How to Promote a Book 101: Promoting Your Brand

by | Sep 24, 2020 | Book Marketing Basics

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Figuring out how to promote a book the right way isn’t always easy.

And if you’ve ever wondered what motivates people to buy a book, consider this: consumers don’t buy a book, they buy a brand. Or, as a friend of mine says, consumers crave a brand. This is true now more than ever – in fact as the title of this blog post implies, it’s How to Promote a Book 101.

Why? Because people want consistency (think McDonald’s), they want value, and they want to be entertained, enlightened, or educated. A brand, when done properly, can really pull in readers to your site, your message, and your book. Here’s how to do it.

Brands, in their traditional form, are the things we think of like Coke, Kleenex, and Advil. These are big, robust brands that are recognizable both in messaging and packaging, the two key components in effective brand strategy. If your message and package are different, or fragmented and not uniform, you will confuse your audience.

Regardless of whether you are fiction or non-fiction, a brand is a brand. Think of Nora Roberts or Dan Brown: both of these authors are brands.

How to Promote a Book 101

Their messaging is consistent and their packaging uniform. The audience is told in word, color, and image exactly what they are going to get and the “brand” does not disappoint. When it comes to how to promote a book, this is really key, and this post is designed to help you analyze a few things you should consider as you go about creating your own brand.

Every market has its own look and feel. For some markets, you’ll see a consistency in color, messaging, or packaging, and for others, it’s just a “feeling.” For example, if you’re a thriller writer, websites for thrillers tend to be dark and foreboding. There may not be a consistent message, but the feel is the same: scary. Getting to know your market is the #1 thing you should do when you’re developing your brand.

Once you have a sense of your market, you can move on to where you fit by working through the process below.

Identity crisis

Who are you? So who are you, really? This isn’t meant to be a psychological exam, but rather an in-depth look at your brand, your market, your current focus, and your future goals. There’s a saying that goes: “If you don’t know what road you’re on, any path will do.” The same is true for your brand and your career. Define where you want to go and then build to that message.

Brainstorm your brand

If necessary, get some outside help. Branding doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does have to be thorough. Understanding your brand and your message is important because if you don’t control it, your consumer will. I spoke to an author the other day who had been propelled on her journey by her brother’s suicide. From that, she learned, grew, and is now working to inspire others to overcome some of the most horrific challenges life can throw at you.

Platform building

When it comes to how to promote a book, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of a platform; building a strong brand is also about platform building. Understand that your platform can be a lot of things: the message and consistency of your blog, any book promotion you do, blogs you have a presence on. All of this is important; you want to get known in your market, and you want to lead with a strong and consistent message.

Consistent marketing materials

By this I mean business cards, letterhead if you have it, bookmarks, folders, etc. Again, don’t scatter your efforts by having a hodgepodge of marketing materials that looks cobbled together. Everything is your resume. This is very true with anything you mail out or any “leave behinds” like bookmarks, postcards, and business cards.

Delivering on a promise

Whatever you promise, you must deliver. In fact, promise less and deliver more. If you have promised the reader a “thrill ride,” don’t give them a soft-pedaled story. If your message doesn’t live up to its promise, you’ll lose your reader. Probably forever.

The center of the universe

Your website. An author’s website is the single most important piece of your brand. Yes, your book is important, but before a reader gets there they will often first find your website. Make sure it’s brand-focused and professional. Don’t have someone design it who does not understand your market or your work. Make sure your site is professional and follows whatever “theme” you are trying to create.

Building a strong brand is more important than ever. A brand not only shows consistency, it also shows you’re serious about what you’re doing; and if you show you’re serious, your readers will take you seriously, too.

Resources and Free Downloads

FREE Reader Profile Brainstorm

Book Marketing Kickstart Package

Quick Quiz: Discover Why Your Book Isn’t Selling

How to Promote a Self Published Book: Consistency

ALLi: Alliance of Independent Authors

5 Comments

  1. Joyce Moyer Hostetter

    Great Post! I tweeted and will blog about it soon also!

    I appreciate the reminder to be recognizable and to build the platform on that recognizabiity. It can be tempting to change things up so that I don’t get bored with it and I’m sure there’s value to keeping thing fresh. But I also need to be remined that each audience is new. I don’t need to do new things so much as improve on the old.

    Still working on consistent marketing materials. Getting there. Thanks again.

    Reply
  2. Mary Jane Hurley Brant

    Dear Penny,

    My personal experience and clinical training for 30 years qualifies me as a grief expert. Nevertheless, I prefer my branding to be about offering people hope particularly in the valleys which is a place we all visit from time-to-time. I think I was born to help people with their grief because I don’t skip over the sadness and the loneliness of loss; it’s the first stop on the road to hope and I’m not afraid to go there with people’s pain.

    In your opinion, is that possible with branding in my situation?

    Thanks so much for your advice to all of us; it helps.

    Kind regards,

    MJ

    Reply
  3. JR Stone

    A great article! Very important things to consider, even for the aspiring writer.

    Reply
  4. 4x6 Postcards

    Great way to bring attention to a specific type of marketing material – books. I agree that people are looking for a brand and want something recognizable. Interesting perspective, but I think I agree. Thanks for the posting.

    Reply
  5. Camille St. Charles Mississippi

    My daughter sent this e-mail because she is trying to help catapult my career for my first book! Although I am new author and I do not possess all of the skills and the knowledge that some writers have at their disposal, I do plan of prospering with some of the information that you have shared with me. I love all of the information that you have offered me and I will begin to implement some of the suggestions that this website offered. I expect to experince a upsurge in my sales for my book but I just wanted to say thank-you. Camille St. Charles Mississippi

    Reply

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