Marketing books can be very frustrating for authors, but it can be quite rewarding and provide a big pay-off to the writer who overcomes the challenges, costs, and time constraints that are often associated with the execution of a book promotions campaign.
I would suggest that
authors can learn a few things from our canine friends when it comes to
developing successful habits for marketing a book. I know I have learned a lot
from many of my dogs, past and present, including Buzz and El Chapo, pugs,
Jackson, a bulldog, and Ferris, a labrador.
What is a dog, really? Another being in the house that mainly rotates around a
few key activities: eating, pooping, sleeping, playing, defending your
property, and walking/running. But the parents of America’s 90,000,000 dogs
know a canine is much more. Dogs are loving, playful, and protective companions
who bring us so many smiles and feelings of warmth and security. They bare us
witness to our true selves, but keep our confessions and shortcomings
confidential. They just want to be in the room with us — and always accept us
for who we are. They are great recipients for our love. And they should inspire
your book marketing efforts.
Here are 10 things I
have learned about marketing books from my dogs:
1. Know How To Communicate — Dogs have those begging eyes and tell us when they want a snack, have to go to the bathroom, or would enjoy a good walk. They may not speak English, but they can express themselves with their body language and display of enthusiasm. A loud bark can tell us many things in a certain situation. And rolling over for a belly rub says something, too. Bottomline, find a way to make your needs known and push to get your message heard. You will need to communicate in a multitude of ways, such as when you are seeking to persuade the news media to interview you, or when you’re on social media and you want to devise content with viral potential, or you want to best present yourself on your web site to potential consumers and readers.
2. Sometimes You Do
Need A Trainer — Several of my dogs
had a few obedience training lessons to eliminate problematic habits, and you,
as an author, would greatly benefit from receiving some coaching and guidance
from a book marketing professional. Make the investment — it will pay off. You
can be coached out of your blind spots, gain useful insights, stop bad habits,
and feel encouraged to act with good behavior.
3. Be A Creature Of Habit & Consistency — Dogs follow patterns
of behavior and seem to know when it is feeding or walking time. They thrive on
having their expectations met consistently. As a writer, you should develop
clockwork habits of discipline, to make sure you are doing something regularly
and often that pertains to book marketing. For example, blog once a week; be on
social media with a tasked purpose for 15 minutes a day; and update your
website every quarter.
4. Embrace Unconditional Love — Dogs can love anyone. They like to be where you are and are just beautiful, dopey, loyal creatures. They should remind authors that whether you have a great, lousy, or mediocre time marketing your book, life goes on and the people and pets in your life will be there to support and love you — like a good dog. So take risks, work hard, and try new things. Win or lose, your dog will still love you.
5. Be Persistent — We know dogs can hound us into submitting to their needs and desires. Dogs bring us balls and toys to indicate play time and they will nudge us until we play. They will sometimes grab their leash to push for a walk. They sit by our feet when we eat, bark at the dinner table, and put themselves right on top of us when we snack while sitting on the couch. They keep at it until we give them something to eat. Authors need to be persistent in their pursuits, whether seeking to schedule a speaking event, secure a news media interview, or sell books to a group. Being a dog is a numbers game — if they keep begging, they will eventually get rewarded. Authors, keep trying and asking, and you shall actually get what you want sometimes.
6. Network All Of The Time — One of my dogs, El Chapo, loves to socialize with other dogs — and people. He knows how to work a park or make new friends anywhere. As an author, you need to be outgoing, too. Your customer can be anywhere at anytime, so don’t be shy. Sniff some butts — and don’t paws until you make new connections. The key is to be engaging with others and not just see others as obstacles to get around. Just by putting yourself out there and showing up to events will increase your chances of success.
7. Old Dogs Can Learn New Tricks — They Just Need A Nudge — Ferris, nearly 10, a handsome curmudgeon labrador, who is literally four times the size of El Chapo, learned how to play and be a friend when the little pug arrived two and a half years ago. Ferris is a people person but ignores other dogs except to bark at those who are bigger than him. El Chapo gets in his face, yapping and nudging him to play. The little guy taught him tug of war— which Chapo always loses — how to snuggle and how to chase him around the house. You can teach a dog new tricks — and authors can learn how to promote a book. Authors can do social media, and speak at a book store, and be interviewed on podcasts, and submit to book awards, and many other things.
8. Be On The Lookout For Opportunity — Ferris is always
sniffing for food on his walks. He seems to gear his radar to the task of
finding garbage to eat. And he succeeds often. He seems to uncover every dead
bird or squirrel in the bushes, any food that was tossed roadside from a car,
or any remnants of food disposed of in my man cave garbage pail. His nose is
locked on to food, as if on a mission. He pounces opportunistically and feasts
quickly. Authors must also have their book’s marketing top of mind so that they
can sniff out and readily respond to opportunities that can serve them well. If
you seek something, you shall find it.
9. Brand Names
& Unique Images Sell Better — Dog names might be linked to a dog’s
personality or size. But they are definitely linked to the dig parent’s brand.
We called our pug El Chapo because his backstory was that he was rescued from a
drug den in Aruba. I love telling that story and people enjoy the name, which
means “shorty.” Ferris is from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, because everyday with
him is like being on an adventure. Anyone who loves the 1980’s will feel a
fondness for his name. Buzz, a pug, had an oversized tongue that never seemed
to stay in his mouth. It flowed down to the floor, like a carpeted staircase
runner. He was tall for a pug and people always commented on his tongue and
size. Jackson had a brindle-patterned coat of hair — and an underbite to go
with his squished-in but oversized face. That got a lot of looks, too.
Well, for authors, your book’s title is part of your brand. If it is too long, without relevance for the reader, hard to spell, or just not interesting, your book’s image suffers. And your web site’s look needs to give off a certain vibe in order for people to pay attention.
10. Be Territorial —Hog The Bed — Some of my bigger dogs, like
Jackson the 100-pound bulldog or Ferris, also huge, have the habit of taking up
a lot of strategic space, even on a king-size bed. They could find acreage by
my feet but instead they lie right where my body should be, sometimes with
their head on my pillow. I then have to negotiate with them and risk a small
hernia to roll them over so that I can reclaim my space. You too, as an author,
must lay claim to your marketplace and carve out what you want to take. Assert
yourself and lay claim to parts of social media and other marketable realms.
Get your content out there and raise your voice in parts that normally don’t
hear from you.
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 5,600,000 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
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