What Is Book Marketing? (With 10 Strategies)

While many authors are talented writers, creating an effective marketing plan can be an intimidating concept. As an experienced book marketer, trust me when I tell you that authors I’ve worked with in the past - who lacked experience in marketing - used marketing tactics that lead to a successful book launch. Whether you’re an author planning for your book’s release or have already launched your book, learning more about book marketing strategies can help you develop a plan to drive sales. In this post, I’ll answer “What is book marketing?” and share ten marketing strategies you can use to grow your audience and sell more copies.

What is book marketing?

Learning to answer “What is book marketing?” can help you discover strategies to promote and sell your book. Book marketing is the strategies that authors use to get their book in front of their target readers with the goal of selling more copies. Many authors use various marketing tactics to develop a marketing plan. It’s worth noting not every book is the same, so your marketing plan will probably differ from other authors. The tactics that work for you may not be as effective for another author. This may be because they have a different audience or resources at their disposal, such as a different advertising budget or network of people.

Learn more: 8 Actions to Take if Your Book Isn’t Selling

10 book marketing strategies

Here are ten book marketing strategies you can incorporate in your marketing plan:

1. Social media

Many authors find success using social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to organically promote and/or advertise their books. If you want to incorporate social media, begin by identifying your target audience and then determine which platform they use the most. While sharing content about your book on your social feeds can drive sales, posting content that allows potential readers to get to know you better can help you establish a loyal following, which is beneficial for your longevity as an author. If you want to learn more about using social media to market your book, check out these blog posts I’ve written on the topic:

• Best Marketing Practices for Authors Using Social Media

• 5 Social Media Post Ideas That Every Author Can Try

• 7 Effective Social Media Strategies for Authors

• Strategies for Maintaining Consistency on Social Media During a Book Launch

2. E-mail newsletter

An e-mail newsletter, author e-mail list, mailing list, or subscriber’s list is a collection of e-mail addresses that an author collects from people via their website or blog. When a person adds their e-mail address to your mailing list, they permit you to contact them at any time via e-mail.

You can use this list to send marketing materials, such as book updates, offers, and event information to many recipients at once.

An effective strategy to get users to subscribe to your e-mail newsletter is to offer a lead magnet, which is essentially a “gift” they’ll receive if they subscribe. For example, you might offer new subscribers free sample chapters, advice, or even an ebook download. In the following two blog posts, I explain the importance of developing an e-mail newsletter, provide steps for building one, and share ideas for lead magnets:

• 7 Reasons Every Author Should Have an Email List