How to Pre-Market Your Book as a Self-Published Author
Do you know when to start marketing your book? We've got the answer!
Promoting your book and marketing it to potential readers and bookstores is a key step in publishing your book. The writing part is only one, small piece of the puzzle as a self-published author. In this article, we’re covering everything you need to know to effectively pre-market your book, including when to start pre-marketing, what you’ll need for branding, how to use social media to promote your book, and more.
What Brand Products Do I Need to Promote My Book?
While you’re writing your book, take time to set up a professional author website, your social media profiles, and any other branding materials that might showcase who you are as an author. If you have a local bookstore you love, it’s also never too early to start building a relationship with the store’s book buyer.
When To Start Pre-Marketing Your Book
My short answer is—as early as possible. You’ll want to start generating buzz for your book months before its official launch, and even while you’re still writing it. This gives you time to build interest, grow your followers, and get people excited for the release.
Use Social Media to Pre-Market Your Book
Instagram
Instagram is a powerful tool for pre-marketing your book. I recommend using the app to share behind-the-scenes photos or videos of your writing process, teasers from your book, and other content that builds excitement for the release. Make sure you use relevant hashtags, engage with posts and people under the #bookstagram tag and your followers, and create a consistent posting schedule to your feed and stories to grow your following.
TikTok (aka #BookTok)
TikTok is a newer social media platform that's quickly gained popularity with readers. The go-to hashtag for readers is #BookTok, and it has more than 100 billion tagged videos. As an author, you can use the platform to share short videos that showcase your writing process, provide sneak peeks of your book, or offer book recommendations to your followers. Use trending hashtags and collaborate with other creators to grow your reach.
Facebook
Facebook is still one of the most popular social media platforms, which makes it a great place to pre-market your book. Create an author page and share book updates, behind-the-scenes content, and even run targeted ads to reach potential readers.
How Do I Get a Book Signing Event at a Bookstore as a Self-Published Author?
Book signings are a great way to generate buzz for your book and connect with future readers. If you’re self-publishing your book and want to secure a book signing event at a bookstore, you'll need to do your research. Reach out to local bookstores in your area, have your professional pitch for your book ready, and be prepared to answer any questions the bookstore may have.
When you are offered a book signing event, know that you’ll be responsible for promoting the date, time, and location of your event because the bookstore may not promote the event for you.
Do I Need a Launch Team to Promote My Book?
While it's not completely necessary, I recommend utilizing a launch team to help pre-market your book. A launch team is a group of people who are excited about your book and are willing to help. Your team can be however large or small of a group as you’d like, and you will want to provide each person with a free, signed copy of your book. Once you have your launch team in place, they can help you generate buzz on social media, leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, and even host their own book clubs or discussion groups.
As a self-published author, promoting and marketing your own book is the key to selling copies. Start early on your author brand and generate interest in your book long before it’s published.
Have specific questions about pre-marketing or promoting your book? Comment your questions and we’ll answer a few in an upcoming article!