I’ve always said that I want people to “buy my books, read my books and like my books.” The first part of that sequence—buy my books—is important, and perhaps the toughest part of the equation. It’s also the most intimidating. But never fear: there are ways we can prevail.
The good news is that book marketing doesn’t require a massive budget or a background in advertising. It requires consistency, a clear sense of who your readers are, and a willingness to show up — both online and in person.
What About Your Author Platform?
Something I’ve heard from marketing professionals for years is to start building your author platform early, preferably well before a book launches. This essentially means a clean author website, an active presence on one or two social platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, etc., and a mailing list you own. A mailing list is more than followers: they are people who have taken an active step in connecting with you as an author. As they say, an email list can’t disappear if a social media platform changes its algorithm.
A professional-looking author website matters: most people research online before making any purchase. Therefore, a thin or outdated site can hurt you. You don’t need anything elaborate — a bio, your book covers, purchase links, and a way to join your newsletter will cover the basics. That’s Book Marketing 101.
Momentum Matters
Many first-time authors treat a book launch as the finish line. It certainly can feel that way given what it takes to launch a book. But momentum comes from a comprehensive launch strategy. This includes encouraging early reviews on platforms like Goodreads, and using social media teasers alongside media outreach. This keeps interest alive well past the first week. Reviews give you two benefits: they build credibility with future readers and can influence retailer algorithms that decide which books get recommended to book browsers.
Know Your Readers
Not every platform deserves your time. If your audience is younger, Instagram and TikTok are likely to outperform LinkedIn or Facebook. This mean that understanding exactly who you’re writing for should guide which channels you invest in. At the recent Carroll Book Festival, my booth was placed next to an author of dark fantasy. She swears by Instagram, while readers of my space opera and traditional mysteries might be more at home on Facebook. In any case, we should tailor everything — from cover design to social captions — to speak directly to our readers. Generic marketing without focusing on our readers is often a waste of time.
Author Festivals and Live Events
The Carroll Book Festival was held on Saturday, September 19, 2026. This was their first ever festival, and it was well-planned and well-staffed. Live events like this can help you grow your audience and convert a stranger into a loyal reader. But this is only the case if you prepare well and work the event with intention. Mind you, I didn’t do poorly—my seventeen books sold is my second highest for a single day. But that total pales in comparison to my dark fantasy neighbor: she sold over eighty!
Here are some strategies experts recommend to make the most of book festivals and live events.
1. Order books at least two to three weeks in advance. Shipping delays are common, and running out of stock at a festival means lost sales you can’t recover. Bringing extra copies of book one in a series is wise too. Why? New readers are far more likely to try a single title than commit to buy an entire series from an unfamiliar author.
2. Bring the basics: a tablecloth, an upright display stand so your cover is visible from a distance, and a mobile card reader. Also, bring pens, and a bookmark or postcard with your website and social handles to slip into every purchase. You can also get more elaborate on this: I took several photos of other author booths, and plan to enhance my table for my next author event.
3. At the table, stand, don’t sit. Sitting behind a table can be more comfortable, but it also risks making patrons feel they’re interrupting you or that you’re hiding behind your books. I found a compromise to this a few years ago: my chair is actually a stool so I’m always at eye level. I felt one year that my standing up was intimidating some patrons. Sitting in a high stool at eye level with the ability to approach them once they show interest works for me.
4. Smile and make eye contact — first impressions at a crowded festival happen in seconds.
5. Austin Camacho, a friend and fellow crime writer has another marketing tip: a book brochure. This little six-panel, trifold item gives customers something they can carry around with them and read at their leisure. Each panel of my brochure features one book, so people can get a good idea of what they’re about by taking one.
6. Another idea that I didn’t think about for the Carroll Book Festival is to volunteer for a panel or Q&A session if the event offers one. That’s a great way to draw individual attention to your work rather than blending into a long row of tables and authors.
Finally, keep perspective. Selling enough books to turn a real profit at a single event is genuinely difficult, especially working a table alone. But the value goes beyond that day’s cash sales, since you’re meeting new readers, building your name/ brand, and often having a lot of fun in the process.
The Bottom Line
Book marketing isn’t one big campaign — it’s a series of small, consistent efforts: a platform built early, momentum sustained past launch day, and a genuine presence at the events where readers actually are. None of this guarantees a bestseller, but each piece compounds and builds on the others. For most authors, that steady compounding is what eventually turns a single book into a career.
