Whether you are publishing a book this year or have published recently, now is a great time to try new approaches and test new ideas for promoting your book.
Book marketing is an ongoing effort and there are so many marketing strategies to try, and test, and try again. We thought we’d help you with these five ideas. Maybe there’s something new here that you haven’t done yet. Or maybe you can try a new approach to some strategies you’ve tried before.
1. Submit Your Book for an Award
One of the many ideas for promoting your book, if you plan on publishing this year, is to submit it for an award. Because book awards come with many perks besides bragging rights.
An award offers an opportunity to be seen by more eyes and to be taken seriously. And there are book awards out there for every genre and type of book, so do some research and find the right fit for your book to increase your chances of winning. You can read more about the many surprise benefits of winning a book award here.
2. Try New Social Platforms
The long-standing advice on social media promotion is to go where your audience is. If you’re not sure where that is, or you’re stuck in a rut on the platforms you do use, maybe it’s time to put more energy into the platforms you’ve been avoiding. For instance, Pinterest is often overlooked as one of the many ideas for prompting your book and your website.
Pinterest is a visual search engine that is less affected by the whims of the algorithms of social media sites and you can add links to your images there, unlike on Instagram. If you have a beautiful book cover, it will stand out on this platform devoted to aesthetics.
We’re planning on writing a post on how to use Pinterest in your book marketing strategy soon, so sign up for our newsletter/blog feed so you don’t miss it.
3. Take Advantage of Trending Topics or Genres
You can bring your older book back to life by planning a promotion around trending topics and genres. The book industry is fickle and certain genres tend to trend and get all the attention in any given year or timespan. Maybe you wrote a Vampire Fantasy but published at a time when another fantasy subgenre was trending? Maybe you wrote a Historical fiction novel and this year, it’s a topic of interest for whatever reason?
If you wrote a timely non-fiction novel that sheds light on current events, take advantage of that while people are talking about it. Maybe you can push for media attention and interviews?
4. Put Yourself Out There in Your Community
Being a writer can be lonely, but it doesn’t have to be. And not all book marketing needs to be done from behind a screen. If you have a favorite bookstore, see if they would be open to hosting a reading or book signing. Go to a writer’s conference you’ve always been curious about and network. You can find writing groups in your area and see if any of them are a good fit for you.
Often when you think of ideas for promoting your book, you probably focus on ads and social media and overlook opportunities in the real world. Maybe 2025 could be the year you put yourself out there and find your community? This kind of community building pays off in the long term and helps keep you inspired to do what you do.
5. Spruce Up Your Author Brand
A new year is the perfect time to refocus on your goals and use your inspiration for change for the better. If it’s been a while since you’ve done anything from changing your profile picture on your social media platforms to updating your website, now is the time.
Maybe it’s time for new social media banners? Or to get a fresh, professional headshot? Maybe your whole website needs revamping? You don’t need to do a total rebrand, but sometimes content grows stale and your author platform becomes stagnant.
What about your author marketing collateral? Do you need print marketing materials or other swag? Now is the time to check in on that! Remember, fresh content gets attention!
New Ideas for Promoting Your Book Appear When You’re Informed and Inspired
You may come up with new ideas for promoting your book as you continue your book marketing journey. It’s always good to check into what other authors in your genre are doing to promote their books. You can also subscribe to helpful newsletters for authors. Listen to podcasts that inspire you, or get really brave and join that writing community we talked about earlier.
The key to a long-term book marketing strategy is staying inspired and feeling supported. The last thing you want to do is suffer author burnout, so put your energy where it serves you best and be willing to commit on the level that you’re able to and you’ll have more success!
Recent Comments