I’ve lost track of the number of authors I’ve heard from who waited until their e-book was available on Amazon or they had boxes of books stacked in a corner before they started thinking about book promotion.

Only when they’re ready to start accepting money for their page-turner, how-to, or memoir do they start to think about who might buy the book and how those people will discover it.

Don’t make this mistake.

You want to start laying the groundwork for the most intense activity around a book launch long before your book goes live on retail sites.

The best book promotion timing is now

While it’s true that your world isn’t going to stop spinning if you wait until your book is available for purchase to start the book promotion process, you’ll be at a disadvantage if that’s your approach.

Book promotion requires knowledge, networks, and connections. Acquiring them takes time. If you want your book to sell as soon as it’s available, you need all three in place.

With that in mind, here are nine things you can do as soon as you finish that first draft so your book promotion timing is as optimal as possible for most.

1. Learn as much as you can about book marketing, publicity, and promotion.

Even if you have traditional publishing support, your in-house publicist can’t do everything that needs to be done.

If you want people to discover your book, you have to be involved.

And indie authors? It’s all on you.

Get smarter by reading a book or taking a course.

2. Research your target audience — your ideal readers. 

Learn as much as you can about the person who is most likely to buy your book.

Once you can picture your audience “avatar” – the one individual who best represents someone who will love your book – do more research to find out where they spend time both online and off.

3. Build a following on social networks your audience uses.

Pick the one or two social media platforms that are most popular with your audience and learn as much as you can about how to use them effectively.

Note that just because you have a presence on a social network doesn’t mean you’re using it properly. Double-check your skills and knowledge.

4. Connect with bloggers. 

Virtual book tours (author blog tours) are common and popular elements of online book launches.

When you “go” on a virtual book tour, you’ll ask bloggers to share content related to your book on their blogs – a guest post or Q&A, an audio or video interview, a book review, and so on.

They’re easier to schedule and more successful when bloggers already know who you are.

Get that familiarity by commenting on blogs on your book’s topic or that influence your readers. Share their posts, but even more importantly, contribute to the conversation by commenting on them. Over time, the bloggers will recognize your name.

5. Build an email list.

Smart authors are leaning into email marketing.

Why? Because:

• You own the contact information on your list. That’s not the case with your social media connections that can disappear if a platform folds or you get kicked off.
• People see your emails. You can’t say that about all of your social media posts.
• It’s one of the best options for reader engagement.
• Subscribers are an excellent source of beta readers and street team members.
• and lots more

You’ll use your opt-in e-mail list to send an e-mail announcing your book, but you’d be smart to use it to stay in touch with subscribers on a regular basis, too. (Add yourself to the lists of successful authors to see how they’re doing it.)

Remember that for anything other than a one-time communication, you must get permission to add someone’s address to your list. Don’t add people to your list just because you added yourself to theirs.

6. Compile a list of “key influencers.”

Who is most influential with your book’s target audience? You’ll want to ask them to “blurb” your book with a testimonial you’ll use on the cover, inside the book, and on sales pages.

Start identifying them and gathering contact information.

You might know — or know of — some of them already, but you’ll want to expand that list. When I sought blurbers for Publicity for Nonprofits: Generating Media Exposure That Leads to Awareness, Growth, and Contributions, I contacted people I did and didn’t know. I received testimonials from both groups.

7. Create your book launch media list.

You’ll send review copies and a book announcement press release to the media outlets that are most likely to review the book or schedule an interview with you.

Start building that distribution list now. Help them become familiar with you by commenting on and sharing their content.

8. Create a Facebook Page.

I’m not a big fan of Facebook pages for authors because Facebook limits who will see your posts unless you pay to boost them.

They work better for other types of businesses – especially local retailers who can use them to post store hours and special sales or offer coupons.

On the other hand, you need one if you want to advertise on Facebook (and many of you will). And, once you get a following, you’ll have access to audience demographics that you can use to improve your overall marketing.

So create it now and do the work to get followers. Create content that’s relevant and engaging — solicit opinions on your book’s topic, re-post interesting information, share progress updates, ask fans to vote on cover options, and so on.

