Book marketing… some authors shudder at the concept, and reasonably so. Marketing your book can be terrifying, especially if it pulls you out of your comfort zone and into uncharted territory.
You’ve just written a book and courageously shared your words for all the world to see. That in itself is a fear many don’t conquer!
And now, you’re on to the next big challenge. How do you get your published book into the hands of readers amidst the ever-growing sea of competition?
Fact: Your book marketing plan will make or break your book’s success.
No matter what your writing goals are (to build a writing career, grow a business, or impact thousands of lives) the consensus is clear: Effective book marketing is key to your book’s success.
Otherwise, your book, along with hundreds of others, will be lost at sea – never to be discovered by the readers you want to reach.
Do you know what you need to have a successful book launch?
In today’s post, we’ll explain everything you need to know about book marketing: what it is, why it’s important, and 150 book marketing ideas that you can start implementing today.
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What is Book Marketing?
Book marketing is the process of promoting, selling, and increasing awareness about your book. It involves promotion techniques, advertising strategies, and outreach. If you’re learning how to become an author, book marketing is part of the process!
What is a Book Marketing Plan?
A book marketing plan relies on differentiated, specific strategies to get your book into the hands of your target audience (this is who you wrote your book for!).
Effectively marketing your book will ensure your book reaches the right readers, promote your name, and allow you to grow your author platform.
Book Marketing vs Book Promotion
The terms book marketing and book promotion essentially refer to the same concept, and the phrases are often used interchangeably.
Book marketing should be viewed as the “big picture” and can include an overall plan with specific strategies and tactics.
Book promotion is what fits under the big picture, and it can be defined as the specific tactics that fall under the overall book marketing plan.
What Does a Book Marketer Do?
A book marketer carries out activities intended to get books into the hands of the right readers. You can market your own work as an author or hire specialist book marketers to act on your behalf.
Why is Book Marketing Important?
You wrote and published a book, and crickets. That’s the trap many authors fall into.
Don’t think that your work ends as a published author once you’ve published the book. Some would argue that’s when the real work begins. But let’s be honest, the entire publishing process can be tricky to navigate – book marketing included.
The importance of book marketing lies in being proactive in gaining new readership and selling more books.
To avoid releasing your book to an audience that’s not listening because they don’t know your book exists, it’s crucial to devise a solid book marketing plan.
Here are some reasons why book marketing is important for every author:
- It helps you reach more readership and get new book fans.
- It helps you get more book reviews on Amazon.
- It enables you to generate more book sales.
- It is a lead-generator to networking.
- It helps you establish a substantial audience and community interested in your book(s).
When is the best time to launch a book marketing plan?
The biggest mistake many authors make is to think a book marketing plan only needs to cover the initial book launch, right after the book is published.
In reality, a book marketing plan is most successful when it’s evergreened – or, continuously happening before, during, and way after the book has been published.
While this sounds like a lot of work, you’ll find that there are a ton of book marketing ideas that help you automate your book writing plan.
You need to learn how to market your book and devise a strategy early on in your book-writing journey.
Pre-launch book promotion
Start marketing your book a year or more prior to publishing. This tactic will enable you to establish a solid fan base and gain authority.
Ideally, this is the best time to create your author website and grow your email list by creating valuable content for your readers.
Also, create and optimize your social media profiles, and grow your followers and email list (we’ll cover more on this later).
It will make marketing your book during your launch a breeze.
During-launch book promotion
The launching period is the peak time to market your book. As a self-published author, you should launch your book at the ideal moment – when the book topic is trending.
The key is to do your research and find the optimal time to set a release date and/or host a book launch party based on your book’s topic.
An example: If you’re writing a recipe book, the ideal moment is during the holidays when people are trying new recipes and cooking at home a lot. Launch your business book during the graduation season when graduates are looking for ways to earn money.
Post-launch book promotion
Don’t stop book buzzing simply because you’ve launched it and you have a sizable readership.
