In just about every class I teach, one question keeps popping up over and over: “How can I sell more books?” At the heart of every marketing challenge, that’s really what it comes down to. You don’t mind doing all the things — if those things help you get your book into the right hands.

So, if you’re ready to take your writing career to the next level, let’s talk about how to promote your novel to the right readers, so more of those critical impressions turn into actual sales.

Why You Should Start Promoting Before Day One

This sounds obvious, right? Of course you have to market your book. But I still see authors surprised when their book doesn’t just take off after it launches on Amazon. Many take the “wait and see” approach — they wait to see how it performs organically before investing in marketing. Spoiler altert: Six months (or a year) later, they realize that “wait and see” almost never works.

The truth is: if you want to succeed, you must be ready to invest both time and money, and you can’t afford to waste either.

Action step: Start marketing 60–90 days before release. Even simple posts — cover teases, trope teasers, short excerpts — build awareness early. If you’re looking for ideas, tune into our podcast: The Book Marketing Tips & Author Success Podcast to get some actionable tips and planning for the future!

Define Your Genre and Ideal Reader (and Stay in Your Lane)

This one trips up more authors than you’d think. A lot of authors don’t truly understand their genre — or worse, they try to straddle several genres at once to reach “everyone.” Or, worse still, they make up a new genre. Spoiler alert: that’s absolutly not allowed. Also, when you try to sell to everyone, you end up selling to no one.

I taught a class recently and one author said her readers ranged from “8 to 80.” Her book, however, was clearly young adult. Sure, maybe an 80-year-old will love it — but that’s not your core audience.

Also, defining your core reader author will help to inform all of your marketing decisions – including your book cover design, book description, author branding – literally all of it!

Quick Genre Alignment Audit

• Study current bestsellers in your category — covers, tropes, pacing, hooks. You can easily do this on Amazon – in a few clicks you can scan categories and get a really good idea if your book really belongs. Which brings me to point #2…
• Take a hard look at other titles in this category and ask yourself: does my book really align with this genre?
• If the answer is no, it may be time to go back to the drawing board and figure out where your book really belongs. Because a genre-misalignment can really hurt your book sales.

Example: We started working with an author who lamented that her book wasn’t doing well – and for good reason. It was a mystery book shoved in a cozy mystery category. She wasn’t sure why it was put in the cozy category, other than someone she was working with put it there. When we moved it, the book started doing so much better because there was not only a genre alignment – but a reader alignment.

Build a Platform That Proves You Belong

“Platform” doesn’t have to be complicated — it has to be consistent as well as on brand. Your core stack:

• Website: your home base — bio, books, media kit, newsletter signup.
• Email list: your direct line to readers.
• Social: the conversation space where you show up reliably.

Must-Have Website Elements

• Concise bio that gives insight into who you are and, if approriate: states your promise to the reader.
• Professional author photo.
• Got multiple books? Lucky you! Be sure that you list them in order (if they’re a series) with a clear buy link to Amazon, or multiple retailers if you wish.
• Newsletter signup with a simple incentive (bonus scene, short story, checklist).

Optimize Your Amazon Book Page for Conversions

Your Amazon book page is a sales page, not a placeholder. Treat it like one.

1. Lead with social proof: a strong editorial line or reader quote to kick off your description. Winning idea: make it bold so it really stands out.
2. Front-load the hook: the first ~300 characters of your description must deliver the promise. Lead with an elevator pitch! Not sure how to craft one, we just did a show on this on our podcast, so check it out!
3. Speak to your readers: if you’ve written non-fiction, be super clear on the benefits of your book. If you’ve written fiction, lean into the tropes (billionaire romance, romantasy, cozy mystery, hard-boiled detective novel).
4. Weave in genre keywords: naturally (e.g., “small-town, second-chance romance”).
5. Use Amazon’s A+ Content: If you aren’t sure what A+ content is then scan a few book pages and you’ll quickly see (about halfway down) the visual content that not only helps to expand on the book’s topic – but also keeps readers on the page longer, which can help with conversion. You have a bunch of options with A+ content, too: Images, quote tiles, book benefits, world/character snapshots to deepen immersion.

Action step: Audit your description as if you’ve never heard of you. Would you click “Look Inside”? Would you buy?

Social Media That Actually Sells Books

You don’t need to be everywhere, just everywhere that matters. Meaning:  where your readers are. Research 5–10 comparable authors. Note which platforms they prioritize and what consistently earns engagement. Don’t copy, but rather let this inspire your own choices. Even if you only keep one social media site active, post consistently and speak to your reader.

