What Should Authors NOT Pay For?

 

I feel for authors. They are blitzed by ads and solicitations, left and right, to buy into a service that the provider claims will help them sell books. Most of these services are useless and sometimes even a scam. People invite them to advertise their book everywhere, even if it leads to nowhere. Authors, listen up and stop getting suckered -- but do open your wallet to what is worthwhile. 

Ok, let's start with the obvious first. Never buy into a solicitation that looks like it was generated by AI, lacks any personal identifiers (like your name or the title of your book), or sounds too good to be true. The more vague and rah-rah they sound, the quicker you run away.  

Second, the cheaper the service the more likely you will get little in return. If they advertise a service that costs under one hundred dollars, there is not much that it will do. But, if they ask for thousands of dollars for something that sounds like it should be less, avoid overpaying.  

The key here is that you have to know:

* Exactly what is being offered and at what price?

* What is reasonably the expected result?

* Is there proof this has worked for other authors?

* What does a competitor charge or offer?

* How will this service -- if it is priced fairly, is a legit offer and not a scam, and the suggested results materialize -- help you achieve your goals?  

The types of services you should explore are:

* Web site designer

* Paid professional book reviews

* BookBub deal-of-the-day

* A publicist to schedule news media appearances

* A marketing consultant to show you how to do things for yourself 

Things that you should do that you might need to pay for, but don't have to:

* Social media

* Applying for book awards

* Someone to arrange for speaking engagements

 

There are other things one can do, as well, but what you need to avoid is:

* Advertising on billboards.

* Having your book displayed at a bunch of international book fairs.

* Doing FB-Google-Amazon ads for single titles that are not part of a series.

* Paying a website, that claims it is a TV show, for an interview.

* Shelling out thousands to people who claim they can turn your book into a movie.

* Using AI to act as your online avatar.

* Spending big for a so-called influencer to post something about you once in a sea of many

   postings. 

Lastly, paying for advertising is tricky. You often do not recoup the investment. Let me explain. 

Ads work best if they are intended to: 

* Sell a book that could be a lead-in to a bigger series of books.

* Sell books, even at a loss, with the hope of getting more amazon customer reviews and word-

   of-mouth.

* Get people to your website and sell other products/services that go beyond a book.

* Sell a gift book edition at a high price.

* Get people to your site to download a lead-generating giveaway.

* Lead them to sign up for your blog or newsletter. 

However, for one-off titles, especially fiction or poetry, there is little net benefit to buying ads. 

Ads Brand Authors, But They Don’t Often Sell Books. 

So, dear author, spend your money on marketing — just do it wisely. 

 

“Your inner peace should flow like a river, traveling forward despite the rocks and boulders that arise. Adapting and persisting, knowing that your journey is dictated not by obstacles but by your unwavering pursuit to transcend them. This endurance and resilience is not passivity; it's an understanding that peace is not something that demands an escape from the chaos of your life, but rather invites you to find serenity within the very heart of it. The moment you start acknowledging that peace is not an external place but an internal commitment to self-awareness and acceptance, you unlock the door to a life less anxious and more tranquil.”

—NOT SURE WHO NEEDS TO HEAR THIS, BUT...Beautiful Reminders for the Soul by Willie Greene 

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 5,400,000 page views. With 5,500+ 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