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I was a recent participant in an indie publishing panel, tasked with sharing my expertise. I opened my portion with a revised moniker from ‘expert,’ defaulting to sharing my ‘experience.’ I did this for a couple of reasons: 1. I was a peer, a member of this writers group, and one is never a prophet in one’s own land, and 2. I don’t believe that anyone is an absolute expert in marketing. As my co-host contribution this month, I’ve decided to share my Marketing Busy B’s
- BEST BOOK
- You love and believe in your book (and yourself) = you can sell it!
- professionally edited (content and copy) and formatted
- genre-specific, eye-catching cover
- BRAND
- Prepare a cohesive story around your author persona and journey and why you write
- As a person, I am ardent, authentic, and undeniably outgoing
- As a writer, I write humor and satire with a literary bent
- Thus, I write Contemporary Women’s Friendship Fiction
- Two series: “Faith, Family, Frenzy” and “I Am…”
- BEGIN: 6 months before release date
- Logline, blurb/description: adjust as needed to include your selected Amazon keywords
- Author headshot and bio
- Author website
- Blog/Substack – share your personal journey, your book’s keywords, and related topics. (People will buy your books if they like you and are legit. We don’t buy from strangers, do we?
- Newsletter using magnets: free content such as a short prequel, bonus chapters, or short stories tied to your book to build an audience/fans
- The holiday gift shopping season is prime sales season, btw
- BENEFIT and BOND
- Who is your book’s target audience? Research their interests and likes
- What social media platform are they on? YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok
- Consistent engagement: reliable and reciprocal, not just dump-and-go
- Blog/Substack/Newsletter: the trifecta of reader engagement and interaction
- Find readers where they are and give them what they’re looking for
- BROADCAST
- Frequent engagement with meaningful content true to your brand
- Master your logline and clear plan of action to tell everyone everywhere you go
- Blog/Substack/Newsletter
- Get reviews: ARC to fellow writers, friends, and services like Kirkus, NetGalley, Publishers’ Weekly, Reedsy
- Book Launch Party – note that this is only one component of your book marketing campaign, not your solo foray
- Presentations to Community and Writer Groups
- Book clubs and Blog hops
- Wide: D2D, Book Funnel, BookShop, IngramSpark, Bookstores
- vs Amazon only – 3 categories and 7 keywords to enhance search visibility. Change/update
- BookBub (best yet very competitive) and other giveaways = massive reach @$.99 or free: Book Gorilla, Facebook Readers Groups, Goodreads (FB for readers)
- Don’t stop at 1; stack promotions; monitor and adjust
- engage with influencers on Bookstagram or BookTok (or hire someone to do it)
- Awards: Reader’s Favorite, Chanticleer, and others
- Bookmarks and other book ‘bling’
- Book trailer and/or create short-form videos/reels (like joy of unboxing books) to post
- Take Bryan Cohen, Jane Friedman, and Kindlepreneur ‘how-to’ courses
6. BUSINESS
- Commit; Patience; Persistence
- Marketing works best as a learning loop: test what readers respond to, then use those insights to make your next campaign stronger
Thanks for co-hosting with me this month. Your lists are excellent. And I’m sure being on a panel like you were is both helpful and a great marketing tool.
Thanks for the acknowlegement and compliments of high value because they come from you –
Thank you for the excellent tips for launching a book! All good advice!
Thank you for co-hosting this month!
Thanks for the compliment and thanks, Catharina –
Great advice and excellent tips for a book launch!
Thank you for co-hosting this month!
Thanks for the double stuff!
That is a lot of B’s. All useful. Thank you.
Yes. There are many steps and tasks in an effective marketing campaign. ‘Tis the busy-ness of business. I hope my tips serve you well.
Happy IWSG day and thanks for co-hosting. Your blog post is so useful and detailed. Thank you for this.
Thanks for your read and acknowledgement. It was the best advice I could give, based on my experience. I hope it serves you well as you move forward with your author career.
Thanks for co-hosting this beautiful March day! And thanks for the great advice.
Thanks for co-hosting today, and for the great suggestions for launching a book.
That’s quite the comprehensive list! All valid points. And yes, it’s just from experience.
Thanks for co-hosting today!
You’re welcome for co-hosting – this blog is a worthy endeavor on behalf of writers, so I’m glad to support it.
Yes, book marketing is an in-depth, protracted experience, but worth it if one believes in one’s book – and one’s self!