, Author at Book Promotion.com

A Book Marketing Plan Template

Marketing a book in today’s competitive publishing landscape requires more than just writing a great story—it demands a strategic (laser focused) approach that connects with readers and builds lasting engagement. Whether you’re a debut author or a seasoned writer, implementing a comprehensive marketing strategy can significantly impact your book’s success.

Also, don’t get upset with me if/ when you see things in this plan that you didn’t know you needed! That’s what we’re here for, right? If you didn’t have all of this in place for your first book, so be it! You didn’t know what you didn’t know. Put it all in place now.

Setting the Foundation: Goals and Audience

Before diving into marketing tactics, authors must establish clear, measurable objectives. Are you aiming to sell a specific number of copies, build a robust email list, or establish yourself as an authority in your genre? These goals will serve as your compass throughout the marketing journey.

This is the “get your head on straight” step in any good checklist.

The Non-Negotiable Author Platform

Before you even think about launching your book, you must have three critical elements in place: a professional website, a compelling reader magnet, and an email list setup. This isn’t optional—it’s absolutely essential for success in today’s publishing landscape. Your website serves as your digital headquarters, where readers can learn about you, your books, and your unique voice. A reader magnet—whether it’s a free novella, short story collection, or exclusive content—is your key to building an email list. This valuable freebie entices readers to subscribe to your newsletter, creating a direct line of communication with your audience. Your email list is arguably your most valuable marketing asset; it’s the only platform you truly own and control. Without these three foundational elements in place, you’re essentially launching your book into a void. Take the time to set up these crucial components properly before your launch—your book’s success depends on it.

In case you don’t have any of these things in place and you’re tempted to just skip this section, go ahead, but soon I will prove to you that you have to gave this in place. 🙂

Building Your Author Brand

Your author brand is more than just a logo or website—it’s the complete package that represents you and your work to the world. A professional website serves as your digital home base, featuring your biography, book information, and contact details. Develop a consistent visual identity, including a distinctive color scheme and tagline that aligns with your genre and writing style. Get a great author photo taken (or take one yourself!) and include it across your entire platform. You want to do this as a job, so get your network looking super professional and together!

Pre-Launch Strategy: Creating Buzz

The groundwork for successful book marketing begins long before your publication date. Start by ensuring your book is market-ready with an eye-catching cover, compelling description, and strategic keyword optimization for platforms like Amazon.

Create excitement through a multi-faceted pre-launch campaign:

Distribute Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) to influential reviewers and bloggers and to your own ARC team (which you created by segmenting your email list)
Share strategic social media content, including behind-the-scenes glimpses and countdown teasers
Create a dedicated landing page for pre-orders and book information, then email your list about that to spark some momentum in the Amazon Sales Ranks. BookFunnel is a good tool to use for this kind of thing.

If you have absolutely no followers / fans/ people on your email list, I’m sorry, but the only things to do are the “follower funnel method” that no one likes, or the “launch with zero, then pay” method. Pick one and go with it! Don’t get upset!

SEE! It literally took two paragraphs before we got to something where you absolutely need an email list. This is exactly why I will never shut up about that reader magnet/ email signup, guys!

Launch Time: Maximizing Impact

Your book’s launch window presents a crucial opportunity for building momentum. Host engaging virtual events like livestream Q&As or book readings to connect directly with readers. Leverage targeted advertising on platforms where your audience spends time, whether that’s Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. Don’t overlook traditional media outreach—a well-crafted press release can open doors to valuable coverage.

Sustaining Success: Post-Launch Strategies

The work doesn’t end once your book hits the shelves. Maintain engagement through:

Regular reader interactions via book club discussions and virtual meet-ups
Content marketing initiatives that showcase your expertise and book’s themes

Active collection and showcase of reader reviews and testimonials
Strategic promotional campaigns, including limited-time discounts or special bundles

Measuring and Adapting

Success in book marketing requires continuous monitoring and adjustment. Track key metrics including sales figures, website traffic, social media engagement, and advertising performance. Use this data to refine your approach, doubling down on effective strategies while revising or replacing underperforming tactics.