Keep marketing your book and grow as an author. Continue building your readership base. It will make it easier to sell your other books, especially if you are writing a series.
You can market your book after launching through your email list, attending book forums, interviews, and speaking in book-related events and discussion forums.
150 Book Marketing Ideas to Boost Your Sales
Book marketing isn’t rocket science, so try not to feel intimidated if you’re not familiar with marketing as a whole.
When it comes to your book, you’re passionate about what you wrote, and the message you are sharing. Let that passion fuel your motivation to effectively promote your book so that you can impact more lives and grow your reach.
Let’s look at the book marketing ideas you can leverage and use to increase both readership and book sales.
Build an Online Presence
1. Create a professional author website. One of your best book marketing options is your author website. If you don’t have one, it’s really hard to build your online brand! Luckily, it’s super easy to learn how to create an author website.
2. Start a blog related to your book’s theme or genre. Blog content is an ideal way to draw traffic to your site. The content can be in the form of book updates, brief descriptions about your book, blog posts sharing tips on your writing journey, etc.
3. Optimize your website for search engines. SEO-optimized content can help you gain organic traffic to your website and have your books appear on Google searches. You should optimize your blog content and your web pages.
4. Guest post on popular blogs in your niche. You can write on more than just your own blog. Why not write a guest post for another author in your genre to gain exposure with their readership, too?
5. Participate in online forums and book-related communities. Posting regularly in online communities can help to boost your visibility online. People may also come to trust your advice or feel more connected with you as an author.
6. Utilize social media platforms consistently. If you use social media (and you should), it’s important to use it regularly. People will forget you if you only post once in a blue moon, and they may even decide to unfollow you.
7. Host virtual book launch events or parties. Not every book launch party needs to be in person. You can host some online, too! Try creating some book launch events for your subscriber list and in different online groups and forums.
8. Create and share engaging content on YouTube. YouTube is a great way to connect with your readership. You can talk about your writing process, life story, pronunciation tips for your book, you name it! Let the passive income roll in.
9. Join relevant online book clubs and discussion groups. If there are book clubs for your book, genre, or adjacent genres, JOIN THEM. You can connect with your readership and find lots of new potential readers in the process.
10. Offer exclusive content or sneak peeks on your website. One book marketing idea is to offer a sneak peek of your next book on your website. Then you can spread the news far and wide via email and social media.
Make the Most of Social Media
11. Run targeted Facebook and Instagram ads. You should be sending ads to your target readers, not just throwing money around and hoping something sticks. Create some social media ads that are targeted directly to your different reader personas.
12. Use popular book-related hashtags on Twitter and Instagram. Take some time to look through the hashtags on social media. What is trending in the bookish sphere? Are there any that are specific to your book or genre? Use them.
13. Collaborate with other authors for cross-promotion. Reach out to other authors on social media to see if they will promote your book on their channel in return for you promoting theirs.
14. Conduct live Q&A sessions on social media. A chance to pick the author’s brain!? Readers will FLOCK to you. Doing a quick live Q&A session on social media is a fun and easy book marketing idea.
15. Share behind-the-scenes glimpses of your writing process. Readers love to see what goes into the making of their favorite books. You can gain interest by disclosing information about the writing process.
16. Create shareable graphics with quotes from your book. Pick a few quotes from your book and make cute graphics out of them. You never know who will share them on social media, and you can reach a lot of new potential readers that way.
17. Run social media contests or giveaways. An easy book marketing idea is to create a giveaway on social media. Tell people to tag their friends or answer a question in the comments for a chance to win a book or related swag!
18. Share positive reader reviews and testimonials. A super easy book marketing strategy is to post positive reviews of your books online. Spread testimonials on your social media platforms, author website, etc.
19. Leverage social media analytics to refine your strategy. Social media analytics are there for a reason, so you should learn how to use them to your benefit. They can be extremely helpful in optimizing your book marketing strategy.
20. Interact with your audience through polls and surveys. Polls and surveys are fun for your readership to take, and they also help you to understand your target audience better. That will make your future book marketing efforts more effective!
