7 Marketing Tips for Fiction Authors

Marketing a fiction book can seem daunting if you’re unsure of who your target audience is and the marketing tools that are available. Fortunately, this process can also be an exciting extension of your creativity and a way to introduce your book to your audience. With some planning and effort, you can successfully market your fiction book with great results. In this post, I share seven marketing tips for fiction authors to help you have a successful book launch.

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7 marketing tips for fiction authors

After helping countless authors market their books, I'm happy to share seven of my marketing tips for fiction authors:

1. Determine your target audience

Before you develop your book’s marketing plan, it’s essential that you identify your target audience. To determine who’s likely to purchase your book, you might consider broad demographics such as age and gender, but being more specific can help you hone your marketing and have a more successful book launch. For example, instead of claiming your audience is all men interested in science-fiction, you might narrow your scope to men in their 20s who enjoy apocalyptic/dystopian science fiction novels.

If you’re struggling to determine your target audience, consider best-selling books that are similar and identify who’s reading them. If you have a sizable social media following, see who’s interacting with you, as they may be likely to purchase your book as well. Once you’ve determined your target audience, you can begin creating a marketing plan that speaks about your book in a way that applies to them.

Check out my step-by-step guide for identifying your book’s target audience!

2. Utilize Goodreads and BookBub

Goodreads and BookBub are very popular among fiction readers and can be a great place to promote your fiction book. Here’s some more information for using each platform:

Goodreads

Once your published (or soon-to-be-published) book is in the Goodreads’ database, you can join the Goodreads Author Program, which allows you to promote your book and engage with potential readers. For example, you might run a giveaway, answer your readers’ questions, and connect your other socials to your author profile. Encourage your social media followers and/or email subscribers to add your book(s) to their Goodreads shelves to increase your book's exposure on the platform.

BookBub

BookBub allows you to connect with other authors’ audiences that are similar to yours and are more likely to want to purchase your book. For example, if you write adventure novels for teenagers, BookBub can advertise your book directly to an audience of another author who’s found success in the genre. Here is more information about how to use this platform to promote your book.

3. Find creative ways to utilize social media

When marketing your fiction book on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, you want to be creative and spark interest in your book without giving away too much information about its contents. When posting and interacting on social media, consider where your target audience spends their time and what content they find engaging. While there are countless possibilities, here are some fun ideas you can use: