Why Are You Marketing Your Book?

I have spent a career that spans three decades in book publishing and public relations, encouraging authors to market their books. If they don’t drive the promoting of their books, no one else will. And without promotions, books die and never see the light of a reading lamp. But now I want authors to ask themselves: “Why am I marketing my book?” 

What will your answer be?

* The book deserves it

* To change people’s lives

* To reform public policy

* To expose a truth, avenge a wrong, or save someone or something from a terrible fate

* To entertain, inspire, enlighten, or inform others

* To sell more copies

* To help sell my backlist of books

* To sell my other products and services

* To get it picked up by a TV network, movie studio, or streaming service

* To make me famous and serve my ego

* To help earn well-paid speaking gigs

* To aid me in getting a promotion at work

* To get hired somewhere

* To get a big publisher for my next book

* To establish or preserve a legacy

Of course, why you are marketing a book should be aligned with why you wrote the book. The answers should be the same.

Your book’s success cannot be left to chance, random discovery, or pure luck. Once you know exactly why you are marketing your book, craft an effective marketing campaign that supports your goals with the right efforts.

You market not out of guilt or peer pressure, but rather, to satisfy your original need or intended desire to write and publish this book. Don’t look at marketing as an obligation, a tax, or a chore. Lift off your shoulders such a burden. Instead, feel empowered to seize this opportunity to get your voice heard, your book read, and your ideas and views embraced.

Do You Need Book Marketing 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 4.52 million pageviews. With 5,300+ posts over the past 14 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

Does Your Book Marketing Appeal To Our Senses?

 

When authors and publishers are looking to sell more books, market a brand, or elevate their voices publicly, they look to share a powerful message in a targeted way. Most of the time they will fail to produce their intended results.

How can we get more click-throughs, more yesses, more sales when it comes to the content shared via our:

* Website
* Blogs
* Podcasts
* Social media posts
* Pamphlets or fliers
* Postcards
* Press releases
* Posters
* Swag
* Texts or Emails
* Amazon pages

First and foremost, we need to have good subject matter, hopefully based on a really good book. No grammatical errors or sloppy word usages. Ok, assuming you have a decent message that looks professional, how do we ensure it appeals to one’s senses, emotions, needs, or desires?

Let’s see how the message literally sounds and looks. Are you making the most of:

* Fonts
* Point Size
* Bolding
* Italicizing
* Color
* Underlining
* Spacing/Margins

Are you using more than typed words, and utilizing any of these:

* Video
* Audio
* Pictures
* Illustrations
* Graphs

How much imagery and description do you give in your writing, explaining how things sound, feel, look, smell, or taste?

Start thinking in a multi-media, multi-dimensional way, where your message is conveyed on so many levels that you have maximized an opportunity to be persuasive.

 

Do You Need Book Marketing 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 4.5 million pageviews. With 5,300+ posts over the past 14 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

A Matter Of Perspective On Books

 

On a recent trip to the Money Museum at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, I not only learned some interesting factoids about the history of American currency, I had the chance to see several perspective-changing displays. They made me think differently about money — and books.

First, there was a small plastic bag the size of a wallet that was filled with old, shredded currency. Every day, Reserve Banks shred millions of dollars in unfit currency and replace the money with newly minted bills.

The bag held $396 worth of 21 mixed denomination bills that were taken out of circulation. It looks like withered grass scraps in a neatly disposed bag. It was in an unrecognizable form, a distortion of what had been. Not long ago the contents could pay for food, medicine, sex, concert tickets, toys, and other valued items or fun events. Now, it is just a sack of worthless scraps.

Are books this way, at once valued and then suddenly, not?

You start out with a new book, read it, think about it, display it, talk about it, recommend it, loan it, and maybe reread it. Time goes by and you have moved on. You forget about it, outgrow it and go on to read many more books. It eventually gets donated or grasp — tossed in the recycling bin. From words on a page that could change your life to mere pulp.

Like the song says about a person he used to love: “Now you’re just someone that I used to know.” Life changes just like that, from money and books to relationships and anything else.

