How S.M.A.R.T. Is Your Book Marketing Campaign?

                                    

 

Many authors have no plan when it comes to marketing their book. They either plan to do nothing – which is a plan for failure – or they go form one opportunity to another, but not in any kind of coordinated, cohesive, or planned way. They see a shiny toy – ooh, Amazon ads – oh, a book trailer, ooh, a blog tour - -and try things out, one by one. The end result, often, is the author spends more money with little return. Authors need to be S.M.A.R.T.!  

SMART stands for executing a specific or targeted campaign, making sure the results are measurable, seeking to take something on that is achievable, that gives you a chance to show why your book is relevant, and that is timely, based on news cycles, events, holidays, book launch date, etc.  

A book, like any corporate product or service, needs to be marketed often and well. It has to be introduced to its targeted consumer demographic. You will need, among other things, third-party validation, to show others that your book is worthy of their time and money. So, any piece of a SMART campaign begins with getting your ducks lined up, well before you launch your book.  

Authors should: 

·         Develop a web site 6-12 months before releasing a book.

·         Seek out testimonials and endorsements from experts and authorities/ influencers, if possible, 4-6 months prior to launching a book.

·         Submit their book to four to six paid book reviewers, 4-6 months prior to its release date.

·         Develop a marketing plan as soon as they conceive of their book’s concept.  

Authors can’t afford to be dumb about their marketing campaign. Nor can they let their ego blind them in regards to their book’s marketability. Writers should do as much as they can to help their marketing get off the ground, and they should strongly consider utilizing specialized book marketing experts to help them do what they can’t or won’t, and to show them what they don’t know.  

There are some key areas that all authors must make decisions on, including: 

·         What context to create for a site, social media, blog, newsletter, podcast, or by-line articles.

·         How to achieve earned media (stories about, or interviews with, you by then news media)

·         Securing events to speak about your book.

·         Finding partnerships and referral sources for your book.

·         Crafting an advertising budget and a marketing campaign.

·         Locating paid opportunities for book reviews and influencer posts.

·         Seeking out book awards to apply to.

·         Hashing out book giveaways – how many and to whom. 

Whatever you do, track your efforts and monetize your results. If something is working, keep doing it until it does not. If something does not produce sales, either drop it or tweak it. If other options exist out there, explore which ones you should try. What works for one author or book, may not achieve the same results for anther seek out what feels right for you, not what others say you must do. 

Be SMART! 

 

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 10.250,000 page views. With nearly 5,700+ 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