Action step: Dive into your social media. If you’re feeling ignored or if nothing you seem to post gets traction, then maybe it’s time for a refresh.

Email Marketing for Authors: Small List, Big Impact

Email remains the most reliable way to reach readers. You don’t need a massive list — but you need a responsive one. If you’ve been holding off sending a newsletter because your list is “too small” this is your sign to start communicating with your readers, now.

What Will You Talk About?

Don’t overthink this. Keep your newsletter short and to the point.

1. Welcome/intro: What you’re working on, maybe a bit of your story (if you haven’t shared this before): why you write what you write; what readers can look forward to.
2. Highlight your book: include an excerpt, preorder link, or ARC interest form if you want to build your advanced reader group. If your book is out, focus on maybe a new review you got. A book event you did, what else you’re working on.

Action step: Send one newsletter per month. Consistency wins.

Work with Book Influencers (Without Getting Ghosted)

Influencers already have your readers’ attention so your job is to find the right ones, and connect meaningfully.

• Identify creators who truly cover your genre, niche or tropes. It’s a great idea to start following them early, even before your book is out.
• Engage for a week or two before pitching (comments, shares). A great time to do this is before you have a book!
• Pitch personally (why their audience will care; what you’re offering). Also: personalize the email. Mention a book they’ve reviewed recently that’s similar to yours so they know you’re paying attention!
• Amplify any feature they give you — quickly and gratefully. What does this mean? It means: share, share, share. Add this to your newsletter and put it out on social media! (tag them so they know you’re sharing!)

Giveaways, Contests & Reader Incentives That Build Buzz

Giveaways are fantastic for visibility and they’re also fun to do even if you have a minimal (or no) following. But the best ones are strategic and align with your author brand and the theme of your book.

• First, pick a goal: maybe it’s email growth, or a preorder lift. Or maybe you just want to kick up interest with social shares.
• Offer a magnet: what’s your giveaway going to be? Will it be a signed copy, swag, or digital bonus (bonus scenes convert well).
• Keep entry friction low: don’t overcomplicate the entry, create a simple form (Google forms is great for this) Because simple outperforms complex hoops every single day.

Advertising for Authors in 2025: What Still Works

Advertising can get tricky, I know. And you don’t need a massive budget — just smart targeting and tiny tests.

• Amazon Ads: keyword discovery and retail visibility. And let’s face it, when someone is on Amazon they’re there to buy something, so it’s an instant buying audience!
• Facebook/Instagram: great for authors with a strong call-to-action or limited time deal. I see a lot of authors running Facebook ads but very few have any kind of buying urgency attached to them, which is where these ads fail.
• BookBub Ads: I’m not talking about their Featured Deals, although those are great. I’m talking about the ads that show up at the bottom of their newsletter. It’s truly granular audience targeting; and great for creative testing.

Related reading: Bookbub for Authors

Next-Gen Book Marketing: Emerging Tactics to Try This Year

• AI for ideation: AI is great to brainstorm subject lines for emails or newsletters but it’s also great for social prompts, and ad angles — just be sure to edit for voice.
• Collabs: joint giveaways, newsletter swaps, shared universes/bonus stories.
• Diversify formats & discovery: audiobooks remain a growth channel; library digital checkouts are major discovery engines. If you haven’t considered an audio book, maybe it’s a good project for the upcoming year!

Your 6-Week Novel Promotion Roadmap

Ready to take yout book to the next level? Let’s dive in with this sample roadmap. You’ll want to adjust it to fit your genre, goals, and author focus/brand.

Weeks 1–2

• Audit Amazon page (cover, hook, first 300 characters, A+ content).
• Identify 10 comparable authors + 5 influencers to follow.

Weeks 3–4

• Create a simple content cadence (3 posts or 1 video/week).
• Begin influencer outreach (personalized; 3–5 pitches/week).

Weeks 5–6

• Run a giveaway with a fun/helpful digital magnet or cool swag.
• Send 1 newsletter (feature excerpt or bonus scene).
• Launch a micro ad test ($25–$50) and review it after 7 days.

The Bottom Line

Success takes time — but books can and do take flight all the time. With some strategic planning, the right focus, the right audience, and the right marketing, your book can outperform your expectations.  Often book marketing feels like shouting into the void, and I get it. But flip the script on that, instead focus on connecting with the right people and helping them find the story they’ve been looking for.

Related Resources

• Running ads for book promotion ? Your BookBub/ads strategy
• Building an author platform ? 10 Tips for Creating a Successful Author Website
• Book influencers (Bookstagram/BookTok) ? Pitching Book Influencers What You Need to Know
• Amazon optimization checklist ? Unlocking Amazon Success