8 Ways to Maximize Your Book Marketing During COVID-19
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The thought of promoting your book as a new author can be overwhelming at best — and can induce heart palpitations at worst! Promoting your book during a worldwide pandemic, though? Probably not what you had in mind.
With no true end in sight, however, the show must go on. The good news is there are plenty of opportunities to market your book and author brand from the comfort of your keyboard. Not only that, but these new virtual opportunities might just make marketing your book easier, more engaging, and more successful than you could have imagined. Book marketing experts, moving forward, will be incorporating many of these techniques even when the world is back to “normal.” Why? Because they are cost-effective, save time (and travel), and help authors reach and connect with fans and followers interested in their work, topic, or genre beyond in-person opportunities.
To make the most of promoting your book during COVID, it’s important to prepare. Logging onto a Facebook Live or Zoom event the day of and “winging it” is not the best strategy! Instead, make a clear plan based on where your target audiences “live” online, and take into consideration your preferred ways of interacting with audiences.
Here are eight winning strategies for authors when developing online book marketing plans:
1. Get social (media)
As a crucial part of your author platform, you will want to establish yourself on at least one major social media site. To decide which one, think about where your readers are: are your readers more likely to be active on Facebook or Instagram? Perhaps your ideal readership isn’t much for TikTok, but they engage frequently on LinkedIn. Once you discover where your audience is, move ahead in setting up an author page on that platform and engage consistently (frequency doesn’t matter as much as consistency does!) and genuinely with your newly gained followers.
2. Engage with relevant thought-leaders
What better way to replace in-person networking than to put on your sleuthing shoes and uncover thought-leaders in your genre via social media? Take the time to really do a deep dive and be sure to follow subject matter experts and authors relevant to you and your book. Go one step further and begin regularly engaging with their content by commenting and sharing where applicable in order to grow your network. Connecting with others in the industry via social media is a crucial step; you’ll not only gain valuable knowledge and priceless support, but you’ll tap into networks of like-minded people you might have otherwise never known about.
3. Virtual author events
You’ve likely noticed that many in-person events have switched over to virtual settings, and it’s likely your own author events will do the same. For many authors, this can feel disappointing, like you’re missing out on the real experience of an author event. While you aren’t able to connect with your readers in person (yet), virtual author events are not only popular —– they’re fun and effective! Start by scoping out local bookstores to potentially “host” an event via Zoom or Facebook Live and reach out to them to gauge interest. Be prepared to partner with them to promote the event (and store!) to your own network and theirs to boost attendance. Collaborate with your contact there to offer things like signed copies of the book which attendees can purchase through the bookstore. Finally, have a plan to reach out to local media to invite them to attend or cover the event to maximize exposure.
4. Provide solutions to your network
While you’re conducting your research to find people to follow and engage with on social media, you can go a step further. Take the time to monitor their feeds to gain insight into any common pain points within this community or industry. This will allow you the opportunity to tailor your content to meet those needs. Whether it’s through social media, your newsletter, webinars, or a blog, be sure to identify patterns within your network and generate content that brings value to your audience. By going the extra mile up front, you’ll prove to your audience that you truly care.
5. Set news alerts
Be the first to share news in your industry via social media by setting news alerts and monitoring your “space” as an author. If you don’t know how, you can start with Google here or customize your feed using the News App for iPhone users. This is a great strategy for those who are looking to become thought-leaders in a particular field. We live in such a connected world with most people receiving news and updates constantly via their phones or other devices throughout the day, it only makes sense to use these technological advances to your benefit.
6. Tie your book to current events
For nonfiction authors, consider your book’s major themes and how they may tie into current events or trends you’ve noticed in the media. Consider relevant pieces of news as potential “hooks” for your own book, whether it’s an awareness day that ties into your book’s message or a major, breaking-news headline. If there are any specific chapters that come to mind, consider pulling excerpts from them and highlighting those on social media or in your author newsletter/blog to entice readers and make the connection to your book obvious.
7. Share character sketches
For fiction authors, remember when you started plotting your novel and fleshing out your characters? Use that content to tease your following on social media by “introducing” them to a few main characters using Instagram, for example, as a way to get readers excited about reading your book. Get creative and share character descriptions, plot hints, and illustrations if applicable.
8. Consider a giveaway
Giving books away when your ultimate goal is to sell books might not seem to make sense, but consider this: a book with tons of great reviews will capture more attention than a book with no reviews. Since readers are online now more than ever, consider hosting a giveaway either through your own social media channels or by using a site like Goodreads. To maximize your reach, be sure to promote the giveaway within your own network through your website, author newsletter, social media, etc. Try to narrow down entries by providing comparable titles (“if you liked X book, you’ll love my new book.”). This way, those who win a copy are likely to enjoy it, review it, and tell others about it.
The idea of promoting your book can feel especially daunting during these unique times. Setting a plan to research and incorporate the right virtual book marketing strategies for your genre, topic, and personality gives you the power to introduce your book(s) to new readers, fans, and followers safely and effectively from home.
Kellie Rendina is a Senior Business Development Associate at Smith Publicity, the most prolific book marketing agency in the publishing industry, with thousands of books promoted since 1997. From first-time self-published authors to New York Times bestsellers, Smith Publicity promotes every genre, and has secured media coverage for authors and books with every top media outlet in the U.S. And Canada. The firm has offices in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and Toronto, Ontario. Contact Smith Publicity at info@smithpublicity.com.
