5 Marketing Tips for Your Book
I believe all books deserve to have their time to shine. In order for them to shine, they have to be seen. To be seen… we need marketing. Marketing doesn’t have to feel forced, heavily curated or annoying. When you market with your books purpose and meaning in mind, you advertise from a place of passion and excitement. If you want people to get excited about your book, you have to show people that you’re excited about your book and why they should be to. Here are 5 tips on how to get the marketing ball rolling and where to start.
1. Brand Identity
Before you even begin to market your book, take some time to think about your branding identity. Begin by asking yourself these two questions.
What do you want people to know about you that you feel would align with your book’s message?
How should your marketing content look and does your aesthetic match what you’re selling? For example, if you write children’s books, perhaps your author platform is really playful and colourful. In comparison, if you write adult non-fiction, consider what an older audience would be attracted to, maybe your colours are more muted and your content is information based.
2. Author Website
Your author website is your home base. It’s a space for you to really go into detail about who you are as a writer and the meaning behind your book. Why did you write your book and what does it mean to you? If people are interested in your book, you can send them to your website to learn more about you and your story. People love a story; we shop with purpose and buy things that we feel align with us. So tell everyone your purpose, go deep, stay on brand, sell them on your passion.
3. Book Trailer
We like moving things. It’s sort of as simple as that. Animation WILL catch people’s attention and your book trailer is going to help bring customers into the message and purpose of your story. It shows people that you’re serious about your book and you’re a professional writer who will do what it takes to get your story out there. Post your trailer everywhere, share it with your friends/family and encourage them to share it as well.
4. Stay Consistent and Persistent
Keep up the posting around the time of your release date and don’t fall off the map right when things get good. Follow any momentum you have and keep it flowing. Share behind the scenes pictures, an illustrator interview, posts about your characters, reviews, inside the book peeks and more. Don’t be afraid to overdo it for a little while. Many people want to support you and buy your book, their just busy… a friendly reminder is perfectly fine! Stay on brand and don't let the algorithm forget about you.
5. Who is Your Audience?
It’s hard to determine how to market your book if you don’t know who your audience is. Once you figure out your audience, gear your marketing towards them. For example, if your audience is teachers, you could talk about how your book is great for classrooms and fits into the curriculum. If your audience is moms, you could talk about how your book is perfect for a bedtime story and has great morals. Another way to find your audience is through hashtags. When you use hashtags and keywords, think about what words your audience would search to find you.
Keep in mind that instant sales and immediate recognition is not the norm for us self-publishers. We often have to build an authentic following first and expand our network past our circle of family and friends, which takes time. Not to sound too cheesy here, but publishing really is a journey and not a destination. Remember to stay persistent, develop your brand, market with purpose and just have some darn fun with it!
I offer some pretty awesome marketing services. From branding consultations to book trailers, I've got you covered. E-mail (erinjcutler@outlook.com) to inquire further about what I can do for you and your book. Or, contact me through my form submission on my website.