Last month, I gave advice to writers about preparing their book for publication. This month, I address the difficult issue of marketing. I don’t know any writers who enjoy marketing their books more than writing them. Most of us cringe at the thought of self-promotion. Yet, if we publish but then never tell anyone we did so, what was the point of that effort?

The thing to remember about book marketing is that it’s something you should do before the book comes out, when it’s finally available for purchase, and long after. Forget the Big Five traditional publishing model of a book’s lifespan being 45-60 days after launch. A book is eternal; it can earn money for a very long time—even after you’re gone, so make provisions for that.

Here is what I’m working on during the leadup to the publication of Return to Hardscrabble Road and what I recommend all writers do to promote their work:

  1. Do a monthly email newsletter and build your mailing list – if you think email is passé, think again. Email open rates and link-click rates can be 100 times greater or more than on social media (see the resources provided at the end of this post for many more details). Most of us using social channels have friends/followers we don’t know. They might be people with similar interests or have friends in common, but they’re strangers to us. Their intellectual or emotional investment in us is close to nil, and the chance of them purchasing our book simply because we post a cover photo or video with a link is also likely nil. By contrast, we don’t put strangers on our newsletter mailing list—we include people who know us and want to be on it. People who are indeed strangers can opt-in to receive our newsletter because they learned about us and are interested in our work. Sending newsletters to people you know can be much more fruitful than shotgunning social media posts to a bunch of people you don’t.

Building the platform you need to get the word out is the work of a lifetime, ultimately. To get started, though, think about who you know through family interactions, your neighborhood, work, the activities and hobbies you enjoy, religious affiliations, etc. Those people are the base of your platform. As you make connections among readers/buyers, your platform grows. One way to build your platform quickly is to volunteer in organizations related to your interests. Doing things for others is its own reward, of course, but allow yourself a little enlightened self-interest—your fellow volunteers could be interested in your newsletter and books too.

How often should you send a newsletter? I recommend doing this monthly. It’s not so often that you’ll annoy people and not so infrequent that you’ll fall off their radar entirely. What to include? News about your currently available and upcoming books, of course, but also something that can help people. That’s why I do these blogposts: they offer insights to readers, enabling them to better appreciate the creative process and the care that goes into the making of a book, and to writers in hopes of helping them along their own creative journey. The more you help people, the more they’ll want to read your newsletter—and hopefully your books.

Another purpose your mailing list serves is to ask these individuals to review your book online (Amazon is the preferred site, followed by Goodreads). It’s much more effective to ask these people to review your book than to post such a plea on Facebook or other social media, where it’s less likely to be seen by someone who bought your book.

  1. Build connections on social media – despite the poor click rates for book-purchase links posted on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and so on, you still need to be on these sites for more frequent engagement than your monthly newsletter will allow. Pick the social media channel where you’ll focus your energy based on where your audience is. Facebook skews older, for example, so use that channel if your book will appeal to Gen Xers and Baby Boomers, but don’t be afraid to try the BookTok segment of TikTok—you’ll find a plethora of your readers there as well.

Don’t just promote your book—that gets old fast—but instead share creative insights, humor, glimpses into your personality and your life, and so on. Be sure to respond to questions or compliments you receive; honoring the sender will help you build rapport. Your posts won’t do you much good, though, if you aren’t regularly adding to your contacts. Look for authors in your genre who have a bigger fanbase than you but also connect with a similar number of people (the ones who follow lots of others are more likely to follow you too). Also, look at who these authors are connecting with and who their friends/followers are: these are leads for who else to pursue. If numerous readers of your genre are linked to them, reach out especially to those individuals; they could become future fans of yours. The more followers you have, the more likely you are to engage with people about your books and upcoming events.

  1. Outreach to influencers – these are podcasters, interviewers, bloggers, and others with large audiences; they are in constant need of content. Offer to post a guest blog, do an interview, or otherwise help them fill that content void with something entertaining and informative. A great way to get them on your side is to share/repost things they put online and tag them, so they know you’re helping to promote them and their work. If you help them sell more books or garner more viewers/listeners, they’ll be much more amenable to help you. Ultimately, your goal is to turn some of their audience into fans of yours too, but start by introducing them to your group of family and friends.

Influencers include book reviewers. Unless you’re published by one of the Big Five, it’s difficult to get reviewed by a major newspaper. A local paper, though, might do a story on you and your book, which is better than a review because you’ll have more control over the message. You or your publisher can submit to various periodicals that do reviews in your genre as well as catch-all reviewers such as the Midwest Book Review and Kirkus Reviews.

Genre-specific and general literary awards are another means of influencing public opinion and creating awareness for your book through their announcement of winners and your self-promotion. There has been a proliferation of awards and contests during the past decade, so it’s not hard to find applicable venues where your book can be considered for a prize, and sometimes it’s not hard to win recognition. Most readers have only heard of the Pulitzer Prize, Nobel Prize, and maybe National Book Award, but having any award sticker on your cover creates credibility in the minds of many book buyers. It’s a bit of a game and purists might scoff, but this can be another way to create notice for your book.

  1. Tread delicately into online advertising – this is an area where different authors experience wildly different returns on their investment. Some swear by Amazon ads; others get more traction from Facebook or Google ads. Still others have spent a lot everywhere but have little to show for any of it. My advice is to set a modest budget for a defined time, try some different messages on different channels, and see if anything resonates with viewers (measured by increased book sales, not just clicks). Then focus your spending on whatever is working for you and drop everything that isn’t.
  1. Book launch – if your book is coming out, throw a party for yourself and your labor of love. A book launch event, with family and friends, is probably when you’ll sell the most copies of your book on any single day. As with advertising, set a budget. Be sure to bring a sign-up sheet for your newsletter in case there are friends/family of friends who tag along and might become your next superfans.
  1. Post-launch in-person events – talk to the managers of bookstores, gift shops, and other places with shoppers who match the typical reader profile for your book. Usually, the store will keep 40% of your book sales (the cost to you for renting their space and having access to their customers). Of course, bring that newsletter sign-up sheet to stay in touch with those who buy your book. Beware of markets, festivals, and other events where the cost to rent table/booth space far exceeds your profit for the books you’re likely to sell. I know writers who’ve spent $400 or more for the chance to sell less than $100 worth of books. That’s a good way to go bankrupt.

Some authors shy away from in-person events, figuring they’re a waste of time, but this is your only opportunity to interact with actual book buyers. These people might become lifelong fans of your work, purchasing everything you produce and telling friends and family about you. In-person events are also the surest way to meet readers who are in book clubs. Like influencers needing to fill the content void, book clubs are always searching for upcoming reads. Some of them pick a year’s worth of books in advance, while others do this monthly or quarterly. Be ready at your event with a business card and a pitch about what special incentive you have for book clubs. I always discount copies of my books they purchase directly from me, I sign and personalize each copy, and I never charge for book club talks, which I’m happy to attend in-person within a two-hour drive from my home or online if the club is located farther away or normally meets that way. Book clubs keep the publishing industry from imploding, and they can help you spread the word about your books because they know readers in other such clubs.

I hope these ideas are useful as you embark or continue on your book-selling journey!

For details and stats on email and social media open rates:

https://www.mailmunch.com/blog/email-marketing-vs-social-media

https://agencyanalytics.com/blog/social-media-vs-email-marketing

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