Book marketing for self-published authors: how to master the 4 phases of a successful book launch

You survived the brainstorming, long edits, and late-night deadline scrambling to write the book of your dreams.

Now, it’s time for the readers to flock in, right?

Unfortunately, this isn’t the reality for many authors who feel book marketing is the hardest part of the publishing process.

It’s understandable because, after all, you’re a writer, not necessarily a marketer. But people need to know about your book before they can buy it. So, no matter how challenging marketing is, it’s a crucial part of publishing a successful book.

We want you to succeed at book promotion, so we’ll share the four main phases of marketing your book and give you a book marketing strategy (with a checklist) you can easily follow as you spread the word about your new book.

Why authors should embrace digital book marketing

To get your book seen and read, you need to market it to your audience. Readers can’t find your book if you don’t tell them about it.

It also doesn’t help that millions of books are published each year ( over 4 million in 2022), and fewer Americans are reading than ever before. With the average American reading less than 15 books a year, self-published authors feel pressure to make sure their books are among the few chosen ones.

Book promotion is particularly challenging for self-published authors because they have to coordinate everything themselves, from designing their book covers to finding the right format to sell their ebooks and finding readers to love their books. But when you have a solid marketing plan, it’s easier to find your book’s readers, and we’ll help you do that.

Book marketing phase #1: Begin attracting the right audience

You should start promoting your book well before its launch! The exact timing depends on your publishing circumstances, but generally, we recommend starting your marketing at least six months before your book launch.

Traditionally published authors may have to wait for their publisher’s approval to discuss certain aspects of their book before the 6-month mark. But self-published authors can start talking about their book even earlier—while they’re still writing it.

Six months or more may seem like a long time, but it allows you to build anticipation in your audience, find early readers, and develop a proper marketing plan before the intense pre-launch weeks.

Here’s what you need to do to start building an audience for your book.

1. Set up your author platform

An author platform is the combined visibility you have from all your different platforms containing your target audience. The more people you can reach with your writing, the stronger your author platform. This includes:

• Your social media presence
• The subscribers on your email list
• Your blog readers
• Any reach you have from public speaking or events

That “target audience” part is important. Although people like your best friends and family are incredibly supportive, they may not always be part of your target audience and may not count towards your author platform. Say you’re writing a book about starting a business, but none of your close friends or family are entrepreneurs. In that case, they’re not your target audience, even if they support you.

Building an author platform takes time, and becoming a marketing maven won’t happen overnight. Conversely, if you don’t have an author platform, it’s never too late to start building one. Although you can publish a book without a platform, having a solid author platform will make it easier to promote your work.

Tips on how to build an author platform

Build an appealing author platform by following these six tips:

• Create a website for your brand: The first step to creating a platform is making an online home or hub for your work—a website. You can use a variety of website builders, but if you’re overwhelmed by the entire process, you can build a simple landing page with Kit.
• Set up social media accounts: For authors, knowing how to use social media to grow your audience is crucial. Social media can be a powerful way to connect with readers and other authors as you build your platform. Share snippets of your life, promotional material for your book, and event announcements to keep your network up to date.
• Create your author page on Amazon Author Central: Amazon Author Central is the control hub for self-publishing authors. It allows you to add editorial reviews, respond to reviews of your book, and fix listing issues. Amazon is an essential publishing site, and even traditional publishers sell their books there, so it’s worth it to have an Amazon Author profile (different from Amazon Author Central), too. Your Amazon Author profile allows you to claim your books and shows up under your book description, allowing readers to learn more about you.
  

  Elise Bryant’s Amazon Author Profile

• Join Goodreads and claim your author page: Goodreads is a book review and social media platform where people share what they’re reading and their thoughts on books with their network. Set up a Goodreads author page to have your books linked to your profile and keep track of reviews.
• Publish valuable content: To keep readers following your author platform, you’ll need to create content—LinkedIn posts, Medium articles, podcasts, blog posts, or Instagram Reels. Your content should be a healthy mix of fun and promotional—appealing to your audience.
• Partner with other authors and influencers: Reach out to influencers who read books like yours (not just those with the highest follower counts) and pitch them your book. You can also connect with your favorite authors and ask them if they’d be open to reading and reviewing your book.