9. Add your book title to your email signature. 

Put your email signature to work. It’s a simple and effective way to get your book title in front of anyone you send email to.

It doesn’t get any easier than just typing your book’s title after the word “Author.”

Book’s not out yet? Add “coming in [month].”

Don’t worry if book promotion timing isn’t ideal

In an ideal world, you’ll be doing some of this while you’re writing the book. More often than not, though, that doesn’t happen.

A more realistic approach for most is to start this work six months before the launch. That seems to be book promotion timing that’s doable for most.

Why not start with the easiest first? Add your book title to your email signature now. Then decide which of the remaining eight tactics will make the biggest difference at this stage of your book’s life.

Just don’t wait any longer to take action. Your book needs it!

What else would you add to the early promotion task list? Did you do any of this before publishing? Please share your feedback in a comment. 

(Editor’s note: This article was first published in July 2015. It has been updated and expanded.)

Who reads books?

We’d like to think it’s “everybody,” just like we want to believe the target audience for our books is “everybody.”

Neither is true. That’s why none of us should be marketing to “everybody.” Instead, you want to market to people who read books, and read books in your genre or category.

This article is designed to give you some of that information.

What follows is a more-than-shallow, but not-exactly-the-deepest dive into who reads books and what they read followed by a few insights from the data that you can use as you write and market your books.

Who reads books?

Who reads books? Who doesn’t read books?

Turns out that the more education and money you have, the more likely you are to be a book reader. Here are the specifics. I’ve added links to the original source of each statistic where you’ll find more information.

General

• A little more than half of all Americans said they read at least one book last year, but most – 82% – read 10 or fewer. (source)
• The percentage of urban adults who said they’ve read a book in the previous 12 months increased by 6% from 2019 to 2022. (source)

Education level

• Individuals with postgraduate degrees own the most books. (source)
• 73% of Americans with a college degree said they read at least one book in 2023 while less than half, 44%, of those without a college degree did. (source)

Gender

• American women are more likely than men to have read a book in the past year. (source) This is the case globally, too. (source)
• At 51.4%, slightly more men than women reported being non-readers. (source)

Age

• People 65 and older had the fewest non-readers at 41.4%, while those 45 to 54 had the highest number of non-readers, 60.9%. (source)
• 19% of Americans between 31 and 35 own at least 100 physical books, compared to 31% of those between 51 and 55, and 42% of those between 71 and 75. (source)
• 24% of middle-grade books sold are comics and graphic novels, but that drops to 16% when Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man books aren’t included. (source)

Income

• There’s a correlation between reading and income level. Adults living in households earning less than $30,000 annually are less likely than those whose annual household income is $75,000 or more a year to read books. Almost one-third – 31% – of those in the lower income bracket aren’t book readers compared to 15% at the noted higher income level. (source)
• 15% Americans of who earn less than 75% of the median national income (currently $74,580) own no books and 16% own at least 100. On the flip side, just 4% of Americans who earn at least 200% of the median national income own no books and 40% own at least 100. (source)

What do they read?

Let’s look at the formats people read – print (hardcover and paperback), e-book, and audio – and some of the genres.

Format

• Print books are read the most at 34.4%, followed by e-books at 14% and audiobooks at 10.7%. (source)
• In early 2021, 65% of adults said they have read a print book in the past year. (source)
• Just 9% of Americans read only e-books and audiobooks. 33% of those reading digital formats for reading also read print books, while 32% only read print books. (23% read no books.)(source)
• More than 40% of Americans read a print book in 2023, while 21% read an e-book and 19% listened to an audiobook. (source)
• At 45%, older Americans (65+) read print books more than other age groups do. (source)
• Women are slightly more likely to read print books than men – 38.7% to 32%. (source)
• Women are more likely than men to read e-books – 17.1% to 13.6%. (source)
• Americans who read digital books consumed more books in 2023 than those who don’t. For example, those who do so were more likely to say they read or listened to more than 20 books in 2023. (source)
• Between 2018 and 2022, revenue from all book formats declined with the exception of audiobooks, which increased by 71.7%. (source)
• More than half of audiobook listeners – 57% – are 18 to 44. (source)
• Children listen to audiobooks. Of audiobook listeners with children, 56% say their kids listen to them, too. (source)
• Audiobooks for children grew 41% in 2022, giving that category the highest growth, but they’re only 3% of the market. (source)

