Promoting your book can be confusing unless you happen to be writing a book about marketing. Most authors are left with one question: how do I get readers to buy my book? Whether you’re writing a book to promote your business, sharing new and exciting ideas, or opening your personal story up to the world, book marketing is an essential part of any commercial success. That means savvy authors are brushing up on marketing tricks, which we’re happy to help with.
If You Haven’t, Find Your Unique Selling Proposition
Also called a value proposition, your Unique Selling Proposition should be a cornerstone of promoting your book.
In a nutshell, your unique selling proposition is what sets your book apart from the rest and what makes it worth purchasing for your reader. It may include:
- Whether your book presents new information or a new perspective on old information
- Whether it contains important or valuable insights for your target audience
- Your professional credentials within your niche or genre
- Your book’s unique formatting or presentation style
Need more guidance on finding your USP? We’ve got you covered in our article here.
When Possible, Start Promoting Your Book Early
If you’re still in the planning stages of your book, don’t assume that marketing is a long way off. The earlier you start engaging with your target audience the better, even if the book isn’t written yet. In fact, getting involved before you write the book can have big impact on future sales.
Once you’ve identified your target readership, you can start hanging out in the spaces they tend to congregate. Establishing yourself within your niche allows you to leverage those connections–and sometimes their connections as well.
Promote your book without overtly selling it. Share your process, goals, and your excitement.
Build a Website for Promoting Your Book
Your website can also be a personal or business website, the point is to highlight your book to capture natural traffic.
For a solid website, make sure you’ve crafted a compelling book description. It’s best if this is also optimized with relevant keywords your reader may be using to find books in your genre.
In addition to information on your book, consider an author blurb and, if you have the bandwidth, starting a blog to keep your site active.
Leverage Social Media Accounts
The good news with social media is that, unlike a website, you don’t have to start from scratch. Most platforms will walk you through the process of getting set up and even nudge you in the right direction of your interests or audiences.
To leverage social media for promoting your book, consider these options:
- Create an author instagram. “Bookstagrammers” are a massive community that spans all genres and interests. Use this platform to share visual pieces of your process or marketing efforts.
- Make an author page on Facebook. You can also make a page for your book, instead. This is an easy option for authors who are hesitant to start a website. Facebook also offers the ability to run ads once you’ve published!
- If you’re feeling peppy, consider a TikTok account. At this point, BookTok (TikTok’s voracious book community) is one of the driving forces of success in the publishing industry. If your book or process is
- LinkedIn is a great option for nonfiction authors, as it presents an active collection of professionals, academics, and other parties interested in nonfiction books. This is a great place to post your process, celebrate milestones, and conduct in-depth market research.
- Start a Substack. Everyone seems to be nowadays, but that’s because newsletters are a great way to find leads, keep interest, and drive sales conversions.
Engage With Readers When Promoting Your Book
Many things we’ve covered so far involve you putting things out into the world, but it takes more than hitting “post” and disappearing into the digital ether.
When you see posts from others in your category or genre give them a like, comment, or repost to show your ongoing interest in the space.
If people are engaging with things that you have posted, be sure to drop them a like, comment back, or thank them for engaging. These little gestures go a long way in building
Research Relevant Podcasts, Blogs, And Speaking Engagements
There’s a podcast for everything these days, which means there are plenty of hosts hungry for a solid guest to chat with. Reach out to shows that operate within your niche–whether that’s business, self-help, life stories, or simply book lovers.
Like podcasts, many blogs will allow guest posts which are a great way to grow your presence and promote your book.
Speaking engagements are another great way to up your social currency and get eyes (and ears!) on you. Be on the lookout for conferences or events where you can have a few minutes of spotlight. Some authors also choose to give out free versions of their book.
It’s Going To Take A Combination Of Efforts
Unless you already have a massive following or decide to hire a marketing team, success is going to take more than one avenue. Beyond that, it will mean refining your approach for each platform. What plays well on BookTok isn’t going to cut it on LinkedIn.
Diversify your approach, see what works best, and focus on those. You don’t have to be everywhere at once, but having multiple platforms increases your chances of being noticed.
The Best Approach To Promoting Your Book Is The One You Can Maintain
In other words: don’t bite off more than you can chew. Like we said, you don’t have to be everywhere. For most authors, that kind of spread isn’t realistic.
Identify the avenues that work best for you as well as the ones that take the least time or effort. Oftentimes the content you make for high-yield platforms can be replicated to less
If you have the opportunity, use a digital content planner to maintain and schedule your marketing efforts. But the most important thing is that you get yourself out there.
Although it may seem daunting, there’s no need to panic over your book marketing. It may take some trial and error, and a bit of time to get rolling, but you’ll find your way. You just have to take the plunge and start.
Looking for More?
Whether you’re trying to find the perfect narrative POV for your book or trying to build your best main character, we’ve got you covered.
Find us on Instagram and Facebook for more.
Sign up for our newsletter to receive TWO FREE toolkits: Demystifying Query Letters and The Roadmap to Successful Self-Publishing.