Beginner’s Guide to Getting Started in Marketing

If you’ve made it through the lengthy process of writing a book, the process of selling it to an audience can seem daunting. If you’re unsure where to start with marketing your book to the masses and securing sales, our team at Rowanvale are here to help. This post will guide you through some essential steps (and top tips!) to make sure that your book is marketed as successfully as possible. 

• Research is Key 

Before you start advertising your book, it’s essential to develop a marketing strategy. Make sure you really know your audience and what they need. Doing research on trends within your genre can help you create a clear image of your average reader – what will they be looking for from your book? What will they avoid? For example, sci-fi books such as Sam Wright’s Gods of Athenia will typically have darker colours on their covers, so it might be wise to follow the trend for your own sci-fi novel to have the best chance of attracting its fans. From here, it will be easier to envision aspects of your book such as the cover and blurb, as you will know exactly what is likely to sell and what will get left on the shelves.  
 

• Learn from Success 

Another great way to know how to market your book is to look at other books that are doing well right now, particularly those that have a similar genre or style to your own. Not only is this effective for picking up tips on what will work best for a similar audience, but it allows you to get a good idea of your competition and how to stand out, otherwise you risk imitating an already popular book. 
 

• Use Keywords 

Once you’ve established what your reader is looking for, it’s time to sell your book online. One of the most important parts of this process is the description of your book on the webpage – it could be the difference between securing a sale or not. Therefore, you’ll want to use a few key words or phrases that you know will interest fans of your chosen genre, giving them what they’re looking for as determined through your previous research. This will make it far more likely that you’ll build an audience and secure sales, as your book will fit in with others of the genre whilst also filling a potential niche for its fans. 

• Get to Grips with Amazon 

You’ll most likely be using Amazon as your platform when selling your book online, so knowing how to use it well is a crucial step of marketing. There’s a reason why the majority of books are now sold through Amazon’s platform: it has a huge customer base, is an affordable publishing platform and a great way to market yourself through Author Central. If you’re unsure about how to use Amazon to your advantage when publishing your book, WordStream has a great blog outlining exactly how to approach Amazon marketing and use advertising to your advantage. Our blog also contains plenty of tips on how to gain visibility on Amazon, including how to use sponsored brand placements, keywords and categories to boost the sales of your book, so be sure to check them out in order to have the best possible chance of topping the searches. 
 

• Establish an Online Brand 

Marketing continues even after your book has started selling, except now you’re the product! In order to establish a loyal base of fans and continue selling books, having an online presence is key. If you don’t already, make sure you have a website that’s up-to-date and easy to navigate to ensure that information about your work is easy to find. Advertising your book through social media such as Facebook and Twitter is another great way to gain recognition, especially since this allows for better engagement with your readers. A mailing list is also advisable if you want to encourage a relationship with fans, as it lets those who are interested in your work receive regular updates about what you’re doing. For more information about mailing lists, read our blog post on them here.  
Rowanvale also has our own mailing list where we offer free advice on the various stages of your writing journey. If you’d like to join, please email publishingadvice@rowanvalebooks.com requesting to join the list.  
 

• Network 

In order to promote your book as far as possible, networking with fellow authors will let you build a system of support within the industry. The best ways to approach this is through social media or networking apps such as LinkedIn, as they’re an easy way to connect with other authors who are also seeking to expand their contacts. A good place to start with this would be our own LinkedIn account, as well as our Facebook, Instagram or TikTok! Not only is it a great way to potentially promote your book to other writers and their audiences, but it can also be beneficial to receive encouragement and advice from others who have had the same experiences as you writing their own books. They’re likely full of even more helpful marketing tips! 

By following these steps, marketing your book will be much easier to navigate and sales will be far more likely. For more information about our own Marketing and Aftercare services, click here or give us a call at 02921 280 895.