There is no shortage of ‘How To’ articles about organic marketing. Each has some insight and suggestions for once your book is published, but none take a comprehensive approach. When surveying the book marketing process from pre-production to publication, it is clear there are many things an author must consider from the very beginning.
Here is a comprehensive look at organic marketing for your book.
Why Book Marketing Is Essential
The importance of book marketing cannot be overstated. You have poured countless hours into your manuscript. You have slaved over syntax, dialogue, or character development. You have researched, interviewed, and indexed. You found a publisher (yaay!), an editor (yaay!), polished your work, and are ready to publish. But how will you make your work visible? Simply having your book available on different platforms will not be enough.
Without book marketing, your well-written, well-researched book still doesn’t exist. It is merely a digital file or a box of bound papers silently stored and waiting. In a crowded marketplace you will need the right promotional tactics, or your book will go unnoticed. Effective book marketing engages your target audience and gives you visibility.
Effective book marketing also begins at the very beginning. No matter who your publisher is,
you will need to engage your target audience early on, and throughout the publishing process, prior to publication. This gives you time to connect with future readers, grow your community, and promote your book’s debut prior to its publication date. Generating interest, anticipation, and pre-sales are important parts of a successful book marketing strategy.
What you can expect with eACH publishing model
Whatever publishing model you choose, your book marketing strategy will likely be the same. Here’s what to expect from the 3 main publishing models (traditional, hybrid, and self-publishing):
Traditional publishing has a colossal distribution system at its fingertips. This gives it an advantage over other publishing models. However, this is only in regard to book placement. Traditional publishers offer authors very little in book marketing. Though they generate interest through their catalogs, in general, they expect book marketing and publicity will be done by the author.
The other barrier to receiving book marketing help from traditional publishers is simply the barrier to getting in. Only 1-2% of authors are accepted and given contracts at traditional publishing houses.
Self-publishing is as it sounds. You must rely on yourself. Paid book marketing and publicity can run tens of thousands of dollars, so creating your own organic book marketing is the most cost-effective. The downside to this for many authors is that they spend 90% of their time marketing and only 10% of it writing.
Hybrid publishing, which is considered a “middle way”, is structured to help authors with book marketing from print to distribution. Hybrid publishers are more hands-on than their traditional counterparts and can provide print, distribution, retail store placement, and experience. The majority of hybrid publishers and their authors rely on organic marketing.
What Is Organic Marketing?
Marketing, the process of promoting a product, service, or brand, is an essential tool for all businesses.
Being an author is not the same as being a writer. Being an author is a business and a brand.
Organic marketing is marketing through non-paid or natural means, such as social media marketing, content marketing, book reviews, signings, and giveaways.
Organic marketing aims to attract customers by creating valuable content, building relationships, and establishing trust over time. It is a long-term marketing strategy that requires patience and persistence but can be highly effective in building a loyal customer base and establishing a strong online presence for your brand or business.
If you’re an author who prefers to spend more time writing than book promoting, creating content regarding your work, for example in blog posts, guest posts, and email newsletters, is more rewarding.
The 3 Stages Of Book Marketing
Organic book marketing starts at conception. Like content marketers who search for SEO keywords with which to craft their story, authors must be mindful of their market from the beginning.
In fact, SEO optimizing your book’s title, subtitle, and description with keywords that your target audience might use when searching for books online can help your book rank higher in search results and make it more discoverable.
Many book marketing articles omit pre-production and production issues and jump straight to post-production book marketing. After the book is printed is too late to begin thinking about your marketing strategy.
The 3 stages of book marketing are pre-production, production, and post-production (or publication). Each one of these stages is integral to your book marketing strategy.
Pre-production
Once you have decided to write your book you will want to conduct market research. Market research is a critical first step in creating a book marketing strategy. You should know everything about your genre, your target audience, and your competitors. Knowing your genre helps determine your category and your target audience. Doing a competitive audit helps you to distinguish yourself from the crowd.
Next, you will need to define yourself and your book. If your book is non-fiction, you must answer the question as to why your book matters, and why you are a reliable source of information. Readers will want to know why they should choose your book and what it will do for them. Your answer to this question is also your book marketing blurb. What qualifies you to speak about your book’s topic? The answer to this is part of your brand. Your brand is who you are, your story, and why others should listen to and follow you.
Now that you have researched and defined your book and its place in the market, it is time to begin cultivating an online presence to support it. You can do this with a website, blog posts, and social media. Use platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to connect with potential readers, share updates about your book, and build relationships. Join book groups or communities that are related to your genre and engage with readers who might be interested in your book.
Production
As the saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. The production phase of your book is all about making a striking first impression.
Your book’s introduction is visual. It will need a great cover design, and a great author photo, along with a great book synopsis and marketing blurb. As a physical object, you will want to ensure that every design element of your book, from the color scheme to the layout and paperweight, is enticing and professional.
You should also create a beautiful press kit. Your press kit will need the same pleasing and professional content and design quality.
Publication
Your book is stunning. Every design element and marketing copy detail has been considered. You did your market research, identified your genre, target audience, and competitors, and crafted your book accordingly. You have established an online presence and following, promoting your work, and your brand to like-minded communities. What you need now is to maximize the potential of what you have already established.
This is where most ‘How To’ articles about organic book marketing begin. While it is true that there are quite a number of things you can do to successfully and organically market your book once it is published, it is also clear there is a lot to consider and do beforehand in order to lay the groundwork for success. Our blog post ’16 Organic Marketing Strategies For Your Book Launch’ lists the many organic marketing strategies you can employ once your book is published. Altogether, you have a comprehensive view of organic marketing for your book, from start to finish.
Conclusion
Our comprehensive overview of organic book marketing from pre-to-post production is not exhaustive. There are endless ways authors can locate and connect with their target audience to create visibility and generate sales. Organic book marketing takes time, but so does developing a community. This is the true aim. The authentic and lasting connections you create are also investments in each future endeavor.
Today organic book marketing has outpaced traditional paid advertising, and the democratization of publishing has brought authors and readers closer. Readers prefer to
