In 2024, the landscape of book marketing continues to shift, requiring authors to stay adaptable and explore new strategies to reach their readers. This post examines some of the most effective marketing strategies currently in use, including content marketing, webinars, TikTok, Amazon Marketing Services (AMS), and in-person events. As authors seek to build their audiences, understanding what's working now is more important than ever.
This post features contributions and case studies from authors Karen Williams, Kim Bock, A.E. Becker, and Victoria Noe. Their experiences offer practical insights into the marketing tactics that are driving success this year. Whether you're looking to refine your current approach or explore new avenues, these real-world examples provide valuable guidance for authors navigating the evolving world of book promotion.
Content Marketing
Content marketing has emerged as a powerful strategy for authors to promote their books and build lasting relationships with their audience. Unlike traditional advertising, content marketing focuses on creating and distributing valuable, relevant content that attracts and engages a specific target audience. As Karen Williams outlines in her book, Book Marketing Made Simple, content marketing can take many forms, including podcasts, blogs, vlogs, email marketing, and social media. Williams emphasizes that a successful content marketing strategy is not about doing everything but about “choosing a couple of platforms and doing them well.”
Karen Williams has firsthand experience with the power of content marketing, particularly through her podcast, Business Book Bites, and her blog. She launched the podcast last year, and it has already reached its third series. “Podcasts are an area I can talk about,” Williams says, highlighting how they have become integral to her marketing efforts. Along with video blogs, the podcast was part of an integrated approach that helped build awareness and drive the success of her recent book launch.
When Williams released the second edition of Book Marketing Made Simple last year, she followed a meticulously planned content marketing strategy. “The first thing I did last year for Book Marketing Made Simple was plan the launch. I chose a date that was achievable and then sourced people to help,” she explains. This included creating weekly video blogs leading up to the launch, which she shared on social media and with her email list, further increasing awareness.
A key aspect of Williams' strategy was involving others in the launch process. She coordinated with a street team consisting of clients, colleagues, and partners, who helped promote the book. “In terms of promotion, to encourage people to help you, you have to make it easy,” Williams notes. She provided them with all the necessary content, including social media posts and emails, to ensure a smooth and coordinated effort.
The success of the launch was not just about the book sales but about building long-term relationships and establishing authority in her field. Williams emphasizes that she doesn't focus solely on book sales. Instead, her goal is “awareness building and profile raising,” as a well-promoted business book can lead to more clients, speaking engagements, and enhanced credibility. This broader perspective on content marketing is crucial for authors who aim to use their books as tools for professional growth.
An essential lesson Williams shares is the importance of consistency in content marketing. “It's important that any content you share is consistent,” she advises. By maintaining a regular presence on a few chosen platforms, authors can effectively engage their audience without overwhelming themselves with too many tasks. This consistent effort can create a cumulative impact, making it easier to build a strong and loyal following over time.
Williams also highlights the value of integrating different forms of content marketing into a cohesive strategy. For her book launch, the combination of podcasts, video blogs, and social media was not about using any single platform in isolation. “One thing doesn't work in isolation. It's always going to be a combination of things that will help you to reach more people,” she explains. This integrated approach allowed her to maximize the reach and effectiveness of her marketing efforts.
In terms of lessons learned, Williams stresses the importance of choosing content marketing activities that align with both the author’s strengths and the preferences of their audience. “You don't have to do everything,” she advises. By focusing on the platforms and content types that they enjoy and where their readers are most likely to engage, authors can create a more sustainable and impactful marketing strategy.
Karen Williams' experience with content marketing offers valuable insights for authors looking to promote their books. By planning carefully, involving others, and maintaining consistency across a few chosen platforms, authors can build strong relationships with their audience and achieve long-term success. As Williams' story demonstrates, content marketing is not just about selling books—it's about building a lasting presence and establishing oneself as a trusted authority in the field.
Webinars
Webinars have emerged as a powerful tool for authors looking to market their books, allowing them to connect directly with their audience and showcase their expertise in a dynamic and interactive format. Karen Williams, in her book, emphasizes the importance of webinars as a versatile marketing strategy that can be adapted to various purposes. Whether used to build an email list, sell books, or promote related services, webinars offer authors a way to engage with their audience on a deeper level. By sharing valuable content through live sessions, authors can foster a sense of community and trust among their participants, which can translate into higher engagement and book sales.
A prime example of this strategy is Sarah Hamilton-Gill, the author of Leap into HR Consulting. Sarah has successfully used webinars as a core component of her marketing plan. She operates a tiered system of webinars, where some are offered for free as lead magnets to attract new subscribers, while others are paid sessions that delve deeper into specific topics. This approach not only helps Sarah build her email list but also positions her as an expert in her field, creating additional revenue streams. By partnering with other experts, including Karen Williams, Sarah has been able to offer her audience even more value, enhancing her credibility and expanding her reach.
