Marketing Your Book

Marketing Your Book

To create an effective book marketing plan, you must keep a few things in mind. First, you must determine who your audience is, what they want, and how to reach them. Then, you can decide exactly what you will do to reach them. (Not sure where to start? Contact our professional marketing team, and we can get you on the right path!)

Audience

The first part of writing any book marketing plan is to determine your audience. They are the foundation of your entire marketing plan.

It is tempting to proclaim that your audience is "every literate person within your reach," but that is rarely the case. Tastes vary considerably from person to person and it is likely that one person will love your book and another will simply not be as moved. This is a reflection of taste and not the quality of your product. It can be helpful to work backwards by thinking of the most prominent topics in your book and working your way back to what group(s) of people you think those topics will attract.

Think outside your circle of friends—who will read your book because they know you. Try to be as objective as possible as you look at your work, and consider the myriad demographics who might—or might not—be interested in picking it up.

  • Is your book’s topic more for women? Academics? Teens? New fathers? Astrophysicists?
  • Do you think that your readers are likely to be active online? Are there any online communities that actively discuss topics you write about?
  • Will high school teachers be drawn to your main characters, or will the subject matter stir debate in senior care centers?

These questions may seem extreme, but if you’ve started thinking about your book’s audience, you’re moving in the right direction!

Reaching Your Audience

When writing your book marketing plan, you must determine how to reach your audience. To do this, you must figure out where they are most likely to be in a position where they would have the time and interest in learning more about your book.

Your core audience may be on social media sites such as Facebook, looking for things in online search engines, visiting trade shows, browsing the library or newspaper—or maybe even sipping coffee at a local coffee shop. 

Figure out where your audience spends its time, and then think of creative ways to get in front of that audience. Maybe you should create your own social media pages, check with your local coffee shop to see if they will let you sell a few books, get a booth at a farmers’ market, or do a book event. The possibilities are endless if you’re willing to put the work in.

Action Items

Another important element of your book marketing plan is to set actionable goals that you can follow up with.  Don’t just plan to check with your local coffee shop—write down when you will do this.

Order the items in your book marketing plan in a way that makes sense to you. Think of this as your marketing to-do list, and try to accomplish one goal each day.

Goals

If you don’t have goals, you can’t measure progress. Further, you have to set some expectations before you can achieve anything.

Setting goals helps you make sure that you are doing things to meet those goals. Goals keep you accountable to your most important investor—yourself!

It’s best to set a few different types of goals: short-term goals, long-term goals, and even a list of "unattainable" goals. Reach a little, and you might be surprised what you get!

Follow Up

So what happens after you’ve executed your book marketing plan? What if you don’t reach your goals?

It’s important to reflect on what you’ve done and determine how to move forward.  Maybe you will learn that you miscategorized your initial audience, or that you are having a difficult time reaching them.  Make adjustments and move forward—after all, book marketing is a marathon, not a sprint.

Still Not Sure Where to Start?

That’s what we’re here for! Our marketing team can help you target your audience, set your goals, and even sit down with you to follow up on your successes or misses.

Have questions? Not sure where to start? Give us a call!
855-251-0692