Why Do Authors Advertise Books Without Sales Success?

 

Authors advertise their books because: 

·       *  They think it will work.

·       *  Not much else has worked for them.

·       *  People tell them they should try it.

·       *  They just pay and don’t have to do much else. 

But, the truth is, advertising a book only pays off for a minority of authors. 

When does it work? 

·         If the ad sells a book that leads to the sale of more expensive services, products, or content.

·         When the book advertised is part of a bigger series, where the book that it promoted is bought, read, liked, and leads to the purchase of other books in the series or other books by the author.

·         If the advertised book is something people really need or want and the ad has a decent click-through rate.

·         If the ad announced a book by a famous person or a best-selling author (it becomes brand awareness).

 

Ads can brand authors but they may not sell enough books to recoup your investment. However, there can be some good reasons to advertise.

 

Here are a few:

 

·         Promote an article or free content that is on your site; this allows you to get more traffic to your site.

·         To give away a book from your site.

·         To get a message out for wide distribution.

 

If you are going to advertise, consider:

 

·         A budget

·         A text sample so you can measure results

·         Using amazon, FB, or Google ads instead of print publications

·         Diversifying where you advertise and what you advertise.

 

Non-fiction is easier to advertise than fiction. It’s challenging to build up interest in a book people do not need. You have to build up a desire for what you have. Ads are not always good at doing that.

 

There are all of the types of ad spending out there, including:

 

·         Billboards

·         Print and online magazines, newspapers, newsletters, trade publications

·         Web sites

·         Search engines like Google

·         Retailers like amazon

·         Social media platforms like Facebook

·         Handouts/fliers

·         Mailers/postcards

·         Inserts into registration bags at conferences

·         Directories or event programs

 

There are plenty of ways to invest your promotional dollars. Don’t put too much into advertising unless you see a clear path for success. Instead, pay to enter book awards competitions, buy book reviews, get a web site designer, hire a publicist or a book marketer, and to travel to worthwhile events or writers conferences.

 

 

Do You Need Book Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum 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 5,000,000 page views. With 5,400+ 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 was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

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