Karen Williams
Karen Williams herself has effectively used webinars to promote her services and books. In January 2023, she ran a five-day Book Idea Challenge, which featured daily live webinars. These sessions provided participants with valuable insights into the book creation process, helping them to connect with their book ideas and explore various options. The interactive nature of the webinars allowed participants to engage with Karen and with each other, creating a supportive community of aspiring authors. This not only increased Karen's visibility but also established her as a trusted mentor in the author community.
Another significant example is the Ride the AI Wave Summit in May 2023, where Karen participated as a speaker. This summit, which featured multiple industry experts, provided Karen with the opportunity to reach a global audience. The summit required participants to promote the event through their own networks, creating a win-win situation for all involved. By participating in such events, Karen was able to broaden her audience base and connect with potential clients from around the world. This experience highlights the effectiveness of webinars and online summits in expanding an author’s reach beyond traditional marketing channels.
Webinars also offer the flexibility of being used as evergreen content. Karen mentions that she has an evergreen webinar on her website that promotes her Smart Author System program. This means that prospective authors can access the webinar at any time, providing a continuous stream of leads for Karen’s services. The evergreen nature of the webinar allows it to function as a perpetual marketing tool, driving engagement and sales long after the initial recording. This approach not only maximizes the return on investment for the time spent creating the webinar but also ensures that Karen's content remains relevant and accessible to new audiences over time
Webinars serve as a multifaceted marketing tool that can be tailored to various objectives, whether it’s building a community, generating leads, or selling books and services. The examples provided by Karen Williams demonstrate how webinars can be effectively integrated into an author’s marketing strategy, offering both immediate and long-term benefits. By leveraging the interactive and accessible nature of webinars, authors can establish themselves as experts, engage directly with their audience, and create lasting connections that support their book marketing goals.
TikTok
TikTok has quickly become a significant tool for book promotion, offering a creative platform where short-form videos can capture a wide audience. As author Karen Williams explains in her book, “Book Marketing Made Simple”, TikTok provides various creative tools and features, such as filters, effects, music, and text overlays, to enhance videos. “TikTok enables you to reach a wide audience beyond your existing followers, as the platform recommends content based on users’ interests and engagement patterns,” Williams notes. This makes it an attractive, free resource for authors looking to expand their reach.
Williams advises authors to engage with TikTok's viral culture by participating in popular challenges or creating book-themed challenges that align with their book’s theme. She suggests, “Since TikTok is primarily used for short and engaging videos, you need to capture your viewer’s attention quickly and provide entertaining or informative content in a concise format.” Whether through storytelling, behind-the-scenes peeks, or engaging snippets related to their books, authors can use TikTok to connect with potential readers in innovative ways.
In addition to leveraging TikTok’s built-in features, Williams highlights the importance of using relevant hashtags to increase discoverability. “Research trending hashtags in the book community or create your own book-related hashtags (check out #booktok) to build a community around your content,” she recommends. This strategy helps authors tap into existing communities of readers who are actively seeking book-related content on the platform.
Kim Bock
However, while TikTok’s potential is undeniable, the platform’s effectiveness can vary based on geographic location, as South African author Kim Bock has experienced. Bock expresses frustration with TikTok’s ad system, noting that it lacks specific categories for books or authors and often targets content to a local audience, which can be limiting. “Unfortunately for me, living in South Africa, TikTok is useless as an advertising platform,” Bock says. Despite choosing custom settings, her ads are shown to a general local audience rather than a targeted group of readers, making it difficult to connect with her intended audience.
Bock’s experience reveals a significant challenge for authors in smaller markets or less active regions on TikTok. “They don't show the ad to an audience of your choice, even if you choose custom,” Bock explains. “In South Africa that is meaningless. I get all the music artists and other forms of dubious entertainment, never books.” This limitation has led Bock to focus her marketing efforts on platforms like Meta (Facebook and Instagram), which offer more reliable targeting and broader reach.
In conclusion, while TikTok offers tremendous opportunities for book promotion, as Karen Williams suggests, it may require a tailored approach depending on your location. For authors in smaller markets, like Kim Bock, TikTok’s current algorithm may not be optimized for book promotion, prompting them to explore other platforms. Ultimately, the choice of platform will depend on where authors can most effectively reach their target audience and where they find the most engagement.
Amazon Marketing Services
Amazon Marketing Services (AMS), often referred to as Amazon ads, is a popular tool for authors looking to increase their book’s visibility on the world's largest online marketplace. By using AMS, authors can create targeted ads that appear in various places on Amazon, such as in search results, on product detail pages, or within recommendations. This advertising platform allows authors to reach potential readers who are already browsing for books, making it an effective way to boost sales and discoverability. However, like any advertising strategy, it requires careful planning and experimentation to be cost-effective and yield consistent results.
