Your 2025 Book Marketing Blueprint: How to Plan, Launch, and Continue Selling Your Book in the Year Ahead

A step-by-step guide to help you build an actionable marketing strategy to grow your audience, boost visibility, and drive book sales.

If you’re an author, or soon to be author, looking to grow your audience, boost sales, or establish your voice, you already know that writing a great book is only the first step. Success in book marketing doesn’t happen by accident—it requires a plan, consistent effort, and strategic preparation. As the publishing landscape becomes more competitive and readers face endless options, having a well-defined plan for 2025 can be the difference between a book that gets noticed and one that gets overlooked.

Why start planning now? Because effective book marketing starts long before your launch day. Whether you’re a first-time author hoping to gain traction or a seasoned writer looking to push your book’s reach to the next level, taking the time now to create a solid plan will save you stress, build excitement, and maximize your book’s potential in the year ahead.

Who Is This Guide For?

This self-guided course is designed for all authors—whether you’re still writing your book or it’s already been published. It’s especially valuable for:

• First-time authors navigating the challenges of launching a book.

• Experienced authors who want to streamline their marketing strategy.

• Fiction writers aiming to grow readership, engage fans, and encourage reviews.

• Nonfiction writers looking to build authority, generate leads, or land speaking opportunities.

How to Use This Guide

This course is broken down into clear, actionable sections to help you build your 2025 marketing plan step by step. Each section includes:

• Interactive features to help you get in the flow.

• Downloadable resources you can use to track goals, plan campaigns, and stay organized.

• A suggested progression path to guide you through pre-launch, launch, and post-launch strategies at your own pace.

We recommend starting at the beginning and working through each section in order. If you’re further along in your book’s journey, however, feel free to jump ahead to the sections that best fit your current needs.

With the right preparation, each of you—no matter your experience level—can turn your book into a success story. Let’s get started!

Laying the Groundwork: Define Your Marketing Goals

Before we dive into book marketing strategies, you’ll need to set clear, actionable goals. Defining what you want to achieve will not only give your marketing efforts direction but also ensure you’re measuring success in a tangible way you can measure. While fiction authors’ goals will differ from nonfiction authors based on audience and ultimate objectives, the process of setting goals is the same. Here’s how you can start laying the groundwork.

The first step in setting your goals is to determine what success looks like for you. This will vary depending on your book’s genre, your career stage, and your personal aspirations. Here are a few suggestions for both fiction and nonfiction authors:

Suggested Goals for Fiction Authors:

1. Grow Readership: Build a loyal fanbase by reaching new readers and engaging with existing ones.

2. Engage Fans: Create a community around stories, characters, and worlds.

3. Drive Reviews: Encourage readers to leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads to boost visibility and credibility.

Suggested Goals for Nonfiction Authors:

1. Establish Authority: Position yourself as a thought leader in your niche or industry.

2. Generate Leads for Services: Use your book as a tool to attract clients for coaching, consulting, or other professional services.

3. Land Speaking Gigs: Secure opportunities to share your expertise through workshops, conferences, and podcasts.

Once you’ve identified your overarching objectives, it’s time to create a structured plan with measurable targets.

Define SMART Goals

To ensure your goals are actionable, use the SMART framework:

Specific: Be clear and detailed about what you want to achieve.

Measurable: Quantify your goals so you can track progress.

Achievable: Set realistic targets based on current resources and your timeline.

Relevant: Align your goals with your book’s objectives and long-term vision.

Time-Bound: Set a deadline to keep yourself accountable.

SMART goals turn vague ambitions into tangible steps you can act on. Here are a few examples tailored to both pre-launch and post-launch phases:

SMART Goals (Before a Book Launch):

Grow your email list: Add 1,000 new subscribers to your email list within six months by offering a free short story or exclusive book chapter.

Secure ARC reviews: Send Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) to 50 reviewers and achieve at least 25 reviews on Amazon during launch week.

Build social media engagement: Increase Instagram engagement by 20% in three months through consistent posting, storytelling, and author Q&A sessions.

SMART Goals (After a Book Launch):

Drive reviews: Gather 100 reviews on Amazon within the first three months post-launch by engaging readers through follow-up emails and social media prompts.

Land media opportunities: Book five podcast interviews within two months to discuss your book and its themes.

Boost sales: Sell 1,000 copies within six months by leveraging targeted ads, book bundles, and promotional campaigns.

Interactive Exercise

It’s time to put this goal-setting framework into action! Use the following steps to craft your own SMART goals:

Write down your top three book marketing objectives.

For each goal, break it down into a SMART format:

Specific: What exactly do you want to achieve?

Measurable: How will you track progress?

Achievable: Is this realistic, given your timeline and resources?

Relevant: How does this align with your overall book strategy?

Time-Bound: When do you want to achieve this goal?

Now, review your goals for clarity and alignment. Ensure they are actionable, measurable, and realistic.

Build Your Pre-Launch Team

A successful book launch doesn't happen overnight—it takes a dedicated group of people who rally behind your work to generate momentum and build buzz. Your pre-launch team is a powerhouse of support. They help extend your social reach, share your excitement, and ensure your book hits the ground running. Here’s how to assemble a dream team and why it’s critical for your marketing success.

Who Do You Need On Your Team?

Beta Readers
Beta readers are your first line of feedback. They read an early draft (or drafts) of your book and provide invaluable insights into what works and what doesn’t—plot holes, character inconsistencies, and pacing issues. Beta readers help you refine your book before it goes to an editor.

ARC Reviewers
ARC reviewers receive advance copies of your book to read before your official book release day. Their job? Leave early reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and/or their social media. Early reviews provide social proof and improve your book’s visibility when it’s released.

Launch Team
Your launch team consists of dedicated supporters who help promote your book before, during, and after its release. Your team can also include:

• Email Subscribers who share updates with their networks.

• Social Media Ambassadors who post about your book and create buzz.