Genre

• Romance is hot, hot, hot. Sales of romance books increased 52% in the 12 months preceding May 2023, with much of the growth coming from new and younger readers discovering the category on TikTok and through book-to-streaming projects. (source)
• At 55%, mysteries and thrillers are the most popular audiobook genres, followed by science fiction and fantasy at 48%. Following that are biography and memoir, romance and drama, self-development, and business and personal finance. (source)
• Mysteries and histories were the most popular genres in 2023. More than 35% of those who have read a book that year said they’ve read at least one book in both of those genres. (source)
• 45% of female readers read at least one crime novel or mystery in 2023. That compares to 28% of male readers. (source)
• In 2023, 49% of men read at least one history book, compared to 24% of women readers. (source)
• Mysteries were the fourth most popular genre for men in 2023; history books were the sixth most popular for women. (source)
• Globally, sales of travel books were up in 2023 while comic book sales were down. (source)

Why do authors need to know this?

The more you know about the people who will buy your book, the more likely you are to get your messages in front of them.

When you really know your target audience, you’ll know:

• Which social networks they use
• How they get information – radio? Podcasts? Online news sites? Daily newspaper?
• How they decide what books to read
• Whether they prefer printed books, e-books, or audiobooks

Your understanding of who is most likely to buy your book will guide your marketing messaging and where you need to show up online.

With that in mind, what did you learn from the information outlined in the data above?

Data reveals information authors can use

Here are a few of my takeaways from the research summarized above that might help you.

1. If you want to sell more books, don’t limit yourself to publishing e-books only, as so many authors do. Readers still like printed books, and audiobooks continue to grow in popularity.
2. If you’re the type of author who likes to write to market demands versus those who have a specific story they need to tell, write romance novels for younger women.
3. Well-educated, wealthy people are a more lucrative market than older people at a low-income level.
4. Children’s book authors have the potential to stand out among parents who buy audiobooks for their children, as the category is growing, but the selection is still small.

And this is just a start.

This information, combined with your own research into what makes people decide to buy a specific book (spoiler alert: Recommendations from people they trust tops the list), can help you make important decisions about your book’s format and how you’ll market it.

So dig in. Think about it. Then act.

What did you learn from this data? How will you use it? Please share one “aha!” with us in a comment.  

Compiling this list of holiday gifts for writers and authors is one of my favorite things to do.

All year, I save little gems I discover online that I think you’ll love. I also ask members of the Build Book Buzz Book Marketing Group for suggestions. They never disappoint.

The result is a carefully curated* list of affordable suggestions for every author and writer on your list — including you!

Grab a hot beverage, settle in, and start shopping. And be sure to forward this list to people who’d like to buy you a gift you’re certain to enjoy, too.

29 holiday gifts for writers and authors

Click on each product name to get more information. Full disclosure: Some of the selections include affiliate links, which means we receive a small commission on sales but the cost to you is the same. Also, prices are subject to change.

Your favorite gifts for writers and authors are listed in a totally random order. There is absolutely no rhyme or reason to this, but they’re all excellent options.

1. The Book Hookup Themed Subscription Book Box

Starting at $37.50/box 

This is the ultimate gift for any book lover — which describes most writers and authors. Each quarter, you’ll receive a first edition of a “highly anticipated” book plus an additional paperback and literary goodies. Select from one of several categories. This is from one of my favorite indie retailers, The Strand Bookstore, but Google will help you find other book subscription boxes, too.

2. More Books Short Sleeve Unisex Tee

$27.99

I’m a customer of this company, Piper & Ivy. It’s a family-owned, eco-friendly, Florida business. I can promise you that its shirts are super soft (just how I like them!). It has a great selection of holiday tees for book lovers. And, for an additional $4.99, you can add a pack of vinyl book stickers to your order. Pretty cool, right? Spend your money with a clothing brand that loves books and reading as much as you do!

