Book Marketing and Publicity: Do You Need Both?

July 18, 2023

By Philip Kinsher -

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

You’ve worked hard at writing and publishing your book. But, believe it or not, getting people to read it might be the hardest part of your job as an author. That’s where book marketing and publicity come in. Through your collective efforts at book marketing and publicity, you can build awareness of your title, entice potential readers to learn more, and convince people to spend their money on your book.

Table of Contents:
• What’s the difference between book marketing and publicity?
• Book marketing
• Book publicity
• Tips to craft your book promotion strategy
• BookBaby makes sure you don’t do it alone

What’s the difference between book marketing and publicity?

Although people often use the words “marketing” and “publicity” synonymously, they are two different processes.

Book marketing

Book marketing encompasses all the strategies and activities involved in promoting and selling a book. It involves creating awareness, generating interest, and driving sales of your book. Book marketing focuses on reaching your target audience and engaging with them through various channels, both online and offline.

Book marketing activities include:

Social media marketing. Using platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to create an online presence and connect with potential readers. This might include organic social posts as well as targeted digital advertising to spread the word about your title.
Email marketing. Building an email list and sending newsletters, updates, invitations, and offers to keep readers informed about your book, upcoming releases, and other writing activities.
Author website. Creating a professional author website that showcases your books, provides information about you as an author, drives sales, and allows readers to connect with you.
Book trailers. Creating video trailers that capture the essence of your book, bring a sense of excitement and anticipation, and entice readers to want to read your story.
Collaborating with book bloggers. Reaching out to influential book bloggers to review your book or feature it on their blogs, which can help increase visibility and attract new readers.

Book publicity

Book publicity focuses on generating media coverage and creating a buzz around your book via third-party sources. Publicity involves activities such as getting your book featured in newspapers, magazines, TV shows, podcasts, and other media outlets. Publicity aims to increase awareness and generate interest among a wider audience.

Book publicity activities include:

Book launches and author events. Hosting events where you can connect with readers and generate excitement about your work. This includes book launches, book signings, speaking events, and more.
Building relationships with book reviewers. Sending advance copies of your book to reputable book reviewers and influencers who can provide honest reviews and endorsements.
Media outreach. Reaching out to journalists, podcasters, and media outlets to secure interviews, features, and articles about your book.
Industry connections. Working with book publicity services, such as BookBaby partner Smith Publicity, who have established relationships with media outlets and can help promote your book to a broader audience.

Tips to craft your book promotion strategy

To launch a successful marketing or publicity campaign, you first need to develop an overall book promotion strategy that includes the following.

Know your audience. Identify your ideal readers and understand their demographics, interests, and preferences. Tailor your marketing and publicity efforts to resonate with this specific audience.
Build your author platform. Establish a strong online presence through a professional author website and active social media accounts. Engage with your readers, share valuable content, and create a community around your books.
Write compelling book descriptions. Take the time to write a captivating book description that entices readers to pick up your book. This back-cover copy will appear on your sales page and goes a long way to selling your story to interested readers.
Get a fantastic cover designed. This, along with your book description, is just as important as the text of your book. You need to make sure your cover is a banger. Hire a professional book designer to ensure your book cover is visually appealing, aligns with the genre and tone of your book, and is easily seen at thumbnail size.
Connect with your readers at book launches and author events. Host book launch events in your local community or participate in author events to connect directly with your readers, sign copies, and build a local fan base.

BookBaby makes sure you don’t do it alone

Book marketing and publicity are two sides of the same coin and are essential for self-published authors who want to gain exposure, attract readers, and boost book sales. Effective book marketing and publicity require consistency, persistence, and continuous adaptation to determine what efforts are working and which are not to improve the effectiveness of your campaigns based on real data.

And, most importantly, remember that you don’t have to publish, market, and promote your book alone. BookBaby’s book manufacturing services are the best in the business, so your finished product will be worth promoting. Plus, our suite of author services includes a variety of marketing and publicity options to help you every step of the way, including metadata optimization, and digital advertising.