Spend Some Time on Email Marketing
21. Build and grow an email subscriber list. Email marketing is one of the robust ways to market your books as a self-published author. Use your author website to grow your email list, and send out engaging content to your subscribers list.
22. Send regular newsletters with updates and exclusive content. Regular email updates will keep your subscribers engaged, and if you offer exclusive content via email, all your readers will want to get on your email list!
23. Offer a free eBook or bonus content to new subscribers. It’s always a good idea to have a lead magnet to draw in new subscribers. This could be an excerpt from your new book, a short eBook, or other content your readers would enjoy.
24. Personalize your email campaigns based on reader preferences. You don’t need to have one generic email series for every subscriber on your list. Learn who reader personas are and create some personalized emails for each one.
25. Use compelling subject lines to increase open rates. Words sell. It’s a fact, or you wouldn’t be an author. Craft the subject line of your emails like you would the hook of a story. You want that email opened STAT!
26. Collaborate with other authors for joint email campaigns. Just as you can collaborate with authors on social media, you can collaborate with email campaigns. Why not make the most of BOTH your email lists!?
27. Encourage readers to forward newsletters to friends. Giving a little nudge to your readers every now and then can be super helpful for book marketing. Ask them to share your announcements with their friends.
28. Create a segmented email list for different reader interests. Remember I said that email campaigns should be targeted to different reader interests? You can even completely segment out your email lists for different groups to help you keep track.
29. Include a call-to-action (CTA) in every email. If you don’t have a CTA in each and every email, you are missing out on easy book marketing opportunities. Link to your new book, your social media posts, your new blog post, etc.
30. Run limited-time promotions exclusive to subscribers. Running short promotions for subscribers not only gets subscribers excited to buy in, it will also help to grow your subscriber list once the word gets out.
Get Savvy With Content Marketing
31. Write articles related to your book’s themes for guest posts. Are you writing a book on public speaking tips? Why not do some guest posts on creating an on-stage presence or overcoming stage fright? You will totally pull in some new readers from your helpful tips.
32. Create a podcast discussing your book and related topics. Podcasts are a fabulous book marketing tool. It’s simple to make your own book-related podcast, too!
33. Develop a content calendar for consistent blogging. Sometimes blogging becomes an afterthought for authors, but it’s really one of the BEST ways to draw traffic to your author website. A content calendar will help keep you accountable.
34. Utilize Medium to reach a broader audience. Have you written on Medium.com before? If not, it’s a really easy way to expand your readership and earn a little cash on the side.
35. Create and share infographics related to your book. You can use Canva or Visme to create enticing, book-related infographics for potential readers. Put these up wherever you have an online presence.
36. Participate in virtual summits or webinars. Look for upcoming writing or book-related webinars and participate in them. You can meet other participants, market your book, and maybe even network to host a summit of your own next time.
37. Write guest articles for local newspapers or magazines. Reach out to local newspapers and magazines to see if you can write any articles for them. This will get your name out there, and if you can plug in some book marketing, even better.
38. Offer to write a regular column for relevant publications. You don’t have to stop at one guest article. Why not ask for a column? You are a published writer, after all. Use your book as leverage, and then use your column to leverage your book.
39. Create a book trailer and share it on video platforms. Book marketing isn’t all about written content. You can create an exciting book trailer for your latest release and share it on YouTube and other popular platforms.
40. Share excerpts from your book on various platforms. Find a riveting (but spoiler-free) section of your book to share on social media platforms. This is an easy book marketing option. Hook them with the excerpt and they will want the whole book.
Work on Collaborations and Partnerships
41. Partner with book influencers for reviews or shoutouts. Book influencers have, well, a lot of influence. Book bloggers, Bookstagram, BookTok – reach out to all the influencers and offer them a free copy of your book for an honest review.
42. Collaborate with bookstores for in-store events or promotions. Call up some local bookstores to see if any of them are willing to partner with you for an event. Maybe you can do a reading or book signing, or host a writers’ workshop!