3. Read Banned Books Long Sleeve Unisex Tee

$33.99

Confession: I just ordered this Piper & Ivy shirt. In addition to its holiday themed shirts, this site offers lots of book-themed shirts you can wear all year. Buy one for yourself or a friend (or author Pamela Cummins, who suggested book-themed t-shirts for this guide)! (P.S. Save 25% by signing up for its emails.)

4. To-Do List Sticky Notes

$15.99

I’m one of those people who loves to cross things off their to-do list. Does this give you pleasure, too? I didn’t even know these cool sticky notes existed until author Megy Karydes suggested them. Aren’t they the coolest? Amazon offers them in a square size, too, but my to-do lists are loooong so I prefer this format.

5. Fingerless Gloves

$13.99 for 4 pairs

Writer and author Mary Mihaly would like to receive fingerless gloves like these this holiday season. How about you? My home office is toasty, but I know that’s not always the case. If you need a space heater next to your writing space, you need these gloves for typing, too! Add them to your wish list.

6. Stained Glass Stacked Books Lamp

$35.99

Isn’t this a beautiful way to communicate how much you love reading? This is a lovely gift for writers, authors, and all book lovers.

7. Dead Fred Pen Holder

$12

Grab this dude as a stocking stuffer for any writer in your life, but especially for a mystery or thriller writer. I received one as a gift; it makes me smile every day.

8. LEUCHTTURM1917 – Monthly Planner & Notebook 2024 with extra booklet

$29.95

Several authors told me they’d like to receive a planner; this is author Megy Karydes‘ recommendation. It’s available in different colors and sizes. There are several writer-specific planners available as well.

9. 365 New Words-A-Year Page-A-Day Calendar 2024

$14.95

As writers, we are all about the words. Get more of them with this word-a-day desktop calendar from Merriam-Webster.

10. Book Lover’s Scented Soy Wax Candle

$21.99+

Who doesn’t love the scent of a quality candle burning, especially on a cold winter night? To order this one on Etsy, select your scent (how about lavender vanilla or blackberry jam?) and the size first.

11. “Chapter One” and “The End” earrings

$13.66

These stainless steel, hypo-allergenic earrings are back by popular demand. Get a pair for yourself and a friend.

12. ConvertKit Creator annual plan

30% off through Cyber Monday

ConvertKit is my email marketing service provider because it’s designed specifically for creators like us, is easy to use, and provides excellent tech support and customer service. The company also offers free training for its customers, something I take advantage of, and a steady flow of helpful e-mail marketing information. I highly recommend it.

13. Scriveiner Ballpoint Pen

$31.99

This exquisite pen is on author Candy Harrington’s gift list and now that I’ve seen it, it’s on mine, too. Don’t worry about it running out of ink; you can buy refills.

14. YETI Rambler 20 oz Travel Mug

30% off right now, $21

I normally include a coffee mug with a cheeky message but let’s face it: We all have enough coffee mugs, don’t we? Let’s elevate that hot boverage experience with this thermal version! I received this as a gift and love, love, love it. Use it at home or at your favorite coffee shop (just pour your beverage into it and sip while you work!). (Hitting the road? I have this one, too, and it keeps beverages hot for hours!). I especially like that there are many color options.
15. Reader Book Review Form

$29

Every author needs a copy of this form that helps readers write those all-important reader reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and other retail and review sites. Authors are calling this “the missing link” for reader reviews. There’s one for fiction and another for nonfiction; get both at a discount.

16. Book Lover Earrings

$9.99 (sale price)

I discovered these through an Instagram ad and knew you had to have them! Aren’t they the cutest? And because the books are multi-colored, you can wear these with almost any outfit.

17. Library Card Socks

$9.99

Who doesn’t need (or want!) book socks? I love these library socks because they’re a subtle way to support our libraries, but this company also offers a “good friends/good books” pair, a No. 2 pencil design, and a pair with a Jane Austen quote.

18. ProWritingAid

50% off through November 30

ProWritingAid, one of the most popular writing aids for authors, is offering 50% off premium lifetime or yearly plans for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. There’s also a free version to try before you decide to upgrade to the more substantial paid version. One writer told me, “Without it, I find it very difficult to locate all the little things, like split infinitives, comma splices, and variations in spelling between the UK and the U.S.”

