Over 2 million books are published every year. This overwhelming deluge of books is made possible by the ease of self-publishing and many opportunists taking advantage of generative AI. I’ve been duped into reading at least three books that I was able to definitely identify as AI-generated. I wasn’t impressed by any of them.
However, even before AI amplified the efforts of self-publishing authors, the rate of publication meant a vastly growing ocean of books all trying to claim a share of the same size pie. Claiming market share means making the market aware of your product and creating demand for that product. That effort falls under the term “marketing.”
Marketing is something that takes some authors by surprise. “If you build it, they will come” from The Field of Dream does not apply to book publishing. Unless you have a household name like Nora Roberts, J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, or Carl Hiaasen and a horde of rabid fans panting for your next book, you absolutely must engage in marketing.
Knowing that your book needs marketing is not the same as knowing how to best market it. There’s a reason why marketing is its own degree in universities. It combines salesmanship with psychology in a complex mix designed to build awareness, generate appeal, and incite desire. It works to convert potential readers into paying customers.
Book marketing engages several factors, but the two most important facets are:
- The book’s cover art is its most important marketing piece. It aligns with other books of the genre, so people can tell at a glance whether the book is something to interest them. I won’t consider a book with a cover that screams “horror” because I dislike horror. The cover art not only must match the genre, but it also must be distinctive enough to set the book apart from its direct competition. It needs to appeal to readers, to inspire them to pick the book up from the shelf and read back cover copy.
- The back cover copy is the book’s second most important marketing piece. Authors who don’t understand that the back cover copy is copywriting miss out on a prime opportunity to convert a potential reader into a customer. The back cover copy shouldn’t summarize the story. Its purpose is to intrigue, to pique the potential reader’s interest sufficiently for that person to buy the book.
Without cover art that appeals and back cover copy that intrigues, marketing has little with which to work beyond data.
Data informs the marketing strategy. It addresses audience demographics to target the people most likely to be interested in the book. It takes into consideration the kind of advertisements that best appeal to that audience. Decisions based on data are only as effective as the data is accurate and complete. Amazon is frequently criticized for being stingy with data; but for a fee, other services offer more comprehensive and detailed information regarding readers’ buying habits.
The psychological aspect of marketing takes into account imagery, color, linguistic style, and current trends, discerning what appeals to the targeted audience and what doesn’t. Again, demographic data comes into play. Sigmund Freud had nothing on the analytical capabilities of today’s marketing geniuses.
Unfortunately, for me, I am a marketing dunce. I know my books need to be be marketed and marketed effectively, but the intriciacies and specifics of marketing elude my comprehension. Thus, like many authors who do not have the time, capability, or inclination to assume responsibility for the whole marketing effort, I outsource that work.
Outsourcing marketing is tricky. There are many, many so-called book marketers who are, in actuality, scammers seeking nothing more than to part authors from their money. It’s a jungle out there with everyone looking to profit off the unsuspecting author. Proceed with caution.
There are basically three types of book marketing:
- Social media engagement. This is more pertinent to author branding and marketing and focuses on increasing the author’s outreach and engagement with fans that the author hopes will become paying customers.
- Advertisements. Sponsored posts and paid advertisements appear on every social media platform and are, I think, the most effective digital book marketing tactic. The key is to their efficacy is strategic use of data combined with discerning creativity in imagery.
- In-person marketing. This is difficult for many introverts because it requires the physical and emotional effort of meeting and greeting people in person. Authors do this at book signings, public events (e.g., arts and craft shows, book fairs), and other places and venues.
Another difficult realization is that book marketing begins before the book is published. As if an author didn’t have enough to do and keep track of, the marketing effort should begin at least a month prior to the publication date. This effort often entails soliciting reviews from volunteers reading advance review copies (ARCs), what used to be called galleys in the pre-internet days.
If you have ambitions of writing a book and publishing it, Hen House Publishing will be happy to assist you in navigating this journey. However, marketing is not a service HHP offers. We know your books need that service, and we’ll be happy to refer you to a trusted professional.
Your story matters. Let’s talk about it and assign the marketing of it to those folks who really know what they’re doing.
