You have written your novel, it’s been published, and now you need to make sure people know about it. The ease of publishing, which Kindle and print-on-demand provide, means there is increased competition for readers. Even if you choose the traditional publishing route, you will be expected to help market your novel.

Marketing includes everything from a compelling blurb and cover to paid advertising. If it helps your book stand out and encourages readers to spend their hard-earned money, it’s marketing.

If you followed the steps of this writing a novel course, you already know your book’s genre, have written a blurb, and identified comps (the names of at least two novels, similar to your story, and likely to attract the same kind of readers). This will help inform your marketing strategy.

Smarter marketing checklist:

• Look at your comps’ meta data – the genre, keywords and categories – recycle the relevant details in your own classification. 
• Where do the authors of your comps hang out? What social media platforms (if any) do they frequent? What sort of material/content do they share? Don’t copy their communication style – it’s far better to be authentic and unique – but use their posts as inspiration. 
• If you have a say in your book’s cover, research the covers of the best-selling novels in your categories. What do they have in common? Which genre markers do they use? Can you commission something that would look great on the same bookstore shelf? 
• Target your efforts where your readers hang out. It used to be common practice for indie authors to scatter bomb Facebook groups, but even when Facebook was a useful forum for book advertising, it didn’t generate many sales. It took hours to visit every tangentially related Facebook group, drop an advert, and leave again. And because other authors did the same, new posts buried yours within minutes. It is far more effective to post selectively, purposefully and meaningfully. These days, social media marketing is about building connections with potential readers, so post about things you are genuinely interested in, or you’ll quickly burn yourself out.

What next?

You have covered all the basics. You have your blurb, cover, meta data and categories working for you. You’ve found readers in your genre and are actively engaging with them to build your following. You are writing a new novel and discussing your progress with your followers. What more can you do?

Amazon (and other online retailers)

Set up an author profile and write a bio. Ensure that all the books you have written or contributed to list you as an author.

Ask readers to leave reviews. Do not stress out about the odd bad review. Often a negative review will attract a new reader as effectively as a positive one.

Release parties

I’ve been involved in release parties on Facebook and Twitter, and I’m sure it’s possible to run one elsewhere on social media. They can be fun and, even if you don’t sell huge numbers of books through them, there is a good chance you’ll make new contacts. Allowing other authors in your genre to post at your event in exchange for inviting guests, is a great way to engage a new audience. You can publicise the event for free (if you don’t include time as a cost) or you can pay to advertise it.

Paid adverts

Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, The Fussy Librarian, Awesome Gang, Bookbub, Book Gorilla, Digital Book Today – there are many sites and social media platforms you can use to pay for book advertising. Bookbub is said to be the most effective but is also the most expensive. I’ve had some success with The Fussy Librarian. If you are launching a new book, especially if it is part of a series, it might be money well spent to invest in paid advertising but target it to the right reader by looking at genre and understanding the themes in your book(s).

Building connections

Follow people on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter (X) or wherever your readers can be found (stats suggest that 20% will follow you back). Share other people’s posts. Include relevant, trending hashtags but check what they refer to before using them, and whether you can get behind that message, to avoid potential upset. Ignore any social media platforms that aren’t attracting readers in your genre. It is better to frequently post in one or two places than rarely post in dozens.

Opinions are split as to how worthwhile a Facebook page is these days. Even paid adverts seem to fall flat. I would suggest that you build and maintain a page, but don’t rely on it for promotion. There is an argument that boosting once a week means more traffic to all the posts on your page. It might be worth playing with this tool while you decide what works best for you.

Maintaining connections

Build your own website and/or blog. Social media platforms come and go and frequently alter algorithms to strangle organic reach (visibility you haven’t paid them for). With your own website or blog, you make the rules, but if you want people to find you, you’ll need to consider SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), which I’ll discuss in a moment.

Interview other authors on your blog. Ask fellow authors and reviewers to interview you – this can be on a blog, radio or video. Join and participate in writer’s groups – in real life and on social media – but try to add value with what you post rather than drop a promo and run. Comment intelligently on blog posts and newspaper articles. Attend conventions and speak to people. Networking is worthwhile even if you aren't sat at a table, selling books.

Ensure your website is easy to navigate. If you decide to pay a website developer, make sure you have access to update it yourself, otherwise you could lose everything if the developer closes their business. Viridio, Wix and Wordpress offer easy to use templates that allow you to build and manage your own website. Research popular key words and search terms and use them in your content. If you are a romance writer, make sure you include those words in your text so that you will be easier to find on Google. Use a newsletter to keep your visitors up to date and encourage them to return to your site. Either sell your books on the site or provide links to where they can be purchased. Make it easy for a casual visitor.

