Book Marketing
There are millions of books to choose from; thousands in any genre or category. Only the top hundred thousand books sell once a day on average or better.
So how will your book ever get discovered? The answer is effective marketing.
This includes two parts: (1) marketability (the packaging—cover, blurb, and Look Inside—and content—writing and storyline that will lead to recommendations), to attract your target audience, and (2) marketing (your online and offline efforts to help people find your book), in order to reach your specific target audience.
Where to Begin?
- Start with my free article, “Marketing: Why Isn’t It Working?” which provides a thorough introduction to important marketability and marketing concepts.
- Marketing works best when you plan ahead. Check out, “Marketing Isn’t an Afterthought,” for a variety of pre-marketing ideas that can help give your book an edge.
- One of the most important concepts of marketing is the notion of branding. I have two articles devoted to this: “Stages of Branding” and “The Four R’s of Branding.”
- Browse the dozens of free articles below on a variety of topics, such as how to prepare for a reading or signing.
- I created a free marketing opportunity called Read Tuesday. Check it out: readtuesday.com.
Free Articles
Marketing: Why Isn’t It Working?
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/09/10/marketing-why-isnt-it-working/
How to Hook Readers (Book Marketing Tips for Authors)
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2015/12/26/book-hook-sales-marketing-recipe-for-authors/
How to get 100,000 blog views (21 tips for better blogging)
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2015/02/07/how-to-get-100000-blog-views-21-blogging-tips/
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2015/06/14/how-to-market-a-book-with-a-blog/
How the Hashtag Do Authors Use Twitter? #pubtips
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2015/05/05/how-the-hashtag-do-authors-use-twitter-pubtips/
Advertising on Amazon with Amazon’s Marketing Services for KDP Select authors
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2016/04/15/kindle-unlimited-pages-read-march-2016/
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2015/03/01/advertising-on-amazon-ams-via-kdp-worth-it/
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2015/01/29/advertise-your-book-on-amazon-new-opportunity/
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2015/01/31/howwhere-does-your-ad-display-on-amazon/
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2015/01/29/tracking-views-at-amazon-finally/
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2015/02/03/sensible-advertising/
Promote Your Kindle Countdown Deal or Select Free Promo (or Other Book Sale)
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/11/15/promote-kindle-countdown-deal-select-free-promo/
Offline Book Marketing
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2014/12/07/offline-book-marketing/
Most Valuable Marketing Tools for Self-Published Authors
Marketing Children’s Books
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2014/04/25/marketing-childrens-books/
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2014/06/03/childrens-categories-marketing-kindle/
Audio Book: Reach Ears as well as Eyes
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2015/04/19/audio-book-reach-ears-as-well-as-eyes/
Put a Video Trailer on Amazon’s Author Central
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2015/05/05/put-a-video-trailer-on-amazons-author-central/
Build Buzz ! Cover Reveal ! Book Launch
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2014/12/12/build-buzz-cover-reveal-book-launch/
Bookmarks (Better than Business Cards for Authors)
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2014/08/09/bookmarks-better-than-business-cards-for-authors/
Who Reads a Blog?
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2014/12/11/who-reads-a-blog/
The Transition from Newbie Indie to Complete Author Package
What Makes People Buy Books?
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/06/19/what-makes-people-buy-books/
How Do People Buy Books?
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/12/13/how-do-people-buy-books/
Pre-Marketing Ideas
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/03/23/marketing-isnt-an-afterthought/
Target Your Audience
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/09/15/target-your-audience/
Book Marketing Magic: What You Can Learn from Amazon
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2015/07/10/book-marketing-magic-what-you-can-learn-from-amazon/
Building Credibility as an Author
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2014/01/08/building-credibility-as-an-author/
Cost-Benefit Analysis
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/04/16/cost-benefit-analysis-for-marketing-books/
Selling More than Just a Book
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2014/04/21/authors-what-are-you-selling/
Effective Book Marketing – Part 1
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/04/12/effective-book-marketing-part-1/
Effective Book Marketing – Part 2
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/04/13/effective-book-marketing-part-2/
Effective Book Marketing – Part 3
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/04/14/effective-book-marketing-part-3/
Book Marketing through Paid Advertisements
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/10/17/book-marketing-through-paid-advertisements/
Advertising Options for Book Sales
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/10/16/paid-advertising-options-for-book-sales/
The Value of Marketing Books
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/12/14/the-value-of-marketing-books/
A Different Kind of Book Marketing
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/12/06/a-different-kind-of-book-marketing/
Stages of Branding
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/04/26/stages-of-branding/
The Four R’s of Branding
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/03/15/marketing-the-4-rs-of-branding/
Marketing with a Blog
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2014/02/08/marketng-with-a-blog/
Book Contests & Giveaways
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2014/02/16/book-contests-giveaways/
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2015/02/27/my-experience-with-amazon-goodreads-giveaways/
Review Copies
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/09/18/review-copies/
Sales Psychology for Authors
