Today’s guest post is from Erika Sargent, the Author + Marketer, who shares insights on the best author marketing strategies to sell more books.
Instagram. TikTok. YouTube. Facebook. Pinterest. LinkedIn. Reddit. These are just a few social media rabbit holes your readers can fall down.
Outside of social media, there are so many other distractions that authors compete with. So if you want to successfully market your book in a way that actually impacts sales, you need to look for captivated audiences.
As a marketing specialist with over 10 years of experience in the retail industry (five with publishing) here are three author marketing strategies I recommend writers focus on to successfully market their books and increase book sales.
Three Author Marketing Strategies to Market Your Books and Increase Sales
I’ve gathered the top strategies authors can use to market their books and themselves.
1. Collaborations Help Authors Reach a Wider Audience
Wouldn’t it be nice to wake up to 10,000 new followers or email subscribers?
While growing your followers overnight is very rare, you can reach double your following (or more) by doing one simple thing… collaborating.
You can reach double your following (or more) by doing one simple thing… collaborating.
The best way to get your book in front of your ideal reader is by collaborating. You get to spread your content to platforms run by others, meaning you get to speak to both your audience and theirs.
There are so many individuals and companies looking for content that is valuable to their consumers and requires minimal work on their part. That’s where you come in with a collaboration offer!
Another bonus of collaborations is that you can play to your strengths.
- If you like speaking, focus on being a guest on podcasts
- If you like social media, work with a similar account to do a joint post
- If you like writing, focus on guest posting on blogs
- If you like live events, partner with local libraries to host workshops
- If you like management, take the lead on hosting large giveaways with multiple authors
How to Use Collaborations to Boost Book Sales
Remember collaborations need to benefit BOTH parties, so make sure your target audiences are the same and there is a clear purpose for the collaboration.
It’s a win-win because they get quality content from you and you get to tap into their network.(This post is a great example of a collaboration. Had you heard of The Author + Marketer before reading this article on BookendStudio.com?)
2. Guest Speaking Boosts Book Sales
What would you say to your ideal reader if you were sitting in a room with them? You might talk about the inspiration behind your book, or how you overcame setbacks in your writing and publishing process, or maybe you’d talk about how your book can help them in their own lives and author journeys.
Being face-to-face with your ideal reader strengthens your connection with them which in turn leads them to trust your advice even when the advice is, “To see my work in action, buy and read my book.”
We see a direct correlation with sales spikes when one of our authors is a guest speaker because they have a captivated audience.
This is why guest speaking is such a powerful way to boost book sales. We always see a direct correlation with sales spikes when one of our authors is a guest speaker because they have a captivated audience.
How to Use Guest Speaking to Market Your Books
If you are just getting started with public speaking, I recommend starting small and simple. Going LIVE on social media is a good starting point since you don’t have to physically see the people you’re speaking to. It’s almost as if you were practicing in front of a mirror, only your message is reaching potential readers.
From there you can reach out to your local library or local literary organizations and offer free presentations on a specific subject. Keep in mind that these presentations are not an hour-long pitch about why readers should buy your book. Rather, it should be a presentation that helps participants solve a common problem they might be having (i.e. overcoming writer’s block, budgeting for self-published authors, writing well-rounded villains, etc.)
Record a few of these presentations, then you can use that experience to pitch yourself to larger conferences. Once you’ve had the chance to hone in on the presentation you’d like to pitch, you can become eligible for paid speaking opportunities.
Here are a few guest speaking opportunities that I’ve participated in or promoted on behalf of authors:
- School Tours (grade school – graduate school)
- Subject-Specific Conferences (i.e. parenting, mental health, writing)
- Regional Book Fairs
- Writing Workshops
- Author/Publisher Panels
Remember that the people who attend your free library seminar are investing their time (which is valuable) and the people who attend your workshop at a paid writing conference are investing their money (which is valuable). Treat both investments with equal appreciation, and you’ll find participants will be more interested in your written works.
3. E-Newsletter is the Best Thing for Book Sales
When an author asks for the best thing they can do to help with their book sales, I always direct them to their own author email newsletter.
With an e-newsletter, you aren’t battling algorithms to be seen. You don’t have to plan, film, or edit any videos or curated photos. But best of all, you get to do the thing you love – share your work with people who support it.
With an e-newsletter, you aren’t battling algorithms to be seen.
But why are e-newsletters so valuable?
Think about your own life. How many email lists do you subscribe to?
Probably a few.
Now, when was the last time you opened an email and clicked on a link inside it? Whether it was to read a recommended article, redeem a discount, or see a limited-edition product that just released, a clickthrough rate (CTR) shows you are interested in learning more about what the email is offering.
66% of online consumers made a purchase as a result of an email marketing message.
– Mailmunch
An article by Mailmunch states, that “66% of online consumers made a purchase as a result of an email marketing message.”
Email conversions rank higher than social media and Google conversions when it comes to purchasing decisions, so they are an essential tool for marketing your book to increase sales.
How to Use an Email Newsletter for Author Marketing
Even though book sales are your end goal, make sure that your emails provide value and don’t just focus on “buy my book.” Here are a few ideas of topics that provide value to your readers so they’re more inclined to open your emails, click on your links, and recommend your newsletter to their friends and fellow readers.
Get our free Newsletter Guide!
- Your recommendations as an author (i.e. books, writing tools, conferences)
- Ways you overcame or are working through common writing problems (i.e. making time to write, dealing with imposter syndrome, finding a good writing group)
- Fun behind the scenes (i.e. where you write, character inspirations, fun facts about you the author)
It is never too early or too late to start building your author e-newsletter, so if you don’t have one yet, start working on yours today!
Final Thoughts on Author Marketing Strategies
While there is no 100% guaranteed formula to successfully market your book, the three strategies of collaborating, guest speaking, and sending out an author e-newsletter have proven time and again to increase book sales.
The best part is that any author at any stage of the publishing process can utilize these strategies and methods to find their captivated audience, grow their author platform, and sell more books.
Follow Erika on Instagram for more author marketing strategies, tips, tools, and techniques to successfully marketing your books.
About the Author
Erika Sargent graduated from BYU with a BA in Communications (advertising emphasis) and an English minor. She’s put her degree to work for over 10 years in retail marketing and promotional writing as Director of Marketing and PR for Familius, Marketing Manager for Utah Valley University, and her current roles as Marketing Specialist for the publishing house Familius and Founder of The Author+Marketer.
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