Most websites will allow you to set up a blog, or you can use Substack, Blogger, Wordpress, Tumblr or other sites for this purpose. If you write a popular post, you can also publish it on Medium.

Search Engine Optimisation

This is relevant to your website and your book’s listing on Amazon. Amazon is a search engine, and it’s important to include keywords in your book’s blurb and metadata.

When it comes to SEO for your website, keywords play an important part, but your approach needs to be more sophisticated. Search engines will tell you what they are looking for, and Google states that it will rank quality and authoritative pages highest. You need to ensure that your website works well on mobile phones, that the content is relevant and of high quality, and that it is secure – which means you need an https prefix.

Most website builders will allow you to name individual pages and describe them – this is where your keywords need to be – but you should also include them (as naturally as possible) in the visible text on your website’s home page, other pages, and blog posts.

Ideally, you want your website to appear on the first page of relevant searches. When I ran Drac-in-a-Box Gothic Clothing in the early 2000s, we were always in the top four Gothic clothing sites on Google. However, at the time of writing, this website ranks 50+, meaning it appears on page five or later. I am continually working on the SEO, which is why blog posts about the process of writing (like this series), or reviews of other horror novels, are an integral part of my marketing strategy.

Writing content that is interesting and useful appeals to me more than sharing book covers and begging for sales, and it has greater value and longevity too.

Book signings

Some of my fellow authors sell more at signings and conventions than at any other time. A book signing might be something you arrange yourself at a bookstore or library or it might be an event arranged by someone else. The costs will include hiring a table, buying stock and travelling to the event. These can be significant, but if it’s a well-run and well-attended event in your genre, it could be extremely successful and financially worthwhile. Some events allow for panel discussions or book readings. Try to get involved in the opportunities they offer. Engaging with a wide audience takes courage, but it’s worth it.

Anthologies and box sets

Many of the indie bestsellers gained that title from a successful and well-advertised box set or anthology. They can be career makers. They don’t all sell well, and authors included in the collection are the people who pay for advertising. I am wary of expensive buy-ins and have heard of some authors being scammed, but the right anthology or collection can be a genuine opportunity to build your audience. Check open submissions and write short stories between novels if you have the talent for it.

Goodreads

It’s not a place for sensitive authors who are easily upset by bad reviews, but the beauty of Goodreads is that it is the only social media platform dedicated to books. Everyone there is a reader. Whether you read your reviews or not, it is good practice to list your books, create an author page and link your blog to it. Like Facebook, there are plenty of groups you can join and lists for specific genres, themes or protagonists. As a reader, you can build connections by reviewing books and commenting on threads.

Real Life Hacks

Leave paperback copies of your books in odd places and encourage people to read and pass on – this can bring new readers to your wider catalogue and/or website. Ask your dentist or hairdresser whether you can leave business cards or custom-made bookmarks at their premises. You don’t have to limit your marketing to online.

Personally, I’ve had limited success with paid adverts in magazines, but if you can encourage them to review your book or interview you as well, then a paid advert becomes immediately more effective.

If you are self-publishing paperbacks, you might also consider using a distributor who can access larger bookstore chains that wouldn’t consider your books otherwise.

Too revealing?

I constantly hear that readers want to learn more about the writer's process. Making short videos regularly and engaging with your audience, can convert a casual reader into a loyal fan.

Beware of polarising subjects. Some people will be attracted to your politics, but it can push other readers away. Decide what’s important to you and whether you feel strongly enough about it to risk losing followers.

The bad news

Successful indie authors claim they split their time 50/50 between writing and promotion. Without the backing of a publishing house or a PR company it takes a lot of time and effort to get your name out into the world. But you’ve written something you are proud of and now you want others to read and love it. You can be just as creative in the way you promote your novel as you were when you wrote it. Decide what works for you. How can you reach readers without burning yourself out? Once you find the right strategy, focus all your effort there.

I want your feedback

Please let me know what you thought about this novel writing series. Was it helpful? Did it inspire you to try new things?

If you enjoyed it, please encourage your writer friends to read it too. If you want to reward me, feel free to buy my books or share my links with your friends. If you would like to interview me or submit a blog post, please get in touch. I am always happy to make new friends and contacts.