43. Join author collectives or networks. Author collectives can be an amazing networking tool, and you can form book marketing collaborations with many of the members.
44. Partner with non-profit organizations for themed promotions. Are there any non-profit organizations you would like to help? You can both boost visibility for each other with a joint promotion.
45. Collaborate with artists for book-related merchandise. Look for some artists whose style you love and reach out to them for a collaboration. Maybe they can make some bookmarks, mugs, or clothing related to your book. If people can wear your book marketing merch out and about, even better!
46. Team up with other authors for anthology projects. If you want to do some smart book marketing, why not write some extra content related to your book? Maybe a short story, or an adjacent story set in the same universe? Then, partner with authors in the same genre or theme and put together an anthology with them.
47. Participate in virtual book fairs or expos. Look up virtual book fairs and events that are coming up and contact the organizations to see if you can get involved. This can be a great book marketing opportunity for you.
48. Offer signed copies through independent bookstores. Small bookstores are often looking for collaboration opportunities to boost their sales. They are more likely to partner with new authors, and offering them signed copies of your book can sweeten the deal. They will be thrilled to display your books front and center in their stands.
49. Collaborate with book-related subscription boxes. Book subscription boxes are all the rage, from Illumicrate to Once Upon A Book Club. Browse through some subscription companies and reach out to the ones you think might use your book.
50. Partner with libraries for author talks or readings. Contact local libraries to see if you can do a one-time author talk or recurring readings for their patrons. You can read your book, or bring your book up during your talk or reading.
Get Some Publicity
51. Write and submit press releases to local media outlets. Getting in the media is wonderful for book marketing. Write up some press releases and submit them to your local media groups.
52. Pitch your book to book review bloggers and websites. Look up some popular book review websites and write to them about your book. If you explain a bit about it and yourself, and see if they will review your book if you send them a free copy.
53. Reach out to book podcasters for interview opportunities. If you don’t have time to create your own podcast, why not pop on someone else’s? Reach out to your favorite book podcasters and see if they would be interested in interviewing you about your book.
54. Attend and participate in literary events and conferences. Book fairs are the only events where you can do some book marketing. See what other literary events are available in your area and sign up!
55. Submit your book for literary awards. If you aren’t aware of all the literary awards out there, now is the time to start doing your research. If any awards apply to your book, submit your book for them! You might win, or get visibility from an honorable mention.
56. Create an author media kit with high-quality images and press materials. An author media kit is like your resume or portfolio. It’s what you should be sending to people when you try to market your book. If you don’t have one, make one!
57. Offer to write op-eds or articles for newspapers. See if any newspapers are covering tangential topics to your book. Maybe you can write an op-ed to go alongside one of their upcoming editorial pieces.
58. Engage with book journalists on social media. Look up the social media accounts of some book journalists you like and start interacting with them. Who knows if this will turn into a book marketing opportunity over time?
59. Request interviews on local radio and TV stations. Podcasts aren’t the only place you can interview. Maybe a radio or TV station would like to interview you too!
Create a list of possible questions and answers so they know what your interview would look like.
60. Utilize platforms like Help a Reporter Out (HARO) for media opportunities. HARO is a wonderful book marketing opportunity. You can sign up for their daily email and see if there are any reporters looking to cover a topic related to your book.
Just respond to them through HARO, and you might book yourself an interview!
Perfect Your Book Launch Strategy
61. Plan a dynamic virtual book launch party. Planning the perfect book launch party is key to your book’s success on launch day. Make it a fun and dynamic experience that people want to tune in for.
62. Offer limited-time discounts or promotions at launch. When launching your book, you should try selling it at a heavily discounted price for a limited time. This will help your book marketing by getting you tons of early reviews.
63. Encourage pre-orders with exclusive bonuses. Make pre-orders enticing with special discounts, limited editions, or extra merchandise that is JUST for pre-order purchases.
