The 10 Rules of Great Book Marketing

One can easily come up with a list of dozens of specific things an author can do to market a book. Some will work; many won’t. What are the big rules for marketing a book?

1. Book marketing must be done for any book to succeed. The author must take ownership of their book’s marketing.  

2. All books are published at a deficit. The minute they are released they compete with millions of books, products, services, government leaders, and charities for retail space, public mindshare, media attention, and the hearts and souls of others. Before your book is birthed, marketing can be nurtured in the womb. You compete best when your book is not yet out there. 

3. Tap into your network. The road to success comes when you can travel where others have gone. Everyone you meet may have a skill, bit of knowledge, piece of advice, moment of inspiring support, or a connection to help you.  

4. Focus only on getting results. Effort. Plans. Time. Money. All are helpful in getting results but only results count and not what you tried, thought about, or hoped to pursue.  

5. Highlight your book’s uniqueness to identifiable target market’s needs and desires. 

6. Connect online and offline strategies and efforts. Take a holistic approach to your book marketing. 

7. Get help any way you can. Beg, barter, borrow, buy, and bullshit your way to success. Be opportunistic: respond to opportunities that present themselves and create your own opportunities without seeking anyone’s permission. 

8. Create a memorable message. Speak in quotable sound bites. 

9. Less whining, fearing, and stressing — and more doing, doing, doing. 

10. Act with confidence and an undeniable drive.

Need Book Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with 3.6 million page views, 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 over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.6 million pageviews. With 4,800+ posts over the past dozen years, it 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 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.