Once your book is published, you obviously want it to sell – and well – if you’re hoping for a successful career as an author. This means promoting it, and that’s where marketing comes in. Whether traditional or indie published, there are many marketing strategies authors can employ to increase book sales, but some are more effective than others. It’s worth putting time and effort into the effective marketing strategies to increase book sales.
Here are three of the most recommended ways to market your book:
1. Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is when notable social media personalities post about/recommend your book online. This could lead to more visibility and sales than you might’ve thought possible – if you’re the right fit for each other. The trick is to make sure you find the right influencers for your book. Sending an influencer who usually raves about romances a gifted copy of your latest gritty crime novel book probably won’t get the result you’re hoping for. So make sure you do your research on their brand and audience. If it aligns with yours, go for it! However, make sure you manage your expectations from the outset. Popular influencers no doubt receive a lot of messages, a lot of gifted products and a lot of collaboration opportunities. Sending them a free copy of your book is no guarantee of exposure. Alice B gives a lot of sage advice about influencer marketing on TikTok!
Another way of influencing readers to give your book a try could be to take part in book tours. Many tours such as Love Books Tours are professionally run and extremely popular! They’re a great way to get your book seen on #Booktok and #Bookstagram.
2. Email Marketing
Email marketing is a great way to build a relationship with your readers. It helps you to create interest ahead of your book’s release while letting potential readers find out everything they need to know about it (and you – if you want to share any behind the scenes details!). While email marketing is more of a long-term strategy, when done well, it should definitely help to increase your book sales.
Email marketing employs various strategies, from the simple to the more complex. You could get started with Zoho campaigns relatively quickly, for example. And Erika Everest’s Strategic Author Series (for Mailerlite and Bookfunnel) come highly recommended by the Self Publishing Formula community too.
3. Content Marketing
Content marketing is the process of creating and promoting content that grabs potential readers’ attention and convinces them to buy your book. It’s touted as one of the most effective ways of making a sale, so it’s well worth putting time and effort into it. Even if you’d prefer not to be on camera yourself, short videos and Reels using bookish trends/trending sounds are still hugely popular. A couple of great examples of authors using content marketing to promote their books on #Booktok include Maria Frankland and Lizzy Barber. Take a look at what they and other authors are doing for inspiration for your own content.
Content marketing helps you position yourself as an author brand, which then helps build your audience, which then helps sell your book(s). Like email marketing, growing an online audience can take time but being an author is all about longevity – you’re in it for the long game!
If you’ve found 3 Marketing Strategies To Increase Book Sales helpful, check out these related posts:
How to Market Your Book in 2023