A.E. Becker
Author A.E. Becker, who writes YA Fantasy, has found AMS to be a reliable tool in her book marketing strategy, though it has required some fine-tuning along the way. “Amazon ads are consistent for me,” Becker shares, but she quickly discovered that the initial strategy of creating new ads every week based on also-boughts led to rising advertising costs that outpaced her sales. “Though my sales went up, so did my advertising costs, to the point where I wasn't breaking even anymore,” she explains.
To address this, Becker decided to scale back her ad campaigns, focusing on Auto and Category ads, along with a few ads targeting her top competitive titles. This more streamlined approach has proven effective in maintaining steady sales while keeping costs under control. “Now I am selling smaller numbers of books… but the numbers are consistent,” Becker notes. Importantly, her sales are now slightly higher than her ad costs, which is a crucial metric for any author using AMS.
Becker also experiments with pricing strategies to complement her AMS efforts. Every few months, she discounts the first book in her series to 99 cents and promotes it through various book promotion sites. While most of these sites yield modest results, one genre-specific site, Book Barbarian, consistently outperforms the others. “Book Barbarian regularly out-performs, usually selling between 50-70 books,” she says, highlighting the importance of finding the right promotional partners.
Despite her success with AMS, Becker recognizes the limitations of advertising with only a few books available. “I've heard the advice that I'm unlikely to make my advertising money back with less than four books, and that's certainly been my experience,” she admits. However, she's encouraged by her progress and plans to scale up her marketing efforts once she has more books in her series.
For now, Becker is content with the steady growth her AMS strategy has provided, allowing her to balance her writing career with her other job. “I'm actually enjoying the slow growth I have,” she shares, appreciating the reduced pressure to release new books quickly. Her experience underscores the importance of patience and careful management when using AMS, especially for authors with a smaller backlist. As Becker continues to publish and refine her strategies, she looks forward to expanding her reach and learning from the experiences of other authors.
In-person events
Victoria Noe
In-person events remain a powerful tool for authors, offering a unique opportunity to connect directly with readers, engage in meaningful conversations, and create memorable experiences. For many authors, these events go beyond just selling books—they're about building relationships and deepening the impact of their work. Victoria Noe, author of the Friend Grief series, F*g Hags, Divas and Moms: The Legacy of Straight Women in the AIDS Community, and What Our Friends Left Behind: Grief and Laughter in a Pandemic, has found in-person events to be an essential component of her book marketing strategy. By involving people and locations that are central to her books, she enhances the experience for her audience and brings added significance to her events.
Victoria Noe's approach to in-person events is both personal and strategic. For her two most recent nonfiction books, she made a conscious effort to include people featured in the books at her events. “All of my book launch events for the Fg Hags* book included women who are in the book,” Noe explains. Whether these women were actively participating in the discussion or contributing from the audience, their presence added a layer of authenticity and depth to the event. “It added a lot to the experience because it gave additional attention to these women whose accomplishments had previously been ignored,” she says.
For her most recent book, What Our Friends Left Behind: Grief and Laughter in a Pandemic, which deals with friends who died during COVID, Noe chose a particularly meaningful location for her book launch: her high school. The decision was intentional, as the book begins with a story about losing one of her best friends from her high school days. The event brought together friends, staff, and teachers, creating a poignant atmosphere that resonated with the theme of the book. “A bunch of our friends attended, as well as staff/teachers,” Noe notes, highlighting the importance of connecting the event to the emotional core of the book.
Noe also experimented with different formats for her events. For one event, she was in conversation with a friend who is a comedian, even though he wasn't featured in the book. This approach allowed them to explore the themes of friendship and grief from a different angle, blending humor with the serious subject matter. “We leaned into the importance of friendship, and how our grief at losing friends still allows us to enjoy the fun memories,” she recalls. This combination of lightness and gravity helped to engage the audience on multiple levels.
In-person events can also be effective when hosted in locations relevant to the book's content. Noe shares the example of a friend who published a book about the HIV/AIDS community. Mark S. King, author of My Fabulous Disease: Chronicles of a Gay Survivor, strategically scheduled his events at places that supported the community, and instead of simply reading from his book, he invited members of the community to read selected chapters or blog posts. “He's onstage with anywhere from three to six local people,” Noe says, emphasizing how this approach not only enriched the event but also strengthened ties with the local community. The result? His events have been very popular and well-received.
For Victoria Noe, the key to successful in-person events is making them as connected to the content of the book as possible. Whether by including people featured in the book, choosing meaningful locations, or inviting others to share the stage, she has found that these elements make her events more impactful and memorable. “For me, doing in-person events with people I write about, and/or in locations I write about, is a strong marketing component,” Noe concludes. Her experience underscores the power of personal connection in book promotion, making in-person events an invaluable part of her marketing strategy.
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