Everyone talks about marketing your book, but what does that really mean?
Merriam-Webster defines marketing as
What that means, author, is that for marketing your book, you must think about how to sell your book, and how to get the word out about your book.
In today’s digital age, most publicity is through targeted ads and promotions on popular social accounts. Very little is done nowadays in the traditional sense, like excerpts at the end of a book or reviews published in a newspaper.
Research is necessary to familiarize yourself with contemporary book marketing. Well known authors don’t need to do as much anymore, their name carries weight and they have dedicated fan bases. Look into both well-established authors and newer ones and pay close attention to their marketing. Would any of their techniques help you?
Establish your author platform. You must have an online presence, including a website and at least one social media account, preferably three. Your author platform is the basis of who you are and what you write. This is one of the most important parts of being an author. Everyone uses the internet to search and find new, exciting books to read. Make sure you have a presence that highlights you, the author.
Focus on building your brand. This includes a tagline, maybe a logo, a hashtag that is unique to you, and a digital presence. Make sure your brand and color scheme stay consistent and are not overly busy or hard to read. When readers find a genre they really like, they tend to focus on series and similar authors in that category. Building your brand with an anchor in your genre can help propel you to the top of recommendation lists, doing some of your work for you.
Determine your target audience and lean into it. This is where metrics come in handy to help you figure out who is most interested in your work. Once you narrow down your biggest fanbase, think about how to best market your book to them. Figure out what makes your book unique and appealing to these demographics.