set it up for you.
I know from experience that building a website is kind of like writing a book—it’s always a work in progress and it takes time. But it’s not a step you want to skip. Don’t be afraid to “publish” it (make it live) before it’s “finished,” because it will always be changing. You’ll be updating your readers on your author journey before, during, and after your book is published.
Write Smaller Pieces: One of the best ways to generate interest in your book is to write shorter forms on the same topic by blogging or publishing articles. You can do this while you’re writing and researching your book. In doing so, you’re also developing your book and getting feedback in real time. For more information on this, I highly suggest You Are a Writer by Jeff Goins.
Both your author website and shorter writing platforms can help you gain a following, which you can strengthen and grow with email subscribers. Having an email list means doing what you’re already doing, but whenever a new blog/article is published, your subscribers don’t have to search for it because it shows up in their inbox.
Social Media: This is a dreaded means of communication for many of us older than Gen Z. But it can really help you get the word out if you know how to use it. Ask and research fellow writers, publishers, and others in the book business, as well as those savvy young people about the platforms to use. Don’t be too picky. Get some help setting up an account or two (or reviving an old one) and focus on posting small, helpful tips or facts on your book’s topic, updates on your writing and publishing process, your writing journey, and anything else that interests you in relation to your book. Because if it interests you, it will probably interest your future readers too.
This list of tasks is not done only “before” your book is published but should continue indefinitely. Books don’t sell themselves. But don’t overwork yourself, either. Do what you’re comfortable with and see what works and what doesn’t over time. Each book is different. And remember: The turtle always wins the race!
In The Middle
Once you have a completed manuscript and a future publishing date, add the below suggestions to your marketing to-do list.
Book Reviews: Ask for honest reviews from your subscribers, social media followers, and professional connections (if relevant), as well as from other authors, thought-leaders, experts, and anyone with expertise or a following relevant to your book’s topic. Yes, you can do this before you publish, and you should. The more positive reviews you have ahead of your book launch, the more notice your book will receive and the more sales you can expect. (Be prepared to send the digital manuscript if requested.) It’s also a good idea to get reviews from book review sites, though many require a payment, such as: Online Book Club, BookPage, and Kirkus Reviews, to name a few.
Advertise your upcoming book to your networks, social media followers, email subscribers, friends and family, and so on as appropriate.
Pitch advanced copies to your email subscribers, and/or offer a discount or gift for the first so-many pre-orders.
Articles & Interviews: Approach topic-appropriate and local publications and influencers and pitch articles and guest blogs and/or request interviews, such as: your local newspaper and/or radio station, online and print magazines, podcasters, YouTubers, and other thought leaders.
Create a brief author bio, author introduction, as well as some interview questions and answers. Believe it or not, many interviewers expect this. They won’t have time to read your book (at least not in its entirety), and it helps the interview go smooth because you’ll already have answers to their questions!
Events: Any conference, festival, or other event about books or your book’s topics can be an opportunity to market your book. Inquire about getting a booth, order author copies to sell, and be ready to interact with others who like the same things you do!
Similar to the “before” section, you should continue many of these tasks after your book is published. Marketing never stops.
Book Launch and Happily Ever After
Approach local bookstores and libraries. They typically love local authors. Offer to give readings, presentations, classes, and/or book signings. Ask how many copies they might want for BOR (back-of-room) sales, what their wholesale discount is, and their terms for unsold copies. For sales without an event, they may not buy in bulk (unless you have a great distribution plan), but they’ll probably buy a few. Check back later and see if those copies were sold and if they’d like to purchase a few more. Local bookstores and other retailers may sell books on consignment, which you can read about here.
Keep in mind if you’d like to host a launch party at a bookstore around the time of your book’s actual launch date, you’ll obviously need to coordinate that before your book is published. But these launch parties can happen at different stores and places several months or more after your book is first released. (It would be hard to have a dozen launch parties in one week.)
Even after your book has been out for a while, you’re still a local author. Use your new status (however humble you may be) to try and coordinate events with local businesses anytime you like. It’ll be a win-win for the whole community.
Articles & Interviews: Remember all those publications, bloggers, podcasters, and thought leaders you approached for articles, guest blogging, and interview opportunities? They may be willing to have you back on, or be more interested now that your book is for sale—especially if you’ve gotten the word out already and created a buzz.
Affiliates are people with a similar focus who agree to advertise your book for a fee, or for a percentage of each click or book sale. They’ll create a purchase link for your book on their sites for their followers—a win-win for you both.
You may also advertise on promotion sites, sometimes for a fee, such as: GoodReads and The Kindle Book Review.
If you’re tired just reading this, or you want to do even more, you can hire out some of these tasks (or I can create a personalized step-by-step marketing plan for you). Some hybrid publishers and even self-publishing companies will do some marketing for your book, for a fee. There are also professional book promoters, book marketing companies, and public relations (PR) firms you can work with. Expect to pay as much or more as you did for the publishing process.
Whatever you do, I highly recommend becoming a member of The Authors Guild and/or the Nonfiction Authors Association. Both organizations offer a lot of author resources, informational courses, networking events, and more.
Conclusion
If you want book sales—or at least have someone you don’t know read what you wrote and appreciate it—then you must market your book. But don’t worry—you don’t have to do everything on this list, nor do you have to do it all the time. Move at your own pace. If one avenue doesn’t yield results after a while, try something else. No matter what, don’t give up.
You’ll be amazed at the results when your book is out there, changing lives!
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