21 Book Marketing Tips for Authors

Are you looking for some tips on marketing your book?

As authors, most of us dream of selling more books and getting more exposure – but how do we do that? How do we let others know about our books, without coming across as a sleazy car sales man?

In this post, we’ll share 21 book marketing tips to help you spread the word about your book and help your readers come to know, like, and trust you.

1. Make sure that your brand is consistent and up to date across the web. Are you using the same author photo everywhere? Is your author bio the same? Has anything changed that you forgot to update on your LinkedIn profile or on Goodreads?

2. Find 3-4 lists that your book would qualify on Goodreads and add it to them. (http://www.goodreads.com/list)

3. Submit your book to a book review site such as Readers’ Favorite.

4. Host a Q&A session with readers. Let them ask you questions about your writing process or your book. We recommend using Google Hangouts.

5. Find websites where you can list your book for free and pick at least 3 of them to add your book to. (You can find a list of over 115 of these sites in our book “Author Publicity Pack”)

6. Check out your books score on Bookalyzer (a free tool for authors) and check out their recommendations for improving your score.

7. Spend some time on optimizing your website or blog (both content and SEO).

8. Write a blog post about why you wrote your book. What your goal was or what inspired you. If you’ve already done this in the past, do a post about then and now. Not only why you wrote it, but about why you still think it’s important, or how you’ve grown as an author because of your book or your readers.

9. If you don’t already have a mailing list, start building one now. This is a good way to keep a record of people you are building relationships with. Don’t spam this list, use it to communicate with others. I use and recommend TrafficWave – you can find out why in this post: https://www.trainingauthors.com/aweber-vs-trafficwave/

10. Write a short report or story to publish on a PDF sharing site (such as Scribd or docstoc.com)

11. If you haven’t already, sit down and write out, in one to two sentences, how your book will benefit the reader (or what they will get out of reading it). Then, post this on your website, or even update your sales page with this information.

12. Create an infographic about your book or niche. Here’s a quick tutorial if you need help in this area: https://www.trainingauthors.com/how-to-design-infographics/

13. Record a short portion of your book as a podcast or YouTube video.

14. Consider publishing your book on an additional platform. If you already have it published on Kindle, think about other eBook platforms or even releasing a paperback or audio version.

15. Visit some blogs in your niche and leave comments on their most recent posts (make sure they all link back to your blog or website).

16. Create a list of marketing activities that you want to try or incorporate in your marketing efforts. Make sure it is something you can add to or update as you go.

17. Search for awards that your book might qualify and enter your book for at least one of them. (We recommend Reader’s Favorite)

18. Participate in an established blog hop where someone else comes up with the topic (make sure it’s related to your niche) and you can add a link to your own blog. Be sure to visit other participant’s blogs and leave comments.

19. Share a photo that reminds you of your book or a character in your book. If you don’t already have a Pinterest board for photos related to your book, start one.

20. Find a book on book marketing to start reading through for some fresh marketing ideas and new information. (Click here for a list of ours)

21. Focus on your relationships with customers each day. Don’t worry about the results of making another sale. Just be real with your following.

The most important thing you can do to market your book, is just to keep going. Don’t give up (click to tweet). Book sales will always fluctuate, but that doesn’t mean you should quit. Remember the three E’s of planning for successful book marketing: Execute, Evaluate, and Evolve. Execute your plan, evaluate it, and then let it evolve as you go to get the most out of your marketing efforts.

Looking For Even More Book Marketing Tips?

Download our free report, “200+ Ways To Market Your Book” here: https://www.trainingauthors.com/tips/

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Have a tip to share?

Leave a comment with one of your favorite book marketing strategies or a book marketing tip for other authors.

Last Updated: August 20, 2024

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