How Do You Nail Your Book Marketing?

 

There is a saying that if all you have is a hammer, everything appears as a nail to you. It is what you do and what you know. We are all guilty of it — we use whatever assets and resources that we believe are available to us in order to navigate life.

For some people, they are their looks. For others, it is their financial status or their intellect or their family connections or something else. They lean on their strength to get through the day. But what if you are ignoring an opportunity to develop and build up other areas of yourself?

For authors marketing a book they approach the process based on what they know and what they think they can and should do. But what if that assessment needs to be changed?

For instance, start with what you think should be done to market a book. Open yourself to doing new things or to doing things in a new way. Perhaps you are not covering all of the areas of opportunity that are open to you. For instance, maybe you ignored social media or never applied for a book award. What are you waiting for? Expand your world of possibility.

Next, re-assess your skill set. You likely fall short in one or more areas. Maybe you need a course on how to blog successfully or how to use Facebook effectively or how to be a better speaker. What is holding you back? Upskill and reap the benefits.

Consider outsourcing to, or partnering with, others. This is a no-brainer. You know you don’t know everything and that you are not capable of doing everything. Save your time and eliminate frustration and hire people to help execute select services. Do what you can and get others to complement and supplement your efforts.

Lastly, adjust your attitude and expectations. Yeah, I am talking to you. Many authors are plagued by guilt, insecurity, whining, jealousy, marketing, ignorance, fear, and poverty. You need to take ownership of your marketing, be persistent and consistent in your efforts, to keep trying in the face of rejection, to be willing to invest your time, money, and mindshare to breakthrough on a long-shot idea, and to believe in both your book and your ability to make it a success.

You have nothing to lose by trying it my way — and all to gain. 

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 4.25 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