64. Leverage Amazon’s Author Central for enhanced book pages. If you don’t have your Amazon author page set up, now is the time to do it! Amazon Author Central allows you to make interactive eBooks with visual and audio elements.
65. Utilize book launch countdowns on social media. Keep the buzz going with multiple countdown posts on social media. Continue reminding people when your book is coming out and tell them to mark their calendars!
66. Organize a blog tour leading up to the launch. What is a blog tour? It is a week or two where your book will be promoted across a bunch of websites and blogs. Reach out to potential websites well in advance to coordinate this with them.
67. Create a launch-specific landing page on your website. It doesn’t hurt to create an SEO-optimized launch page for your book on your website. Once the launch has died down, you can repurpose that content into a product page for your book.
68. Host a launch day giveaway on social media. Offer free copies of your book (or some free book-related merchandise) to your social media followers on launch day. This will generate buzz around your accounts, and probably get followers to share the information with their friends.
69. Collaborate with influencers for launch day shoutouts. Contact some book influencers (and other influencers you like) to see if they would be willing to talk about your book on launch day.
70. Leverage book launch hashtags for increased visibility. Take a look at what hashtags are trending for other books that authors are currently launching. Use those hashtags for yourself!
Do Some Offline Marketing
71. Attend local book fairs and author events. Look up local author and book events in your area and sign up for them. These can be fruitful networking events for book marketing.
72. Partner with independent bookstores for signings. Speak to some local, independent bookstores about setting up some book signing events as part of your book marketing strategy.
73. Create visually appealing bookmarks and distribute them. Make some bookmarks using pictures or quotes from your book. You can collaborate with designers to create a professional and dynamic design.
74. Offer to do readings at local libraries or book clubs. Send some emails out to local book clubs and libraries to see if they would like you to do a reading from your book.
75. Create eye-catching posters for book-related events. Work with a designer to create some professional book posters to put up around town or at libraries, bookstores, and book events.
76. Utilize traditional media like radio and local TV. Talk to radio and TV stations to see if you can get an interview or even a mention of your book release.
77. Sponsor local events or community programs. If there are any events coming up in your community, see if you can sponsor them! You can get your name out there, and maybe even have the events mention your book.
78. Participate in book swaps with other local authors. Reach out to some local authors and ask if they would be interested in doing a book swap. You can agree to write reviews or testimonial quotes for each other’s books.
79. Set up a booth at farmers’ markets or craft fairs. Look up local farmers markets and fairs and see if there is space for you to set up a book with your books and book marketing materials.
80. Place promotional materials in local coffee shops or businesses. Ask local restaurants, cafes, and businesses if they would be open to you displaying your book posters and flyers in their stores.
Boost Reader Engagement
81. Respond promptly to reader emails and messages. Don’t ignore your readers! Respond to their emails and comments as soon as you can. And, if you don’t have the time, train a ghostwriter to do some of it for you.
82. Create discussion guides for book clubs. Put together a discussion guide for book clubs with open-ended questions about your books. Make sure these are questions that will create multiple opinions and provide for a good discussion.
83. Conduct online book clubs or reading groups. If you have your discussion guide created, why not host your own book club online? Readers will be thrilled to discuss alongside the author of the book.
84. Encourage reader-generated content (fan art, reviews). Don’t shut down fan art. If you see fan art you like, reshare it on your social media channels! Promoting your fans will create a more loyal readership, and is great for book marketing, too.
85. Run polls on social media for reader input. Put some polls on social media to see what your readers think about your book and your writing. Who are their favorite characters? What were the most exciting chapters? What did they take away from your book?
86. Offer signed bookplates for physical copies. Entice readers to buy physical copies of your book by offering them with signed bookplates. This will make the books more special and cause readers to want to buy a physical edition.
87. Share book-related quizzes or trivia on social media. Everyone loves a good quiz. Take a look at Buzzfeed for inspiration and make a quiz or two related to your book that you can share on your social media channels.
88. Host online book-related games or challenges. Why not create an interactive challenge or game that your readers can play online? This can be a lot of fun for your readers, and will create a sharable buzz.
