How to Create a Year-Long Marketing Plan for a Book

by Penny Sansevieri | Oct 27, 2022 | Podcast for Authors

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It’s true, planning for a book release is stressful, yet exciting – so much so we often forget that an effective marketing plan for a book really needs to take you through the first 12 months and beyond.

Does that sound like a lot of work?

It can be. But it doesn’t have to be work you resent!

On a recent episode of our book marketing podcast we decided it was time to take on the less sexy topic of figuring out how to create a marketing plan for a book that really addresses what you need to be doing at month 2, month 6, month 12, and even beyond.

Because the reality is, no book earns (and keeps) their bestseller status based on the efforts in the first 30 days alone, unless your name is Jodi Picoult, or John Sanford, or Colleen Hoover.

So what’s in a 12-month marketing plan for a book?

Planning. Ouch. You saw that coming. Download our free monthly planner in the Resources section below to get started.

Consistency. You probably saw that coming too. That’s where the planner really shines, don’t execute a marketing strategy once and cross your fingers. Put it on your planner and do it every month.

Strategy. A truly effective marketing plan for a book takes timing into consideration. Some efforts need to happen between months 1 and 3, others you can save for month 9 and beyond if you’re short on time or can’t hire a team.

We provide more details and specific tips in the episode so don’t miss this one – if you plan on making a career (even if it’s a side-career) as an author you MUST think long term.

Hopefully you’re intrigued, and we look forward to your feedback on the show!

Full-length episodes from our book promotion podcast go live every other Thursday. You can stream episodes from our website, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Plus, you’ll want to follow us on your preferred podcast platform in order to catch our helpful – and often comical – minisodes that go live every other Friday. The minisodes are a grab bag of topics to include industry rants, publishing predictions and breaking news, basic (yet critical) business advice for authors, and more!

Do you have suggestions for future episodes?

We would love to hear from you in the comments section!