5 Things Book Marketing Can’t Fix: Book Marketing Podcast Recap

by Penny Sansevieri | Jul 15, 2021 | Bestseller Essentials, Book Marketing Basics

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5 Things Book Marketing Alone Can’t Fix For You, is a recap of “10 Things Book Marketing Can’t Fix,” a recent episode on our Book Marketing Tips & Author Success podcast.

We delve deeper into our discussion about this important topic for authors trying to figure out the ins and outs of marketing, so be sure to download and listen to the show for all the details, recommendations and considerations!

Book marketing can’t fix everything — certain things need to be in order before even considering marketing your book. Your author platform, though a part of marketing, is crucial, as is a good cover and a polished edit. Great marketing can’t help a bad book, to put it bluntly. We are always open to assessing your book and your platform, and we’d love to help you sort those things out. But we also love a DIY-er, so here’s what you should fix before turning to book marketing.

Give your book a deep edit before book marketing

If you didn’t use a professional editor, or multiple depending on their focus, you’re not going to “hide” that by doing a lot of marketing. Readers will call you out on your shoddy editing work and those reviews are going to stick with your book until the end of time, or until you pull it and release an updated, corrected edition.

Editors can be expensive, but if you’re going to invest in anything for your beloved book, invest in a great editor. They will work a special magic on your book that you can’t. Know that, as the author, you are too close to your work to notice its flaws, even in grammar.

Your bad book cover isn’t going to sell

“Bad” is an umbrella term. The cover may be well done artistically, but maybe it just doesn’t have the right look or feel for the genre for optimal book marketing. Or, of course, there are the covers that are just unprofessional because the author made it themselves or they had a friend or associate who knows the design programs create it.

But this is where a professional is crucial. A professional understands the book-buying market enough to produce a cover that will convert shoppers to buyers and elevate your author platform.

Stop misleading readers with your title and subtitle

You know your book better than anyone — now tell your readers what you know about it. Give them the accurate information they need to make an informed decision on your book. Nothing is more disappointing than reading a book that you thought would be completely different.

And just like your cover, your titles and subtitles really need to fit your genre and topic. Think tone and feel. You can look at popular titles in your genre for inspiration here, but keep it unique!

Reboot your author platform for your genre

Once you’re out there on social, especially if you’re sending people to your accounts via your website, Author Central, etc. you’re on the hook. You don’t want to promote things you’re not proud of. And your author platform on social media is important in promoting yourself to your readers — this is where they get to know the writer.

Either you will decide to be on social with your full intent or you won’t be on there at all. If you half-ass it, you’re going to look unprofessional.

You must understand the publishing industry in order to understand book marketing

Marketing won’t absolve you from being clueless about all things publishing forever. Releasing a book is just like starting a business, you have to commit to a working knowledge of what you’re doing or you’ll only last so long.

There are plenty of resources, including my blog and website, for you to stay up to date with the industry — I’ll list some below! Following these sources will help you not only better your publishing knowledge but understand your audience and recent trends.

Marketing really can do a lot for any book, but it can’t solve problems that are actually dire in book marketing. Your book and your author platform need to be perfected before they can be promoted to the masses. Take a little extra time during the pre-marketing phase, and you’ll thank yourself in the end.