How to Market Your Backlist

Your backlist is any book you have published prior to this season that is still available for readers to purchase. When you are marketing your backlist, you are seeking passive (as opposed to active) sales. While this requires a bit more effort in the beginning, in the long term it is much easier to generate income on this type of work.  
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There are a few simple ways to make the most of your earlier efforts, and even help enhance promotion of your newest publication. Many authors find their most consistent income is from their backlist. Here are our top tips for regenerating interest in your backlist: 
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1. LIST HEALTH – a quick check of how your old books stand up to current marketing trends will be helpful. Fashion trends come and go, but we all know that first impressions count. Take a look at your cover and blurb with fresh eyes and make any changes before newly promoting your book. 
2. BACKLIST SALES – do you have enough published work to offer regular sales on rotation? If not, it’s worth considering bundling some together to offer a group discount (particularly if you tie them in with popular holidays such as Christmas or Valentine’s Day). Research suggests that these purchases will be independent of your new book sales so that, rather than vying for attention, they can complement one other. By offering a discount on your old books, you may even discover that some are newly popular and worth a re-launch--information you wouldn’t have received without regular promotion. 
3. FREEBIES – everyone loves a freebie, and your readers are no different. Perhaps you can offer free samples of previously published books in exchange for an email address? Make sure you then follow up with a newsletter or blog and a link so that it’s easy for them to purchase the full book. 
4. SOCIAL MEDIA/WEBSITE – it is worth investing in your own author website, as well as being active on social media. This is an easy way to promote all your books, particularly your backlist. You can have sidebars or banners reminding readers of your other work, as well as highlighting any current promotions. If you can manage regular blogs, all the better. This is a great way to reach out to your growing customer base, and gives an excuse to promote your work on other social media channels by referencing back to your own website and increasing overall footfall. 
5. SEO – related to the above, it is worth familiarising yourself with at least the basics of search engine optimisation in order to drive the right audiences towards your website. Try linking with other blogs or book review sites who specialise in your genre and offer a ‘like for like’ opportunity to promote each other’s brand. This is called ‘link building’ and is a really easy way to reach a broader network of potential customers. 
6. WRITING COMMUNITIES – find book groups or libraries in your area and let them know about any promotions. Perhaps you can ask them to advertise your website on their own newsletters in return for offering an author visit. Though this might feel more ‘active’, it is a great way to build a loyal fanbase locally and increase passive sales too. 

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Still unsure? We’ve got you covered. Rowanvale books has a team dedicated to supporting you with post-publication marketing which includes supporting you to make the most of your backlist.