2. Start and grow an email list

The next step in building your author platform is starting and growing your email list. You might feel that social media provides enough audience connection, but having an email list is even more beneficial.

Social media algorithms change every day, leaving you powerless over your reach and whether or not your audience will see your content. Your mailing list, on the other hand, is all yours, and you can communicate with them directly in their inboxes—no algorithms in your way.

Tips on how to build an author email list

If you’re ready to take the plunge, these are our best tips for building an author mailing list:

• Create a lead magnet: Especially if this is your first book, you’ll need an incentive or lead magnet to convince people to sign up for your mailing list. Your lead magnet should be something relevant to your target audience—your book’s readers—that ideally builds anticipation for your book, like a sample chapter.
  

  James Clear offers new subscribers free access to his book’s first chapter

• Deliver your incentive via a newsletter landing page: Once you’ve created your incentive, build a newsletter landing page where visitors can sign up and receive it. Newsletter landing pages work better than sign-up forms because they provide ample space to showcase your lead magnet.
• Get eyeballs on your landing page: Now it’s time to start growing your mailing list by sharing your landing page with everyone! You can share the link on your social media profiles and also optimize your landing page for search engines so it shows up when people Google your name.

Best practices on how to keep your email list active

Your email list is up, so the next challenge is to keep it running. Follow these best practices:

• Welcome new subscribers: Setting up a warm welcome email will make new subscribers feel seen and connected to you. It also gives you a chance to properly introduce yourself and share what they can expect from your newsletters.
• Know which subscribers are especially interested: You’ll get many sign-ups, but not everyone will be invested for the same reasons. Use email tags to associate subscribers with their content preferences. For example, create tags for those who signed up for a book excerpt and those who signed up to know when your book is released.
• Keep sending your newsletter regularly: Life as a writer is busy, but don’t let your newsletter lapse into inconsistency. Try to send it out at your pre-established frequency. If you’re stuck, our tips on how to write an email newsletter will help.
• Respond personally: When you email regularly, readers will soon begin to respond. Reply to them with answers to their questions (it may help to have a document with answers to commonly asked questions) and connect with them as much as you can.

Book marketing phase #2: Prepare for the launch

Once your book is written and in the final edit stages, it’s time to start thinking of your book launch.

Decide whether or not to have an in-person launch event and choose a date for your book launch festivities. As a self-publishing author, you’re fully in control of your publishing and book launch dates, so you can pick the best option for you. We recommend keeping track of all the milestones with our self-publishing checklist.

3. Keep your audience engaged and build anticipation

A key part of preparing for your launch is building excitement and staying engaged with your audience. This ensures that no one forgets or loses track of your book’s release date. Keeping it top of mind for your audience increases the chances that they’ll order it as soon as it is released.

With all the logistics on your plate, staying connected with your audience can feel like a challenge, but it’s worth it.

Tips on how to spark excitement on your social media platforms

These are our best tips for creating buzz on your social media accounts.

• Share engaging content on social media: Cultivate audience interest in your book by asking their opinions through polls (for example, choosing between book covers), updating them with new developments (cover reveals, release dates, new blurbs from other authors, etc.), and sharing teasers like book trailers or book excerpts.
  

  Travel blogger and author Helene Sula promotes her book on Instagram

• Use video: In addition to making and sharing a trailer of your book, consider going live on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube or making short videos answering questions about your book or the behind-the-scenes process of your research.
• Participate in relevant conversations on social media: Weigh in on industry trends where possible. For example, you could share articles about the challenges writers in your genre face or repost content about industry awards. Try to only share when you have an opinion instead of simply chiming in for visibility.
• Interact with others in online communities and forums: Book people are your people, so be vocal in your Facebook Groups or subreddits. Whenever you have an appropriate chance to talk about your work, take advantage of it.
• Build your own book launch community: You could also start a community for your book launch. This could be a Facebook Group, Discord channel, or Instagram community where you share exclusive content, such as your writing schedule, chapter excerpts, writing mood boards, character summaries, etc. Your launch community can help you generate plenty of excitement ahead of release.

