How Do Authors Spread Word-of-Mouth?

 

Many authors want a game plan for getting attention for their book. They know they need news media exposure, social media coverage, to speak at public events, and to earn third-party validation in order to get more sales, but what they don’t realize is that the foundation of success simply comes from word-of-mouth praise by ordinary readers.  

What authors need to strategically pursue is a way to get their book, likely with a few thousand copies, in the hands of people who are likely to read their book— based on genre demographics and any public evidence of them being loudmouth book fans.  

This means, if your book is a traditional YA romance, you need to find your targeted reader. Likely it is a teenaged girl or a young woman in her 20s and 30s. They likely are single or in an unsatisfying relationship. She is straight. Based on the book’s storyline or other details, we can further refine or expand on that optimal reader. Once you have your police sketch profile of who you are looking for, your job is to go out and find them where they live, socialize, and gather.  

They consume certain types of news media, have particular habits, move in certain circles, and tend to populate certain websites. Find them at school, on vacation, in the workplace, in book clubs, at the bookstore, on social media, and wherever they gather.  

Okay, now you need to take one more step. You have to find those readers who are passionate and social enough to shout about the things they love. You are looking not just for a YA romance reader. No, you want such a person who either knows a lot of people or who is willing to post all over the place to sing your praises.  

After experiencing the viewing of a delicious movie, The Housemaid, which could become a generational, genre-defined cult classic, I reached for my phone to text everyone to encourage them to see it. Hollywood lives on word-of-mouth, just as the book publishing industry does. I used my megaphone to serve as the town crier and talked up this gorgeous film.   

By the way, this movie is a treat. It is an entertaining thriller with a powerful social message. Plus, it has screen sensation Sydney Sweeney, who manages to come across as an ordinary, compromised young woman who also has within her a driving conviction and strength that is moving. She has several beautiful features, from deer-in-headlight eyes that reveal her vulnerable side, to one of the best pair of breasts that leave men and women to adore her. She is a sexual being cloaked in innocence.  

Ok, I digress. Back to word-of-mouth. Here is what you need to do:  

First, do the obvious that is available to you. Get word-of-mouth from paid book reviews.   

You can also apply for book awards and writing contests.  

Create attention-getting content that is worthy of starting a conversation and being shareable — and circulate it on social media. Start a blog or your own podcast. Make a concerted effort to solicit people to become your followers. 

Find book clubs and share your book with them, even for free.  

Speak anywhere that will have you, from bookstores, libraries, and college campuses to senior centers, churches, and cafes.  

Track down people who leave amazon book reviews for books in your genre or of a similar nature. Offer them a free copy of your book.  

Beg or incentivize anyone to leave amazon reviews, social media posts, or even texts to clusters of people. Hit up your friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, and fellow members of any group that you belong to — a sorority, church, lodge, AA, house of worship, alumni association, or volunteer group. And ask them to solicit their circle of family, friends, etc.   

You can also hold contests, pay for advertising, just literally hand your book out on the street corner, and do any of a hundred things to get people to know your book exists, to encourage them to read it, and then to inspire them to talk your book up to others.   

That is your mission and job.  

First you must write a great book. 

Then you get it published. 

Finally, you market the hell out of it. 

Word. Of. Mouth.  

 

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 2026.

 

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