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2014/04/07/sales-psychology-for-authors/
The Critical Book Sales / Marketing Chain
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2014/04/05/the-critical-book-sales-marketing-chain/
Selfless Promotion
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2014/01/05/selfless-promotion/
Too Many Clicks: Driving Traffic to Your Book’s Detail Page
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/11/22/driving-traffic-to-your-book-detail-page/
Content Is King
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2014/04/12/content-is-king/
Marketing Books around Strengths and Weaknesses
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2014/01/10/marketing-books-around-strengths-and-weaknesses/
Newbie Author Book Marketing Mistakes
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2014/04/05/newbie-author-book-marketing-mistakes/
The Power of a Backlist
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/12/28/the-power-of-a-backlist/
The Publicity Paradox
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/11/10/book-author-publicity-paradox/
How to Create Book Publicity
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/11/05/how-to-create-book-publicity/
Build an Effective Author Website + Press Release
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/11/07/build-an-effective-author-website-press-release/
Visual Branding for Small Businesses and Authors
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/06/23/visual-branding-for-small-business-and-authors/
Character Marketing
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/05/12/character-marketing-sherlock-holmes/
Branding Distinction for Authors
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/branding-distinction-for-authors/
Branding Sounds for Authors
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/07/10/branding-sounds-for-authors/
Book Marketing: The Power of Perception
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/09/14/book-marketing-the-power-of-perception/
Creative Marketing Ideas for Books
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/12/24/creative-marketing-ideas-for-books/
Online Marketing: Feel Like a Dog Chasing its Tail?
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/09/21/online-marketing-feel-like-a-dog-chasing-its-tail/
Authorpreneur vs. Writing Artist
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2014/02/01/authorpreneur-vs-writing-artist/
Comparing Commercial Marketing to Book Marketing
Selling Books Directly
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/08/25/selling-books-directly/
Why Should People Buy Your Books?
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/06/26/marketing-books-branding/
The Short Link to Amazon
Authors: You’re not Selling Books
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/06/20/authors-youre-not-selling-books/
There Is No ‘I’ in Author
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/06/17/there-is-no-i-in-author/
The Writer’s Enemy
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/09/12/the-writers-enemy/
Goofy Branding
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/08/23/goofy-branding/
Is It All Just a Popularity Contest?
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/09/08/marketing-a-popularity-contest/
Book Pricing Strategies
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/05/18/book-pricing-strategies/
Book Reading or Signing
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/08/29/book-reading-or-signing/
Marketing the Wrong Element of Your Book
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2014/11/16/marketing-the-wrong-element-of-your-book/
Creating a Highly Marketable Fiction Book
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/11/23/creating-a-highly-marketable-fiction-book/
A Look at a Successful Fiction Marketer
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/12/01/a-look-at-a-successful-fiction-marketer/
An Example of Successful Nonfiction Marketability and Marketing
What Attracts Me to Blogs of Fiction Authors?
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/12/19/what-attracts-me-to-blogs-of-fiction-authors/
Comparing Book Marketing to Movies
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/07/17/comparing-book-marketing-to-movies/
The Person Behind the Words
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/06/23/the-person-behind-the-words/
Free Books with Goodreads Giveaways
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/08/20/free-books-with-goodreads-giveaways/
Artists Who Love Marketing – an Oxymoron?
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/artists-who-love-marketing-an-oxymoron/
Amazon, Disneyland, and Branding
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/08/15/amazon-disneyland-and-branding/
How to Sell Hundreds of Books a Day
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/10/26/how-to-sell-hundreds-of-books-a-day/
Marketing a Book Is Like Dating
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2014/01/06/marketing-a-book-is-like-dating/
The Effect of Attitude on Sales
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/05/03/sales-and-attitude/
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2014/06/29/eradicate-negativity-your-marketing-depends-on-it/
Facebook and Twitter Options at WordPress (and Why You Should Use Them)
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/10/19/facebook_and_twitter_options_at_wordpress/
Facebook Twitter WordPress Triangle: Double Posting OOPS!
Book Marketing Karma
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2014/12/19/book-marketing-karma/
The Secret to Success
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/secret-to-success-marketing/
How to Motivate More Amazon Follows
https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2015/12/22/how-to-motivate-more-amazon-follows/
What to Do about Reviews Disappearing from Amazon (Proactive Solutions)
chrismcmullen 
Hi Chris, I am linking your Parts 1-3 of Effective Book Marketing on my blog tomorrow. Hope that’s OK?
That would be fantastic. Thank you. 🙂 (I look forward to seeing what the word of the day will be.)
OK I will not spoil the surprise!
What a great compilation. Thanks again for your work.
Daniel
I’m glad you think so. Thank you for taking time to leave a comment. 🙂
Still reading through them all. On a side note, in case you haven’t heard of this, I think you will find it interesting. You also may be more qualified to discern the facts about the pubbing world than most of us.
http://danielionson.wordpress.com/2014/01/21/%E2%96%BAeavesdropping-on-a-pubbing-argument/