How Do Authors Successfully Get Readers?

 

What do authors really need?

Access to people who embrace — or are open to — your book’s genre, getting them to becoming aware of your book, and generating their interest or willingness to try your book.

Then, authors need feedback, to get an honest assessment of what the reader liked or disliked. Authors should use this feedback to shape how they market their book.

Also, authors need the spreading of positive word-of-mouth for their book, where the initial readers become your advocates and turn others onto your book.

So, if we agree that authors need to get those first few hundred, and really a few thousand readers, what should authors do to raise awareness if their book to targeted readers?

Discovery can come in many forms. Here are some suggestions:

Lower your e-book price to make it an inexpensive entry point for those who are taking a chance on experimenting with an unknown author.

Do lots of book giveaways. Use goodreads, netgalley, library thing, and other online sites or amazon kindle unlimited to make your book available for free. Other giveaway sites to look at include: www.cravebooks.com, www.bookriot.com, bookfunnel.com, storyorigin.com, www.rafflecopter.com, www.prolificworks.com, and www.freebooksy.com.

Attend book fairs and writer conferences and hand out printed books for free or postcards with QR codes for people to access your digital book for free.

Advertise on amazon, facebook or google and instead of selling the book, there will be a link for people to download your book for free. Make sure people register their name and email in order to receive your book. Now you have a mailing list and can solicit feedback.

Speaking engagements certainly gain you more readers. Arrange to speak anywhere, from bookstores and libraries, to schools, non-profits, community centers, businesses, houses of worship, etc.

Social Media activity can greatly enhance your discoverability. Posting useful or entertaining content consistently and regularly, joining groups, building up your network, and crafting one viral piece of content can introduce your book to many readers.

Paid  Professional Book Reviews are needed to show readers, bookstores, librarians, and the media that your book is vetted and approved by some authority source.

Book Awards is an area authors should pursue. You need third-party validation, so applying for many awards in multiple genre categories gives you a chance of being a finalist or winner of at least one award or contest.

Book Clubs are desired but hard to come by, but they are still part of the equation for discoverability and branding.

News Media Coverage is also helpful for branding and discoverability. Getting interviewed, being featured in a story, or writing an article for a publication or online outlet will help get your message out to a ton of people.

Ok, so there you have it. That is your map for your journey to get readers. Get started now!

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 8,600,000 page views. With 5,600+ posts over the past 15 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 2026, 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) and (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/10-things-my-dog-taught-me-about-marketing-books). 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, three times at BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, five times at Morgan James Publishing Red Carpet, 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