Book Marketing Basics
This guest post was written by book marketing expert, Lynn McGinnis.
You’ve probably spent years planning and writing your book, and now it’s time to show it to the world. But how? Books don’t sell themselves. Chances are pretty good that you have little to no marketing experience, and you’re not exactly comfortable promoting yourself, let alone your book.
Not a One-Size-Fits-All Market
The world of book marketing is practically screaming at you right now. Be here, do this, do that! It can be incredibly frustrating for any author. The first thing you should understand is that your goals should drive your efforts, not the other way around. That’s why when you watch those marketing videos that promise you best-seller status, get rich schemes, or a million book reviews, not only are they not realistic, but they’re also probably not a good fit for you.
Where Do You Start?
Before you began to write your book, you knew your target audience. You had a person in mind who would read your book one day, and you wrote it just for them. Your audience is not everyone who can read . . . unless you’ve written a dictionary, and even then, ages vary by audience. Keep this audience in mind when you begin to market yourself.
What Is Your Goal?
To sell books, right? Dig a little deeper. If you were honest with yourself, you might find that your answer is beyond sales. You might have the desire to be published traditionally one day, to sell your story for film/streaming, to encourage people who are where you once were, or to promote your business. Each of these goals requires different strategies. But all of these goals share one thing in common—an author platform.
What Is an Author Platform?
Your author platform is not a single thing; it’s a combination of your brand, audience, goals, and the methods/places you’ll use to promote yourself and your work. The structure of your platform will vary based on your target audience and your goal; however, almost every author has the same foundation, and it’s a great place to begin:
Website: A simple, clean site should have a homepage, book page, blog, about me/contact me, privacy policy, and email opt-in.
GoodReads and BookBub: You won’t necessarily do a lot of work on either platform to start, but you should set up your profile and claim your books on both.
Facebook: A public figure page should be linked to your personal profile. Marketing from this page allows you to advertise, promote your work, set up groups, and have unlimited connections.
Email marketing: Social media platforms rise and fall in popularity . . . and they can shut you down without warning or explanation—but an email list is all yours. Collect email addresses through a website opt-in, and then connect and engage with your audience consistently.
Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok, and LinkedIn: These platforms are great, but is your audience there? Know your reader. Know where they are. And begin to master the best platforms to find them. A word of caution: Do not put all your eggs in one basket. Do you remember MySpace? It can happen to any channel at any time.
Never Give Up.
Someone needs to read that story that was placed on your heart. The path you’re taking from publishing to promotion will not be easy. Know your audience. Write down your goals. Create and curate content to support your goals. Evaluate, adjust, and repeat.
Keep at it. Consistency is the real secret to success.
Lynn McGinnis is a 30-year veteran of small business marketing. She shifted her entire business into author marketing several years ago to help authors build and grow their platforms, and reach their unique goals through coaching, consulting, and retainer marketing programs. To stand out in a very competitive market, she believes authors should represent themselves as a small business, promoting not just their book but themselves, seeking opportunities to not just sell books but share experiences. Visit LynnMcG.com to learn more.