What Should You Do To Promote Your Book?

 

 

“Without promotion, something terrible happens…. Nothing. ”

– P.T Barnum

 

Authors always ask me: What should I do to market my book?

 

My answer is usually one of three things, including:

 

·         Yes, market your book-whatever you choose to do.

 

·         It depends what are your goals? What have you done? What are your skills? What do you like to do?

 

·         What could possibly be done?

 

Let’s look at the last point. Before you can decide what to do, you must be aware of your choices. You need to weigh your options by identifying all of the thing -- regardless of time, money, skill, knowledge, desire, or need -- that could possibly be done to promote a book. 

 

The big buckets to look at are the following:

 

1.      Social media content created by you. 

 

2.      Social media content created about you.

 

3.      Major media interviews, book reviews, or feature stories with you, about your book, or about you.

 

4.      By-line articles by you, published in print or online.

 

5.      Speaking opportunities in person or on zoom. 

 

6.      Advertising.

 

7.      Paid book reviews.

 

8.      Giving discounts.

 

9.      Offering freebies to lure in book buyers. 

 

10.  Emailing your fan base and connections.

 

11.  Networking.

 

12.  Creating word-of-mouth campaigns.

 

13.  Partnering with others, such as fellow authors.

 

14.  Selling the products or services of others that serve as gateways to getting book sales for you.

 

15.  Offering your book in all formats -- audio, e-book, trade paperback, mass market, and hardcover, 

 

16.  Creating spin-off content, such as a children’s book version of your adult book. 

 

17.  Selling the rights for other markets -- film, stage, foreign language, etc.

 

18.  Bundling your book with some other product, book, or service -whether it is yours or someone else's.

 

19.  Direct mail campaigns: email, telemarketing, or postcards. 

 

20.   Handing out flyers.

 

21.  Getting people to be your affiliate and sell your book.

 

22.  Have a booth at a book fair, street fair, or writer’s conference.

 

23.  Work with sites like NetGalley, BookTrib, GoodReads, and others that offer reviews and promotions. 

 

The list goes on.

 

There are easily dozens of other things to do to promote your book. There are guerrilla  marketing tactics of handing out swag and contacting targeted groups to seek bulk sales. There are big companies that one can hire to get help. There are writer associations to join. There are conferences and festivals to attend. There are websites to be created, business cards to be handed out, and a million and one things that can be done. 

 

First, look at the possibilities.

 

Second, learn more and try a few. 

 

Third, shift gears until you find what works. 

 

In each of the above areas, there are many paths one can follow; For instance, when we say “speaking,” that’s a broad term. Will you speak at a conference? A school? Church? Business? Bookstore? Library?

 

When we say social media, exactly which platforms will you be on? How active will you be- and what kind of quality of content shall you post? Will you go out of your way to secure followers?

 

So, when you want to know what you should do to promote yourself, you now have the process by which to determine an answer. Good luck!

 

 

Please Contact Me For Help

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com He is available to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their brand. He has 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres.

 

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2022. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America. For more information, please consult: linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.