The second visual that left an impression on me was to see a million dollars. In fact, there were two displays. One was a cube, maybe four feet by four feet by four feet. It held one million dollar bills. It weighs one ton.

I thought, even if I could break in, escape, and cart it away, I could only get away with $75,000 to $100,000, which would weigh 150-200 pounds.  Still, it was fascinating to see a million dollars in person, and yet, because they were taken out of circulation, are worthless, unless recipients don’t realize it. After all, who even looks at a one-dollar bill?

Then, I saw a display of another million dollars, and this one was literally just five percent the size of the first one, stuffed with 50, 000 $20 bills. I calculate it would weigh a hundred pounds. Now, that is portable, but alas, the security there would not permit me to abscond with the out-of-circulation money.

The displays show you how something can be worth the same amount but look a lot different. Books are the same. Actually, maybe the opposite. You can spend the same amount on several different books but they would not be worth the same amount to the reader. And, just because you buy a bigger physical book doesn’t mean it is as valuable  or more valuable as a smaller or shorter book.

Lastly, the museum shows that the form of money does not matter as much as the collective agreement on its value. Today, we pay with plastic, digital currency, coins, dollar bills, checks, and IOUs.

And today, books are no longer just hardcover tomes. There are audiobooks, ebooks, trade paperbacks, mass market paperbacks, and gift editions. The quality of the content is king and the format one consumes it in is secondary— but I do still treasure books on paper.

Books, like money, connects us to one another. I can’t imagine a world without either one.

 

Do You Need Book Marketing 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 4.5 million pageviews. With 5,300+ posts over the past 14 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

Why Do Authors Fail To Market Successfully?

  

The first decision an author needs to make is about how involved they will be in their book marketing. Notice, I did not say if they will, but how much. Even if you are a best-selling author with a major traditional publishing house, you are responsible for doing some book marketing independent of the publisher's efforts. 

So, why do so many authors fail to market their books successfully? 

In many cases, it is not because the book is bad, though there are many ordinary, mediocre books with covers and titles that don't exactly stir excitement. Poor marketing results come from, well, poor marketing. 

The right effort, money, and time were not invested, perhaps. Or, you just executed poorly, got a bad break, or ran into a lot of competition. But all of that aside, the number one reason why book marketing efforts fail is poor decision-making on the part of the author. 

Here is why authors make bad book marketing decisions: 

* Authors get bad advice and listen to the wrong people

* They act out of insecurity and fear

* Authors fail to do some research and get informed

* They don’t understand they need to balance doing things with outsourcing them

* They let their ego color things

* Authors act on incorrect assumptions and a misreading of the marketplace

* They often react, rather than initiate

* They simply act on incorrect or incomplete information

* They act in a way that they think they are expected to — a way that may not be right for their book or genre 

Authors can make better decisions — and it will be the most important aspect of their book marketing.

 

Do You Need Book Marketing 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 4.5 million pageviews. With 5,300+ posts over the past 14 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

Should Authors Give It Away To Sell It?

                                   

 

For authors looking to sell more books, they will wonder how to go about this. The answer is simple: Give your book away.

“Wait, Brian,” you might respond. “How can I sell what I am giving away for free?”

Free leads to branding, curiosity, and loyalty. It leads to sales — if it is a good product.

America runs on free.

Look at how free is used in the real world marketplace:

* Streaming: Free intro offer and then you get billed for the service
* Buy one, get one free at the Gap
* Loyalty point memberships like Starbucks or Delta frequent flier miles
* Food samples handed out at a supermarket
* Product goody bags at hotels, parties, and events
* Swag like mugs and hats to promote a brand or site

What does free do?

* Gives you word-of-mouth
* Poses zero risk, and if is digitally shared, it costs you nothing
* Creates good will
* Builds up your mailing list
* It gets people to buy your products or services
* It generates positive hype and more book reviews.

And…

It leads to more book sales — either of your current book, your backlist, or future books.

 

Do You Need Book Marketing 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 4.5 million pageviews. With 5,300+ posts over the past 14 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