Ideas on how to promote your book with email marketing

These are some starter ideas for marketing your book.

• Run a book giveaway campaign: Give away a copy (or three!) of your book to your newsletter subscribers. Newsletter giveaways spread the word about your book and may score you a new reader or two. For extra publicity, share the giveaway on social media, ask people to join your mailing list for a chance to win, and announce the winners on social media.
• Write and send a book launch email campaign: A book launch email campaign is a series of emails that tells readers about your new book and persuades them to buy it. It’s best to write product launch campaign emails ahead of the launch and use automations to schedule them. This way, during and after the book launch, you don’t have to worry about writing and editing a set of emails.
• Keep sending your newsletters: Your mailing list should stay active before, during, and even months after your book launch. Take every opportunity to mention your new book (even if in passing) and share a purchase link. You can even add the link to your newsletter email signature and use email tags to add readers who click on the link to your book launch sequence.

More tips to keep your upcoming book launch front and center

Here are even more tips to make the best of the pre-launch season.

• Pre-sell your book: In all the pre-launch promotions, many readers may already feel ready to commit and purchase your book. Set up pre-orders to allow them to buy the book even before it launches. You can easily create your product with Kit Commerce and share the URL for people to purchase before the launch.
• Drop hints on your website or podcast: Write blog posts about your book or the process of writing it and add a call to action that allows readers to pre-order the book or join a waiting list or newsletter to learn when it is published. You can also record podcast interviews or start a podcast around your book’s subject.
• Reach new audiences with interviews: Contact podcasters, bloggers, or journalists that your audience listens to for interviews. In your outreach emails, mention what topics you’d be open to discussing. During the interviews, you can share insights about your book, the writing process, and any inspiring personal experiences.
• In-person and online networking: Attend literary events, book fairs, and conferences to connect with more potential readers. This allows you to network with fellow authors and industry professionals who can help publicize your work.
• Recruit a book launch team (aka street team): Your street team is a group of early readers who read, review, and create excitement about your book on social media. To find a street team, ask your most active followers both in your email list and on social media. Using segmentation and email tags, you can figure out which subscribers are most engaged. Don’t forget to offer small gifts to this team of readers—bookmarks, t-shirts, or even scented candles are great options.
• Distribute advance reader copies (ARCs): ARCs are uncorrected proofs, the first copies of your book that reviewers read—available in physical or electronic versions. Send them to your launch team, journalists, and reviewers. Use the Kit Creator Network to find creators in your niche who may be willing to read and review your book.
• Consider paid advertising: Advertising can be useful when you choose effective platforms where your target audience hangs out. Consider paying for ads on Amazon, BookBub, review sites like Kirkus, social media like Facebook, and even newsletter ads.
• Check out other free and paid book promotion sites: Many bloggers and websites offer book promotion opportunities. Do some research into the most popular book review websites and see whether they offer free or paid advertising opportunities for authors.

4. Get your marketing and sales channels ready

Before your book launches, make sure that all your marketing materials (audio, images, text, etc.) are ready to go. Schedule as much content as you can to free up mental space during the launch. If there are elements that need to be posted in real time, add those to your calendar so you remember to do them.

Tasks to include on your pre-launch to-do list

Add these tasks to your pre-launch checklist:

• Create a new template for your email footer: You’re going to be a published author, so make sure your new email footer reflects that. Add a “Buy My New Book” link so everyone you email knows where to buy your book.
• Build a landing page for your book: Just like you did for your newsletter, build a landing page for your new book—it’ll only take 10 minutes! Add a positive review or two so people see how awesome your book is, and include a link for visitors to buy it.
  

