From Book Launch to Lifelong Buzz: Marketing Moves that Matter

Be the right kind of “some folks”

The advice here isn’t new. I’ve written about this before. I will write about it on a regular basis because it’s one of the most important parts of writing a book.

Marketing it.

Some folks hire a book marketer. It’s a good idea. Book marketers know how to position your book for the right audience, and they know where that audience hangs out.

Some folks do it on their own, and this is for them.

Some folks don’t do it and wonder why their book isn’t selling.

Still other folks do it for a bit, sell a few books, think they have it made, and sit back on their laurels. And we know what that means. The book disappears into Amazon purgatory.

One thing a lot of folks don’t know is that you can use the advice in this blog post to revive a book that has been languishing out in nowhere land. Yes, these tactics work on previously published books also.

But…but…and here’s the scoop – marketing a book is work. And YOU have to do it.

Let’s proceed

Yay! You did it. You wrote your book. You published your book. You have your book in your hands. I see you dancing around the dining room, singing, shouting, laughing. It’s a joy few people are able to experience because they want to write a book, but they never get there.

You got there. Go you! Rain or shine, you’re feeling great right now.

But wait. Okay, you have the book. It’s listed on Amazon, and you’re selling it on your website. You have author copies to send signed copies to people who request them (signed copies do have a bit bigger price tag, of course).

Excellent. However, not good enough.

Did you know that most authors, including traditionally published authors, typically sell around 250 books? I’ve heard that stat stated as 150 books, sometimes.

It’s mind-numbing, isn’t it? You have this amazing thing you’ve done, with its beautiful cover (your professional cover designer did an amazing job!), and it’s well-produced interior design, chapters, index, all the things a good nonfiction book needs.

But what do you do with it now?

Pre-Publication Marketing

Let’s back up a few months to when you’re almost done writing the book. To when your editor is saying, “This is looking good, Sally. We can probably launch it in October.”

You should have started your marketing as soon as you began writing, but this is the second-best time to do it.

Pre-publication marketing is crucial to your success, as it prepares readers for the book’s launch. For that big day, when they can buy the book and maybe raise you to best seller status, or have your book become a “hot new release.”

Here are a few things you can do to premarket your book:

• Share the cover as a 3D image. People love seeing covers.
• Explain the subtitle. Yes, the subtitle is very important. It gives the reader a reason to “read a sample” on Amazon or consider downloading the free chapter on your website.
• Talk about how hard Chapter 6 was to write. (Choose the chapter you want, of course.)
• Offer a Q&A about your topic.
• Do a video about your experience writing the book or about why you chose this book to write – short and sweet (1 – 2 minutes).
• Show off your book trailer. (Don’t have one? Make one – or let us make one for you. At least visit this blog post Tom wrote a few weeks ago: Can AICreate Your Book Trailer?)
• Give people insight into a character – some secret that isn’t in the book, but might be in book 2. Oh, you are writing a second book, yes?  Yes, that ‘character’ might be you, if it’s your book about your rise to success in your industry. But it might be someone else, the person who cheered you along, or your Mom who stood by you and used her life’s savings to help you get started. Giving folks a little deeper understanding of this character makes the book come alive.  
• Talk about the launch. You can start planning the launch as soon as you feel confident that the book will be completed within the next 3–4 months. Tell people about it! (Launch dates come and go. Sometimes, you plan a launch for a specific date, but the book isn’t ready, so you push the launch out. People understand.)
• Ask people to become beta readers (they’ll get an uncorrected proof before anyone else, and have a chance to offer comments). Make sure they understand this is a marketing opportunity for them as well. They’ll be mentioned in the front matter of your book!
• Show off your office. “A Day in the Life of Me Writing My Book.” Oh yes, people want to see your desk and your office. Yes, they do.
• Share a chapter and have a quiz. The prize is a free signed print copy of the book.
• Create a poll about the topic. Center it on your core message.
• Designate one day a week on social media to talk about the book, the book’s message, the purpose of the book, and a little bit more about you.

Those are some ways to premarket. I’m sure you can think of others.

Day of Launch and Beyond

The book is launched. You’ve had your launch party. Everyone bought a copy during the launch, and you’re a best seller. Perhaps Amazon has labeled your book a “hot new release.”

That’s something to cheer about. Congratulations. Champagne all around! Or beverage of choice. I prefer wine, thank you.

Now what?

Now you hustle. Sales and marketing are your job!

No, you cannot depend on other people to do this. It’s your book; you must sell it.

It’s not that hard. But it takes effort and time. And planning. Without a plan, you muck around in the mud and just get dirty.

Yes, there are online platforms where you can find book tours, blogger tours, book clubs, professional reviews, and more. We have a document we share with our authors to help them find these places.

Today, let’s cover a few ways to get your book noticed and sold. NOTE: All of these take time. Many take effort. You will not succeed by staying home and starting book number two. I approve of starting book number two, but in order to gain visibility for book number one and those to come after, try a few of these ideas.

• Here’s a link to a post about writing a ‘fan finder’ prompt for AI, to discover who your fans are and where they hang out.
• Find local specialty shops and gift stores where your book could be a unique offering. Ask them to display your book. (Yes, they will want a piece of the sales. If your book is selling for $19.95, they may ask for 20%.) Since you’ll be delivering author copies, this is a no-brainer.
• Visit your local library and see if you can do a book signing. Perhaps with other local authors, Indie published or otherwise. Find other authors on Nextdoor or Alignable.
• Hotels. I just learned about this idea from Penny Sansevieri – book marketer extraordinaire. Make your pitch a no-brainer. The hotel offers the book at check-in or in the rooms of select guests, and you have a note inviting them to join your mailing list or connect on LinkedIn.
• Same with restaurants. Especially locally owned restaurants. Have a copy on display, along with a way to contact you for more information. Bookmarks are great here. Have a stack of them next to the book on display.
• Indie bookstores. You may need to travel a bit to find one or two, but a Google search can help you locate them.  Make friends with the owner and offer to promote the store in your newsletter. Ask to do a book signing. (YOU, of course, will arrange the book signing – but that’s a topic for another day.)
• Local media – noon TV and radio. They’re always looking for a local angle to talk about.
• Search Google for book clubs. This will take time and effort, but it’s well worth it. Book club readers who love your book will likely share it on their social channels, and when they do, you should comment with a thank you.
• Search Google for bloggers who write about your topic. They’re out there. Use the prompt “bloggers who write about <your topic> and review books.”
• Visit this blog post where I talk about Seasonal Success Strategies, all about looking at seasonal sales for your book.

All of these suggestions are ones other authors are using right now. Other authors who understand that it’s their job to make book sales.

It’s not Amazon’s job to market your book. Amazon is just a bookstore. They promote success. Make your book a success, and you could be part of the “people who bought this also bought this” column.

It’s not your editor’s job to market your book. She can share it across her social channels, but she’s one person.

It’s not your family’s job to market your book. Even if it’s a memoir, they are not part of your marketing team unless they’re in the business of book marketing 😊. They are stories in the book and may want to share the book because of that, but the marketing falls on your shoulders.

You wrote the book. I expect you want people to buy and read the book. It’s up to you to tell them why they should. It’s up to you to create the community around your message or your story to give people reasons to connect beyond just the book.

The book should be just the beginning.

If you follow us on LinkedIn, we write about how to get out there and market your book quite a bit.

Comment with questions or other suggestions. What are you doing or plan to do that’s creative and new to market your book and create a community around your message?