Putting It All Together: A Real-World Example

Consider this scenario: You’re launching a fantasy novel with a goal of selling 1,000 copies in six months. Your research shows your target audience consists of fantasy readers aged 18-34 who are active on Instagram and Goodreads. You develop a dark, mysterious brand aesthetic with the tagline “Unraveling worlds one page at a time.”

Your marketing plan might include:

A pre-order campaign featuring exclusive bonus content

Targeted Instagram advertising to reach fantasy enthusiasts
Strategic ARC distribution to social media influencers, genre bloggers, and your own ARC list
An interactive virtual launch event

Regular blog content focused on fantasy world-building

The Path to Success

Book marketing is both an art and a science, requiring creativity, strategic thinking, and consistent effort. By approaching it systematically—from setting clear goals to monitoring results—you create a solid foundation for your book’s success. Remember that marketing is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor; adapt these strategies to align with your unique voice, audience, and objectives.

As you implement your marketing plan, stay flexible and ready to adapt to changing market conditions and reader responses. With dedication and strategic execution, you can create a marketing campaign that not only drives book sales but also builds a lasting connection with your readers.

Book Marketing

Using Music To Promote Your Book

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How readers find books has changed dramatically in today’s digital, mobile, social world. One recent study indicated that consumers now discover books in up to forty-four different ways! With this in mind, I want you to think about introducing readers to your work through music.

Why music? It’s a fun, creative, new medium that introduces you and your writing to an entirely different community of potential readers. To show you how and why it’s done, here are three authors who are introducing readers to their work through music:

Ed Hancox, author of Iceland, Defrosted – Ed is the author who first put music playlists on my book-promotion radar. His non-fiction travel book about his passion for the people, places and music of Iceland, has a truly unique playlist that he created using Soundcloud. Not only was his soundtrack one of the creative tools that helped push Ed’s book to the top of the Amazon bestseller list for books about Iceland, but it made book promotion an extension of his creative process. Here’s how Ed describes the experience: “I really enjoyed doing it. It was like making a cassette tape for a friend in the 1990’s. I then shared it with everyone. The response was amazing! People from all over the globe got in touch to tell me how much they enjoyed it.” Ed’s “how to” article about how he made his playlist for Iceland, Defrosted is worth a read.

Susan Rodgers, author of the Drifters novels – Susan has just begun creating a playlist for her books, which are in the women’s fiction and romance genres. Her lead character, Jessie Wheeler, is a singer and songwriter. The title of each book in the series is a signature song within that book. “All along I’ve known what Jessie’s ‘music’ voice sounds like,” says Susan. “But it wasn’t until a serendipitous find online led me to Eva Cassidy that it hit me how clearly Eva’s style and voice reflected what I’ve been hearing in my head. She just fit as Jessie’s voice. Sarah McLachlan’s Wintersong also inspired me.” These are a few of the songs Susan will be adding to her playlist. She’s exploring Bandcamp to host the soundtrack she’s creating.

Roz Morris, author of My Memories of a Future Life – As in Susan’s book, the character in Roz’s award-winning novel is also a musician. However, Roz has taken a very different approach to music and writing. Her blog project, “The Undercover Soundtrack,” has become a popular place for writers to discuss how music influences their creative process. If you listen to music while you write, that’s a playlist worth sharing with your readers as well.

There are so many ways authors can use music to introduce readers to their writing. As you can see from the three examples here, making a music playlist doesn’t “feel” like your typical book promotion project. Rather, it’s fun and imaginative. That creative energy and enthusiasm conveys to readers and encourages them to engage with you and your work. Ultimately, that’s what effective book promotion is all about.

How have you used music as an author? I’d love to hear your ideas.

Kathy Meis is founder and president of the social book discovery platform Bublish. She is a professional writer, editor and editorial manager with more than twenty years of experience in the media and publishing industries. Kathy was also a founding editor of Forbes MediaCritic and is a founding partner of PubSmart, a new author-centric publishing conference being held in Charleston, South Carolina this spring. She ghostwrites business books and is a frequent blogger on the subject of book promotion, author branding, social media and discoverability. In 2012, Kathy won the People’s Choice Award at the Startup Showcase at O’Reilly’s Tools of Change Publishing Conference.