89. Engage with book-related memes and trends. Make book marketing super fun with some memes! See what is trending across social media platforms and follow the trend (with hashtags) in a way that suits your book.
90. Show appreciation to long-time readers with exclusive perks. Remember how we talked about segmenting your email lists? Maybe you could have one just for your early subscribers, and give them some special perks for their support.
Work on Your Visual Elements
91. Invest in professional cover design. They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but we absolutely do. Contact a professional book cover designer to ensure your cover markets your book FOR you!
92. Create visually appealing promotional graphics. If you aren’t sure how to make the graphics yourself, partner with a graphic designer to create promotional materials that can’t be looked away from.
93. Utilize eye-catching images in social media posts. Use Canva to create beautiful images for your social media posts, or work with a designer for a more professional look.
94. Share character aesthetics or inspiration boards. Create a Pinterest board based on the look of certain characters or locations in your book so that others can be inspired by the aesthetic.
95. Create interactive graphics (choose-your-own-adventure style). Create some choose-your-own adventure graphics (think a chart with yes and no answers) to help people decide what book to buy or what character they are, etc.
96. Design merchandise featuring your book cover. Work with designers to create posters, bookmarks, scarves, or shirts with your book cover on them.
97. Use visually striking quotes as overlays on images. You don’t have to create just a quote graphic by itself. Why not layer a transparent quote over a book-related image?
98. Share the evolution of your book cover design. Did you go through multiple book cover designs before you landed on a winner? Why not share your process? Everyone loves a fun, behind-the-scenes peek.
99. Create a mood board for your book and share it. Use Canva to design a mood board for your entire book. Put it up on social media, Pinterest, and anywhere else that you deem appropriate.
100. Use visually consistent branding across platforms. Make sure you have your author branding down to a T, and ensure your branding is consistent everywhere you post your book marketing content.
Utilize Data and Analytics
101. Monitor sales data and adjust marketing strategies accordingly. It’s important to keep an eye on sales to understand if your book marketing efforts are paying off. Take a close look at the numbers and pivot as needed.
102. Use Google Analytics to track website traffic. Google Analytics is a really incredible tool to see what content is most engaging to your readers. If you see certain blog posts resonating more, try creating some related social media and blog posts.
103. Utilize social media analytics for performance insights. Your social media platforms have their own analytics, so don’t forget about them! Social media analytics can help you make smarter decisions with your book marketing posts.
104. A/B test different marketing messages. Try using some A/B testing to see which ads work best in different demographics. You might be surprised to see what resonates most.
105. Monitor email open and click-through rates. Don’t stop at just getting names on your subscriber lists. Dive deeper into email marketing by checking statistics to see which emails are actually performing for you. Make more just like them.
106. Analyze reader demographics for targeted marketing. You should already know what your target market is for your book, but if you don’t, it’s time to learn!
Of course, sometimes we end up with a readership that surprises us, so it’s a good idea to check reader demographics and target ads to your specific readership groups.
107. Track the success of various promotional channels. Not every channel is going to perform equally. You might discover that you do great on YouTube and TikTok but aren’t performing well on Instagram.
Put your money where it performs, and assess strategy elsewhere.
108. Use heatmaps to understand visitor behavior on your website. A website heatmap is a visual representation of user interaction with a web page, displaying areas where users tend to focus, click, move the cursor, or spend more time.
Use this information to change your content or target your book marketing ads.
109. Set up conversion tracking for online campaigns. Make sure you track the success of your campaigns, otherwise you’ll be throwing money at the wall and hoping something will stick.
110. Use reader surveys to gather feedback and improve strategies. Surveys are a great way to understand your readership better. Take opinions and feedback seriously so you can target your marketing accordingly.
Market Internationally
111. Translate your book into other languages. Why focus on book marketing in just one country? If you hire some translators for your work, there is a whole world out there for you to market to.
