This book marketing article was originally a guest post in AdAge India (AdAge India is now shut down).
Christopher Hitchens once said “Everybody does have a book in them, but in most cases that’s where it should stay.”
But this memo doesn’t seem to have reached thousands of writers writing millions of fiction books every year. Authors are feverishly writing and publishing/ self publishing books in all possible formats- print, ebook, audiobook, etc.
But publishing a book is not the same as selling the book.
With such a flooded market, how can you ensure your book stands out?
We are sure your book is written straight from the heart, based on years of experience and can truly add value to the reader but none of it matters if it does not reach the said reader.
A basic Google search for ‘Book marketing’ or ‘Book promotion ideas’ throws up lakhs of articles on the topic. After scouring through at least a 100 articles on marketing ideas for a book (self published or otherwise), I have listed the most repeated advise.
Since it is urged by everyone, it is safe to assume the following points are steps that you HAVE to implement.
Book Marketing Basics
- Start building a relationship with readers 2-3 years before you even write the book. Cultivate your fan base through your blog and email newsletter.
- Set up your own Author Website, an Amazon Author Page, a Goodreads Author Page, Bookbub Author Page, Facebook Author Page (and, for good measure, any other Author Pages that come up in the future).
- Engage with readers through social channels, reading and review platforms. Try contests like asking users to send photos with your book, etc.
- Get at least 20 reviews on Amazon on the day of the launch, through ARC (Advanced Reader Copies) or giveaways.
- Promote on various book promotion sites with good subscriber base like Bookbub, Freebooksy etc.
- Do blog hopping and blog tours (guest posting and interviews on relevant blogs with large audience)
- Create a video trailer of your book
- Try to get reviews from influential reviewers and interviews on podcasts.
- If you are a new author, launch with a price promotion or give free copies to generate sales so that you reach the #1 bestseller list on Amazon and get that bragging right.
- Concentrate all your promotional efforts for the launch week so that the combined impact helps your book make it to the #1 spot on Amazon (usually calculated based on 1 week’s sale). Follow it with a drip marketing campaign 3-4 weeks after launch.
- Write series of books because it is easier to sell a series than a single book. Also it helps you get more visibility.
- Ensure your book is available in multiple formats because ebooks help you get real estate at online stores while print edition does the same at offline stores.
Ok, I think I have covered most of the advice given in more than 100 articles. (Do tell me in comments below if I have missed any).
Now, if everyone knows these points, then how are you going to be different? How will you make a dent for your fiction book?
Here are 14 untried yet actionable marketing ideas.
You can hear some of these discussed as part of the Mentza Circle here
14 Unusual Book Marketing Strategies
1. ‘Book as a subscription’
Sell the book as a subscription to all those people not reading because they are starved for time. Once they pay for it, they are emailed one chapter a week, with the noteworthy parts highlighted for quicker browsing. This format could work wonders, especially for non-fiction.
2. Online reading with a twist
A lot of writers these days do book readings and reader Q&A online through Google Hangouts or Zoom. Add a twist to that. Hire actors to play characters from your book and do a reading, dressed as the character. Example: 1st reading could be done by the Hero of the book, giving a little of his backstory and role in the book. Imagine an actor done up as Shiva doing the reading for Immortals of Meluha.
3. Character chatbots and live chat
Your website can have chatbots fashioned after main or quirky characters from your book. Example: If you were J K Rowling, your website would give people an option to chat with Harry Potter or Ron Weasley or even Lord Voldemort. Once a year, you could change the chatbot to live chat with the chosen character.
4. Personalized book cover
For enhanced reader engagement, invite your newsletter subscribers to send a photo of themselves. Email each one a copy of your book cover with their face on it instead of that of the hero/ heroine. This will encourage social sharing from readers and make them feel special. This will generate more subscribers too.
5. Postcards
If you have created a whole new city in your story or even if it is an existing city, send postcards to subscribers from that city. If you don’t have the budgets, then send postcards to select few and request them to share a picture with it, if they are happy.
6. Tweet the first and last line of each chapter
Every day pre and post launch, tweet the first and last line of each chapter till you finish all the chapters. This is to generate curiosity and keep the conversation alive.
7. Share research
As a value add for readers, give them access to the research that you did for the book. Example: If it is fiction, then share research you did for your character’s profession perhaps. Imagine Dan Brown sharing the research he did for his Da Vinci Code’s character of symbologist Robert Langdon. Or if you visited the city your story is based on, then share travel tips.
8. Book as a newspaper
Print the first 2-3 chapters of your book in the form of a newspaper. Send it out along with daily morning newspaper to people in and around the bookstore that stocks your book. Since it looks like a newspaper, people will be intrigued and might just end up reading it.
9. Book with an expiry date
Release your book with an expiry date, a more stringent version of a limited edition. Create a sense of urgency to buy your book, a ‘now or never’ scenario. Visually, show the book slowly fading on your website accompanied with a timer. Once the time is up, the book will no longer sell. This would work better for ebooks. The objective is to get people to take immediate action, instead of postponing it. Activate FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).
10. Door hangers
Instead of traditional newspaper inserts, give out funky door hangers stating ‘Do Not Disturb. I am reading XYZ book’. This will get you visibility and word of mouth.
11. Song for the book
Create a song for your book, either including keywords or bringing alive the theme of your book or the feel of your book. This can be shared on playlist sites like Spotify, Shazam, Saavan, Gaana etc. You get an exposure to a whole new audience.
12. Chalkboard Specials
Put up chalkboards with ‘Today’s Special’ handwritten on it. But the specials will be your book title, author name, list of chapters and where to buy. Put these outside the bookstore where your book is stocked or in case of an ebook, place the chalkboards outside restaurants, cafes, salons, libraries, etc- whoever you can tie up with. Every person passing by will notice it and it will break clutter.
13. Phone or Prank a friend
One quirky giveaway or limited time promo can be Phone A Friend. Readers can request a phone call to their friend from a character from your book, speaking out the specified message in that character’s style and tone. Example- Happy birthday wished by the haughty Mr. Darcy or the scary Bellatrix Lestrange.
14. Sell book with unusual partners
If bookstores are not working for you, do a partnership with untapped avenues- like salons, restaurants, gyms, parks etc. Each of these places have repeat customers. Give them a commission for every copy they sell and allow them to return the unsold copies.
What do you think of these ideas?
Fantastic or Feeble?
Let me know in the comments below.
You may also like reading 16 unusual marketing ideas for non fiction books here.