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Your 12 Month Book Marketing Plan

By on January 13, 2018
Your 12 Month Book Marketing Plan - Writer's Life.org

When it comes to marketing a book, many writers feel understandably daunted. Book marketing is one of the hardest parts of successfully publishing a book, and for many authors, they just don’t know where to start.

Making sure you have a robust book marketing plan before you publish however is essential. Getting organised in this way will mean that you feel more in control of marketing your book and have a robust and structured plan which will help your marketing campaigns to run as smoothly and effectively as possible.

Remember, successfully marketing a book doesn’t simply happen overnight. So it’s a good idea to be prepared to put the work in over a 12 month period to truly explore your options and market your book in every way possible.

Here are some ideas to create a strategic book marketing plan in the lead up to its release and beyond.

6 months before you release your book

Build your author website - your author website is your main platform to showcase your work. Take a look at other author websites to inspire you. Make sure your author website has a sign-up link so fans can receive information from you.

Decide who your ideal reader is. To successfully market your book, you need a target audience. Once you have established who they are you can focus your marketing campaigns on them.

Book events, and signings. Now is the time to work on setting up a book tour. Reach out to appropriate places to try and book events such as readings and signings once your book hits the shelves.

Develop a Media Kit. A good media kit will be so helpful when you are trying to release your book. It should include your books cover image and a summary of the plot. Links to where your book can be published. A professional headshot of you along with your author bio. Your writing CV. Quotes and reviews of your work, links to your social media accounts and any other media coverage such as interviews or book reviews you have done in the past.

Start Networking. The more connections in the industry you have, the better, so now is the time to start joining groups, getting involved in conversations and connecting with readers. You should also start writing your author blog in earnest to try and gain a following and reach out to a wider audience.

Research different media channels. Before you launch your book, you should have made a comprehensive list of media channels and sources where you can send your media kit, book samples and press releases to generate buzz about your book.

1-3 Months before Release

Now is the busiest time for you as you should be sending out media kits, press releases and setting up consignment deals in with bookstores. Try to get some guest posts on relevant blogs with links back to your website or book, start contacting bloggers to see if they will review your book for you and set up some interviews to happen just after you release your book in order to gain maximum publicity.

After your book release

Once you have released your book, you must try to keep the momentum going as much as possible. Setting up giveaways on Amazon and Goodreads is a popular method, and you can promote these via your social media accounts. Make sure you have categorised your book correctly, that you have contacted everyone on your email list to let them know your novel is out. Try to get as many reviews as possible, and encourage fans to share your blog posts and social media posts. Start your book tour, consider setting up some paid ads and keep trying to get guest posts on influential blogs, press releases published and interviews scheduled. The more frequently and longer you can keep this up, the more momentum you can build and the more people you’ll reach.

By setting realistic book marketing goals as well as keeping proper scheduling, you’ll make sure that you are doing everything you can to promote your book.

When it comes to book promotion, there really is an endless amount you can do, so stay focused and keep at it to ensure your book reaches as many people as possible and to give it the best chance of success.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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