112. Collaborate with translators for foreign markets. You can form relationships with translators to translate not only your books, but your marketing content as well. Who knows, you might be the next bestseller in Norway!
113. Utilize international book fairs and events. We’ve already covered local book fairs, but there are big international book fairs where you can promote your book, too. Look up upcoming events online and pitch your book to them.
114. Target international readers through online advertising. Create some Amazon display ads and ads personalized for other platfroms that target different countries to build your readership abroad.
115. Offer international shipping for signed copies or merchandise. If you aren’t offering international shipping, you are missing out on lots of potential sales! While you don’t have to offer it on everything, merch and signed copies are a great place to start.
Repurpose Your Content
116. Turn excerpts into shareable quote graphics. Take some short book excerpts and make graphics out of them, just like you would a catchy book quote. These graphics make for easy book marketing on social media.
117. Convert chapters into serialized content for social media. You can release chapters one at a time on social media platforms to keep readers coming back for more.
118. Create audiobook versions or snippets for promotion. Some people prefer audiobooks to physical books. You can even create special dramatized or extended edition audiobooks to get readers to revisit your story again and again.
119. Repurpose blog content into engaging social media posts. If you have a blog on your author website (which you should), you can reuse some of your content on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
120. Turn book-related research into informative articles. Did you do any interesting research for your book? Whether it’s business research, historical research, or research on the native flora and fauna of your book’s setting, someone is bound to find it exciting.
Turn it into an article!
Focus on Long-Term Strategies
121. Plan a one-year anniversary celebration for your book. Your book marketing doesn’t stop after your book launch – you will always be thinking ahead with your marketing strategies. Why not have a special one-year anniversary celebration for your book?
122. Continue engaging with readers even after the initial launch. Keep talking with your readers via social media, your email list, and your blog. Don’t become irrelevant!
123. Release bonus content or extended editions. Just because your book is published doesn’t mean you can’t republish it! Add extra content, like a special forward, an epilogue, or an additional chapter from another character’s point of view.
124. Plan a sequel or related book to keep the momentum. Even if it’s going to take you three years to write, announce that you are writing your next book. Then, down the line, drop the title, then a quick paragraph excerpt. Keep the excitement going.
125. Offer special editions or collector’s items. Partner with book cover designers to create special editions of your book or limited-edition box sets if you have a series. You can also create collectible merchandise related to your book.
Do Some Interactive Marketing
126. Create a choose-your-own-adventure social media campaign. Everyone loves an interactive campaign. You can create a single graphic with charts to different answers, or have links to separate threads for people with different answers.
127. Host a book-related online escape room or puzzle challenge. Online escape rooms are almost as fun as the real thing – I know, because I did a ton of them during the pandemic lockdown. Why not host one related to your book?
128. Develop a book-themed mobile app or game. If you have the chops to create a game yourself, then knock yourself out! Otherwise, reach out to some app or game creators to make a book-themed product. Hogwarts Legacy doesn’t need to have a monopoly on the market!
129. Engage with augmented reality (AR) for interactive experiences. Could you partner with an AR company to bring one of your book settings to life? This would be an incredible book marketing event to invite your readership to.
130. Create interactive quizzes or personality tests related to your book. Create some character quizzes, where would you live quizzes, what house are you quizzes, what marketing style are you quizzes – you get the picture.
Surprise With Unique Promotions
131. Organize a book-related scavenger hunt. Work with local businesses to create a fun scavenger hunt related to your book. Think up some riddles and clues and pick book-related locations for people to visit as they scavenge.
132. Offer limited-time book-related merchandise. Create some limited edition book merchandise and post it all across your social media channels. Make sure readers know the merchandise is scarce!
133. Collaborate with a local bakery for book-themed treats. Reach out to a bistro or bakery to see if they would make some recipes inspired by your book or some sugar cookies decorated in your book theme as part of your book marketing.
134. Host a virtual cooking event based on your book’s setting. Is your book set in medieval times? Or maybe in romantic Tuscany? Pull up some authentic recipes for your setting and host a fun cooking event online for your subscribers!