  Author Janae Marks has a landing page for her latest novel, including praise and links to purchase it

• Prepare other website-related stuff: Spruce your website up so that it’s set up to promote your book. Add banners, email pop-ups, or special menus to announce your new release. Depending on your website platform, you might be able to set up timed banners that start showing on a specific date, so you don’t have to do this the night before your launch.
• Design and plan your social media posts: Tools like Canva make it easy to design graphics for social media. You can schedule these posts using tools like Publer, Metricool, Post Planner, or Buffer. Don’t forget to update your social profiles with your book link (this is one of those manual tasks since, for most self-publishing authors, it can only be done when your book is live).
• Test your sales process: If you’re self-publishing, test that your sales platform works as it should (e.g., leads buyers to confirmation pages, delivers the ebook, etc.). You may need to buy a copy of your book to be sure. If you’ll be selling the ebook on your website, Kit Commerce allows you to test purchases without actually buying the book.

Book marketing phase #3: Launch and sell your book

For many authors, a book launch feels more like a week-long event than a single-day affair, so don’t be afraid to plan multiple launch events.

5. Make your book launch an event

You reached an important goal, and that’s worth celebrating! Here are some ways to make your book launch fun while promoting it.

• Host a webinar: Plan your webinar to showcase your new book, and consider inviting other authors in your industry to talk about their books or interview you. Collaboration can help a wider audience find your book. You could also offer opportunities during the webinar for attendees to win a copy of your book.
• Go live: Use live videos on social media to discuss your new book. It’s also a good idea to go live with an influencer or another author to discuss the book. This will increase the buzz during launch week and reach more people.
• Reach out for interviews: Even after your book launches, it’s not too late to reach out for more interviews with bloggers, media houses, and magazines.
• Be a podcast guest: While you might be too busy to record podcast episodes during launch week, this is a great week to publish pre-recorded interviews.
• Answer questions and support tickets: Readers who have issues downloading the book will contact your support email. If you can, consider outsourcing support tasks during launch week.
• Correct any tech hiccups: If you missed any checks in the pre-launch period, you might need to confirm that your automations are still running smoothly.

Book marketing phase #4: Enchant and grow your reader base even after the launch

Book launch season is over, but book promotion isn’t. Use this phase to go over your numbers. See which sources referred the most numbers of buyers, review how many books sold, and figure which platforms to focus on for your next launch.

6. Gift some unexpected extras

Show appreciation for your mailing list and customers who purchase by giving away some extra gifts. Some bonus product ideas include:

• Unpublished chapters
• Discounts on the audio version
• Learning resources
• Special Q&A sessions
• Branded merch

7. Meet your readers in person

If possible, consider running an in-person event for your readers. You might need to do additional event marketing to create some buzz around it, but your audience will love a chance to meet you. If you decide to host a paid event, offer a discount for attendees who bought the book before and during launch week.

Here are some possible events to consider:

• Book signing at a local store: Set up a book signing at your local independent bookstore. Book signings are typically intimate and also support local businesses. You could serve snacks and drinks and keep the agenda simple to make it easier.
• Book tour: A book tour is more expensive, but if you have the budget to fund it, this is a fantastic way to meet readers around your region or country. If your budget is tight, consider doing a virtual book tour—right from your home office.
• Speaking events: You can collaborate with corporate organizations or small businesses hosting events for a speaking slot. This is a great way to benefit from an in-person event without bearing full responsibility for the event.
• Book fairs: Book fairs are a delightful way to get your books in front of readers while enjoying the discovery of new books yourself as a reader. You might also get an opportunity to speak and pitch your books to readers.

8. Ask for testimonials and reviews

Like with any product, asking for book reviews and testimonials is an essential part of marketing your book. Post on social media requesting reviews and ask your email subscribers for them, too.

You can also streamline the process by setting up an automated testimonial request that is sent to readers who purchased the book. That way, you don’t have to write the testimonial request from scratch every single time. Remember to feature your reviews on your website or book landing page.

Master the art of book marketing and sell more copies of your book

Publishing your first book can feel like summiting a mountain, but it’s crushing when sales are low because no one knows about your wonderful book. Learning the ropes of book promotion can make a significant difference.

With a mix of email newsletters, social media, and a handy book promotion checklist, you can become a book marketing pro and give your book the best chance at success. Kit offers many tools to build landing pages, send newsletters, and even sell your book with ease.

Sign up for a free Kit account now.