Your Book Is The Main Marketing Piece

As an author, you want to write. As a person, I assume you also like the simple things like food, electricity, and water. Selling more books as a full-time job can afford you the necessities and, if you’re lucky, maybe even some luxuries.

Through this blog, I try to share tips and strategies to help you share more books.

Our blog is generally about tips and things you can do to sell more books. In this blog, I want to talk about the book itself as a marketing tool.

The Manuscript

First and foremost you need a well-written manuscript. If your book is horribly written and terribly edited, it's already a marketing nightmare. People will give you bad reviews for that, making other readers not want to buy your book.

Front & Back Matter

This is typically the information before the story begins. It can be as simple as the copyright and title pages or can include additional pieces like a table of contents, foreword or preface. Reedsy has a great blog about the front/back matter descriptions that you can refer to. We also have a blog on our website about using the back for additional marketing. Don't waste that last page (and miss an opportunity) to invite readers further into your world.

A Great Cover

Please don't just pop into Canva and use a cover template for your fiction manuscript. This will possibly get you in trouble if you don't read all the fine print on permissions and you run the risk of having the same cover as someone else. If your book was worth your time to write, it's worth a little money to have a beautiful cover of your work. There are plenty of designers online to help you. Facebook groups are a great place for referrals.

The Book Blurb

Your book blurb is hugely important. Once your cover has drawn a potential reader in, your blurb will seal (or kill) the deal. I came across this blog recently that gives a pretty good idea of the anatomy of a blurb and provides some examples. You can also scroll through some of the top sellers on Amazon or Barnes & Noble to read some blurbs to inspire you. Once you have written the blurb, don't take your own word for it. Ask some of your ARC readers or other writers to offer their input on whether it makes them want to read your book. You are too close to the story to form an unbiased opinion.

In-person Events

Author events and book signing events are the best way to get out and meet readers and sell more books. These events offer you the opportunity to sell and sign books, hand out swag, get feedback, create content for social media and more. Don't underestimate the potential value of a table at the local library or even a PTO meeting. Any opportunity to talk about your books and your story in person can be an exceptional experience.

Bundles & Groups

Creating hype around sales, events or bundles is a great way to market your books. By getting involved with other authors through associations, clubs, and online groups, you can share ideas and build marketing programs together. Bookfunnel.com has so many features to help easily market and sell your books and one of my favorites is the opportunity to find author swaps and group promos. Not only is working with other authors helpful in your marketing strategy, it's much more fun.

Podcasts/Blogs/Vlogs

If your book is good at marketing itself and you put together a great media kit, then getting on podcasts/blogs/vlogs is a great next step in your promotional toolkit. We've written various blogs to help with that so we won't get into the details here but know that many authors see great success and sell more books when they are promoted via other people's content.

Hopefully, by reading the above you have gotten some ideas to consider when creating and marketing your book.

Writing a book is something that not everyone can do and even less people can do it well. If you take the time to create your masterpiece and put some additional effort into making sure it's shown in the best possible light, you will give your book a better chance at getting read by more people. We're here for you if you need help with what comes next.

Get a FREE copy of our ebook: 10 Steps to Creating Your Ultimate Book Marketing Plan. 

Rebecca Paciorek is an Online Business Manager specializing in assisting authors, coaches, and speakers in their business growth through traditional and digital means.