No Pushing, No Shoving
There’s no right way to market your book, author. But there are some things to keep in mind to have a better chance at success.
Don’t push your book on your audience. You’ll want to talk about your book, but you don’t want to talk at your reader. It’s a fine line to walk and may take some trial and error. Consider sharing your excitement and your journey. Use a conversational tone, like you’re recommending a book to a friend, because you are!
Utilize your newsletter to give something valuable before you promote. Lead with exclusive content like behind the scenes, deleted scenes, bonus content, writing tips, and personal reflections. Consider giving subscribers a peek with an explanation of what you love best about the scene. Then close with “if you want to read the full store, find it here.”
Soften your Call to Action (CTA). You don’t want your CTAs to feel forced or fake. Think about how you would talk to a close friend about a favorite book of yours. Keep it low pressure and sincere. Think “I’d love for you to check it out” rather than “Check it out”.
Include social proof of how great your book is through reviews, screenshots from reader comments or DMs (with permission), and features or awards. These are all low stakes forms to help convince a future fan to read your book, without the need to shove it in their face. Just casually mention “reader X said this book made them cry, in a good way!” If there’s proof that others are enjoying it, they’re more likely to check it out.
Space out your promotions, especially in your newsletter. Consider a 3:1 or a 4:1 ratio of promotion heavy content. Be sure that the majority of your content is valuable before you push marketing. I don’t recommend promoting in every newsletter, but definitely include the links for where they can purchase towards the bottom, almost as an afterthought.
No one wants someone shouting in their face to buy, buy, buy! You need to remember that you’re in this for the long haul, not just for a few quick sales. Create a conversation about your book with your audience, provide valuable content, and be sincere.
