39 Book Marketing Tricks For Beginners

 

Having posted nearly 5,000 times on this blog over the past 13 years, where 3.9 million pageviews have to take place, I can identify several dozen things most authors should be doing. If you are taking your first foray into marketing your book, you will need a lot of guidance. Below is a starting point. Get your journey started on the right step by doing the following:

1. Develop a book marketing plan. Define what will be done and by when? Identify your targeted reader, determine where they live and circulate, and have a direct way of reaching them.

2. Determine who will do what: by you or outsource or by a publisher (if you have one)? If outsourced, to whom? Set a budget and convey your expectations and an understanding of the scope of work.

3. Monitor and measure results and activities. Both need accountability. Hold yourself and others accountable. Take ownership of your marketing.

4. Develop a web site. Craft the core content: about you, about your books, contact info, appearances, media coverage and reviews, book excerpts, buy buttons, your own blog or podcasts, a sign-up for something, etc.  Be sure to use images, video, or audio to engage many senses of the site ‘s visitor. Offer a free download of content that people to perceive to be of value. Have them provide their name and info in exchange of the content, which allows you to build your mailing list up.

5. Update your site regularly and look to expand what type of content will be showcased. Keep it easy-to-navigate, current, readable, and visually appealing. No dead links, small fonts, or obscuring typefaces.

6. Find book awards. Search for a list of awards that cover your book’s subject matter or honor authors from your geographic location. 

7. Check the qualifying period (based on your publication date) of each book award and note the window of time each award accepts for applying.

8. Apply to as many awards and submit for multiple genres to give you the maximum chance to be a finalist or winner in one or more awards.

9. Know your key words and use them in everything, from your blog and newsletter, to your website, press kit, and social media profiles and posts.

10. Set up pre-orders of your book before it is even published. 

11. Sign your book up for paid book reviews. It guarantees you will get reviewed. Ideally, do this three to four months before your book is published— this way you have time to excerpt from the reviews and use it on your front and back book covers, amazon page, social media, and web site. If your book was already published, it is not too late to get paid reviews.  

12. Sign up for Goodreads and pursue book giveaways and book reviews there. 

13. Livestream an event or run a contest or take a poll. Do something that gets people to tune in. 

14. Find book clubs to adopt your book. Ask libraries and bookstores if they know of any. Search meetup.com for book clubs by city. 

15. Create a fan club. Yes, develop your own groupies!

16. Use book promotion sites like Reddit, Reedsy, or BookBub. 

17. Conduct book give-aways. You can lower your ebook price to zero for a short period of time. You can also join a number of free book sites and post your book there. You can participate in organized give-aways on sites such as LibraryThing. 

18. Seek out a variety of speaking engagements, from bookstores and libraries to other conferences or relevant organizations. 

19. Post regularly and consistently on social media. Where possible, offer links back to your site in your posts, in a non-commercial way. 

20. Create your own blog. Post weekly about themes in your books, your area of expertise, and about being a writer

21. Guest-post on other people’s blogs so that your book can be plugged.

22. Interview people for your blog. They will share the interview link with their following, creating traffic for your blog.

23. Create your own podcast. Same idea as the blog.  

24. Interview people on your podcast, just like the blog.

25. Have a YouTube channel. Short videos 60-120 seconds) on relevant subjects can help generate traffic to your website.

26. Have a presence on multiple social media platforms but just master one. Don’t let it drain you or suck all of your time, but do use one social media platform to assertively seek out new connections.

27. Publish your book in multiple formats (from audio and e-book to hardcover and trade paperback), make it available at multiple retail outlets (not just amazon) , and in multiple languages (such as Spanish).

28. Plan on creating a sequel, series, and spin-offs. Milk a good idea until you bleed it dry.

29. Trade with others for help. You can always pay people to help you but can you trade favors, access to something, or objects/services for something of value to you? Do joint promotions with other authors. Look for quid pro quo deals. 

30. Bundle your book with additional books, services, and products. For instance, can you sell your book with a course? Can you discount your book if you sell it with another book?

31. Use the book as a calling card, if you have something of greater value to sell. For instance, if you are a lawyer and you hope the book drums up more clients for you, then your priority is less the sale of the book but to give it out or to utilize it as a reason the news media will interview you.

32. Create supplemental products and services —mugs, webinars, and consulting.

33. Seek out news media exposure. Think globally, but first act locally.  Create a press kit. 

34. Network with those who can be of help to you. Join writer associations. Build up your social media followings and join groups on Facebook and LinkedIn.  

35. Always seek to learn more about book marketing strategies and resources.

36. Always act with an opportunistic mindset. This means don’t sit back waiting for an opportunity to come to you. Initiate and create your own opportunity.

37. Don’t go heavy on pay-per-click advertising with Amazon, Facebook, or Google. Rarely do single-book authors profit from this.  

38. Don’t spend much on book displays at big book exhibitions or conferences, such as The London Book Fair or American Library Association Conference. They rarely help get a book noticed. 

39. Experiment and diversify your marketing efforts. Don’t lean too heavily on one area, such as social media, but rather spread out your efforts into a variety of key areas such as book awards, news media, speaking, and book conferences.

Need PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over 3.9 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 3.9 million pageviews. With 4,900+ 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.