135. Create a book-related playlist and share it online. I can’t even count the number of times a song has reminded me of one of my favorite book characters or scenes. Make the perfect playlist for your book and it will take off like wildfire.
Create Educational Initiatives
136. Offer educational resources related to your book’s theme. Your readers may want to learn more about your book’s theme or topic. Offer some additional resources to educate them further, whether they are website links, webinars, or mini workbooks.
137. Conduct virtual or in-person workshops. Educate your readership (and potential readership) through writers’ workshops. You can form a closer bond with participants and talk with them about your book.
138. Develop a curriculum for schools or book clubs. Is your book the perfect book club book? Write up some potential questions and topics for book clubs to discuss! Think it would be good in class? Draw up a curriculum for teachers. They will be thrilled to use it.
139. Partner with educational institutions for author talks. We’ve discussed author talks in bookstores, but why not in schools? See if any schools would like to host you in their libraries, classrooms, or auditoriums.
140. Share insights into your writing process for aspiring authors. Sharing information about your writing process is incredibly helpful to people who are learning how to write a book. They will be interested to read your own book afterward, too!
Do Some Seasonal and Holiday Campaigns
141. Create themed promotions for holidays. If there is a holiday coming up, don’t miss out! You can create special themed ads and promotions for Easter, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, you name it.
142. Develop a winter, spring, summer, and fall marketing plan. Book marketing can look wildly different from season to season. Create some marketing plans targeted to seasonal trends.
143. Offer holiday-themed merchandise or bonuses. The holidays are the perfect time for book marketing. What book lover doesn’t love a special holiday-themed bookish gift!? Offer promotions, bonuses, or special-themed merch during the holiday season.
144. Run special promotions during book-related awareness months. There are so many awareness months and days that it can be hard to keep track of them, but there is bound to be one your book could tie into. Create some special marketing ads around awareness.
145. Tie your book into major cultural events or celebrations. If there are any cultural events or celebrations going on in your area (or abroad!) you can tie them into your social media posts and subscriber content.
Learn How to Handle the Challenges
146. Address and adapt marketing strategies during crises. If there is a crisis going on, don’t just continue with your regular book marketing strategies. Be sensitive to the crisis and pivot your marketing as needed to address it.
147. Use your platform to contribute positively during challenges. As an author, you have a voice. Use it! If people see you standing up and helping during challenging times, they will be more likely to support you and your books.
148. Offer promotions or incentives to support readers in tough times. If you know your readership is going through a slump, offer them some promotions to make their day! Extending a helping hand doesn’t go unnoticed.
149. Share personal stories or experiences to connect during adversity. Sharing stories during a time of adversity can help to humanize you with your readership. Just make sure not to overshare or make the problem about you.
150. Show resilience and adaptability in your marketing approach. Your book marketing ideas are not set in stone. Depending on what is happening in the world, you may have to pivot your strategy, but that’s what makes for successful marketing.
Remember to tailor these ideas to your specific book, target audience, and personal style. Combining multiple strategies and experimenting with different approaches will help you discover what works best for your book marketing efforts.
Get Your Book Noticed!
If you’ve already published your book, you can start implementing these book marketing ideas now.
And if you haven’t yet published, you can start working these ideas into your book launch plan.
There are tons of book marketing and promotion ideas to start conversations around your book. We’ve covered the essential ways on how to market your book, but the real rewards will come when you start implementing them and seeing which book marketing ideas work for you.
Part of the difficulty with book marketing is that what works for another author, may not necessarily work for your genre.
That’s where research comes in! Start researching similar authors in your niche and learn from what they are doing well with book marketing.
Pretty soon, you’ll have a good idea of what kinds of tactics to approach for your own book promotion. And, you’ll be able to creatively implement new techniques!
If you need extra help with book marketing or self-publishing, the team at selfpublishing.com is here to help. You can book a free strategy call with our team today to get started. In the meantime, here is a helpful book launch checklist to keep you on track for successful book promotion.
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