Do You Have What It Takes to Market A Book?

  

If you have a good, even a great book, is that enough to market a book successfully? 

No, that is a starting point. 

To market a book well you need drive, determination, and perseverance.  You have to get used to rejection or silence — but not accept it. Every “no” is an invitation to push harder for a “yes.”  

The successful author has strong convictions— a belief in their book and in their ability to convince others of its grandness. Marketing is not for the weak or whiners. It is not for the shy or insecure.  It is not for the ego-driven who expect or demand success without lifting a finger to make it so. 

Here is what authors need to do to market their books with a legitimate shot at success: 

Awareness of Choices

One must know what their options are to market and promote a book. Read up or talk to a professional book marketer. Educate yourself. 

Strategize

Get smart about executing a targeted way of marketing yourself and your book. You need to do certain things yo at least reach the low-hanging fruit, but then you need to ponder how you can get more while working with less. How will you navigate around the problems or challenges that are likely to pop up as you pursue bigger asks? 

Have A Plan

Having a marketing plan with goals, deadlines, and specific action-steps identified is critical. Know what must be done. 

Resources Assess

Identify how things will get done and by whom. Coordinate your efforts. Who can help you if you pay, borrow from, beg, call a favor in, or trade with? Set a budget of time, money, and assets that can be employed here. Get help! 

Periodic Reflection

Determine by what metrics you will evaluate progress and analyze what to tweak, overhaul, or stay the course on. 

Big Ideas

Are you creative and smart enough to pursue and get what you want? Are you looking to do something big, unusual, or atypical? Dream it — then execute it. 

Information

Do you know how to find what you are looking for? Improve your research skills to acquire the information or contact lists that you will need to reach out to get media exposure, speaking engagements, consumer sales, etc.? Is there a tutorial video online or a librarian who can show you how to find what you want? 

Communication Skills

To sell anything, you need to be skilled in communicating with people across a spectrum of situations: able to speak well in person, via video, or on the phone, as well as be able to write well: emails, texts, letters, social media, website, etc. This means you need to master language rules, have a strong vocabulary, and know how to be economical with your words. 

Network

The more people in high places that you know, the better. Networking helps make life or a job be more productive, and writers can use all of the friends they can get. Your network can give you advice and emotional support. They can buy books, help you get ahead, or introduce to helpful members of their network. 

Emotions/ Ego Check

You can be your own worst enemy as an author. Insecurities, fears, or a lack of confidence can work against you, but having confidence, taking risks, and holding a strong belief in what you can accomplish can also be an asset. It is ok to have pride but too big of an ego will leave you frustrated and unfulfilled. 

Execution

Lastly, let’s not understate the obvious and most important thing: execution! You can have grandiose ideas and the best intentions but unless you reach out to at least attempt to achieve your goals, you are just a deluded daydreamer of no consequence. Execution trumps all.  

I guess if we had a laboratory and could construct the perfect publicist, we would engineer that person to have: 

* A Sociable Personality

* An Opportunistic Mindset

* Emotional Fortitude

* Brains

* Energy

* Courage

* Attractive Looks

* Industriousness 

Maybe you only have a few of these attributes, but that is okay. Forget about the ideal, perfection, and wish lists. Just try your best, seek out help, take some risks, and believe in your writings. Never give up — just try a new approach. Every author deserves a chance at success. Make the most of yours! 

Do You Need Book Marketing & PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over four million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your 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

This award-winning blog has generated over four million pageviews. With 5,000+ 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.”  Copyright 2025.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity 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.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, 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. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

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.

 

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.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum