Novel marketing: What's the best way to market a book?
- Jennifer Sadera
- Jun 4
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 8
Firstly, welcome to fellow Creepy Book Club readers who signed up for my newsletter at the retreat! I hope my writing inspires and entertains you.
So many of you chose to read my domestic suspense, I KNOW SHE WAS THERE and have been so supportive of my soon-to-release suspense thriller, MAYBE YOU LIED.
If you are interested in reading an advance reader copy and would enjoy sharing your thoughts about the book, sign up using the QR code.
If chosen, you might just see a surprise in your email inbox. And speaking of emails. . .
Promoting your novel
Wolves in Your Inbox, Angels in Your Feed
I’m so weary of scrolling through mine and noticing unsolicited, AI-generated “promoters and marketers” promising to turn my novels into instant classics and surefire bestsellers.
These tech-aided predators don’t care about authors. They lie and cheat their way into our lives any way they can. Some impersonate legitimate book reviewers and other authors. Most provide insightful summaries of our storylines without ever reading one word. All of them assure us that if we place our painstakingly written words—and just a small fee—in their capable hands we will magically reach millions of readers. Don’t expose your tender dreams to these vicious thieves. I delete these emails (dozens each day) with the same malicious spirit as the scammers who sent them to me.
The truth is that, as with many things in life, getting your novel noticed is difficult.
There is no shortcut to success. Every author sighs with relief when their book finally gets a publishing contract. With all the hard work of writing in the rearview mirror, we foolishly look forward, having enjoyed the success of having “made it” in this incredibly competitive field.
Time to celebrate and write the next novel, right?
Wrong.
"I'm published... but now I'm promoting my book..."
Debut authors, you are at the beginning of this journey, not the end...
While you’ve cleared a huge hurdle by getting a publisher to take a chance on you, it won’t mean much if nobody else is interested in reading your book. Believe me, I know a bit about this. I thought it was the publisher’s job to back their investment with steady book promotion, and it is. To a point. Publishers have marketing and promotion departments staffed by knowledgeable and conscientious employees. They also have multiple authors and limited resources. There’s no guarantee your slice of the pie will be very big.
So what to do?
What's really the best way to market a book?
Don't fall for 'book promotion' scammers
Option one is falling for the lies filling up your inbox.
Why not give one of these marketers a try? It’s only a few bucks you’ll be parting with. The truth is that 99.999% of these scammers know nothing about book marketing, merchandising, distribution, or promotion. You may as well hand off your hard-won prize to a passing stranger and cross your fingers that they even know what a book is.
I understand the allure of “taking a chance” with the scammers. Writing a book is hard. It takes a lot out of you. You want someone else to handle the rest of the process. If we’re being completely honest with ourselves, we’ve all considered it—if even for a second. But it’s lazy thinking, this desire to avoid the parts of publishing we consider distasteful or too hard.
Pay a publicist
A more viable option is paying a publicist to do the heavy lifting.
There are numerous excellent professionals ready to help you get the word out, but c’mon, let’s face it, most writers don’t have the $5,000-plus fee to get the book off the ground.
I’ve always thought face-to-face meetups are the best way for authors to interact with readers, but I’m a writer who enjoys chatting about all things book-related. Many of us hate it. Writing is a solitary business. Plenty of authors reason that if they wanted to go into public relations, they would have chosen that field. Even for a “people person” like myself, the opportunity to engage in person is rarer than I’d like.
On a good month, I can fit in about three or four personal appearances and a few virtual events in addition to book club talks, and occasional writers’ conferences.
Every encounter is a positive way to spread my story information but there’s only me doing it.
Enter 'the angels'
Selfless souls who enjoy reading so much that they actively promote their passion online.
When I chat with readers who take to the internet to share what they’re reading, their personal stories are surprisingly similar. They’ve just finished a book and NEED to talk about it. This impulse to share what they liked, what they really liked, and even stories they weren’t as fond of, is a powerful connector. We all know that feeling of hugging the book that changed the way we saw the world, even if just a little.
I recently met avid reader Jane Ruff. She and her husband Don (theruffsarereading) travel to book events all over the country for the fun of discovering new books and authors. They have been so good to authors, myself included. I recently asked Jane what inspires her to hit the road in search of new reads.
“I have always loved reading, and I admire authors who can turn words into masterpieces,” she says. “I want to do my small part to help authors any way I can by reading, promoting, and talking about their books!”
These dedicated readers spread the word through social media platforms, and most don’t make much money for their time and effort. That’s not the point. Like authors, they love what they do and spend untold hours with the written word.
Unlike the wolves who prowl for cash from unsuspecting writers desperate to get the word out about their books, the angels save authors from despair.
Meet some angels from recent book events
In February I traveled to Scottsdale, Arizona, for the annual in-person gathering of the online readers’ group, The Creepy Book Club.
Among my favorite people attending the event was an Instagram book influencer named Magen (Bonechillingbooks) who bought my book, read it, and recommended it.
This gave me a boost in readership. I’m grateful to Magen and so many others who have gone out of their way to help me and so many authors get their books noticed. If I had the space to mention every influencer, promoter, fellow author, and READER who has helped me along this journey, this feature would be too long to read.
Thank you, angels, for helping me make my writing dreams come true.
Below, a few photos of the Creepy Retreat and the recent writers' conference, ThrillerFest.
And if anyone can recommend other fantastic book events that draw readers and writers together, please let me know. You can share the info in the comments below.
And in the meantime. . .
HAPPY READING AND WRITING!
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