19. Libro Audiobook sale

Books on sale through November 27, credit bundles starting at $30 are 10% off December 5-7

I love buying audiobooks from Libro because the company splits profits with indie bookstores. That means I can support my local bookstore every time I make a purchase. Many best-sellers are on sale now through November 27; audibook credit bundles will be 10% off December 5 to December 7.

20. No Such Thing as Too Many Books Tote

$12.99

There’s also no such thing as too many tote bags, which makes this a great gift for the writers and book lovers in your life. There are lots of other book-lover tote options, too. Just use the search box.
21. Book Marketing Coaching

$150

Give yourself the gift of advice by purchasing an hour of my time to work through your book marketing issues. Most authors consult with me to identify marketing opportunties and priorities for their specific book because they know book marketing isn’t one-size-fits-all.

22. Time

$0

I know that novelist Cynthia Swanson spoke for many when she said, “Anything you can do for a writer to give them more time to write is the greatest gift possible. Babysit their kids, bring them a meal, buy them a night in a hotel room so they can hole up and write for 24 hours, all alone.” And it won’t cost you a thing.

23. Create Your Vision Board: The 2-Hour Guide to Attracting the Life You Want

$12.05

Some people swear by vision boards, saying that daily reminder of where they want to go helps get them there. Why not create one for your book? My friend Marcia Layton Turner‘s guide to vision boards is probably the best resource for this on the market. UPDATED November 28, 2023: Marcia is hosting a free vision board class on January 11, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET. Register here.

24. Future Bestselling Author Notebook

$5.99

I’m a big believer in the power of positive thinking. This is the most perfect gift for that. It’s 150 blank pages, but it’s exactly what you need to see when you sit down to write.

25. Lined Index Cards on a Ring

$13.99

So many writers and authors capture and organize their thoughts and words on index cards. That’s why author Jen Dodrill added lined index cards on a ring to her holiday wish list. This collection seemed to be the best value, but there are other options, including just white cards.

26. Writing Dice

$19.75

Overcome writer’s block with nine dice yielding thousands of combinations.

27. Affirmators! Creativity Deck

$13.71

Confession: This might be my favorite item on this list. I think that writers, more than anyone else, suffer from “imposter’s syndrome.” Every time you begin to doubt your ability while writing anything, whether it’s an article, a blog post, or a book chapter, pull a card from this deck with 50 affirmations. You deserve this support! 

28. Noise-Cancelling Headphones

$49.95 (Black Friday 50% off sale price)

This is the ultimate gift for writers working in any public location or distracted at home by TV or family noise. And think of how much more you’ll enjoy audiobooks without the rest of the world intruding!

29. Indie Bookstore Gift Card

Starting at $10

Support local independent bookstores by buying store gift cards for all the writers and readers on your list. Using Bookshop.org for this option lets your recipient give their local indie retailer purchase credit. Even better: Purchase a gift card for a local writer or reader directly from your local bookseller directly.

Phew! That’s quite a list isn’t it? But let’s expand it!

What gifts for writers and authors would you like to receive this holiday season? Please tell us in a comment!

*This year’s most over-used word. 

Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Associates links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase, I will receive a couple of pennies (at no extra charge to you).

Like it or not, September’s arrival reminds us that fall is just around the corner.

This means the orioles competing with the bees for the jelly on my feeder outside my office window will soon be flying south. And that I’d better return to the dry cleaner to pick up that winter coat I dropped off months ago…and forgot about.

But it also introduces to our calendars so many imaginative September holidays for book promotion.

How can you use these unusual occasions?

There are so many ways to use these fun holidays! I like to look for opportunities to generate more engagement on social media, blog post ideas, or ideas I can turn into social media images or videos.

Here are a few ideas.

September 1, National Tofu Day, appeals to me because people have strong feelings about tofu. Some, like me, love it. Others have serious issues with it. Why not host a poll on Instagram Stories and ask followers if they love it or hate it?

For more engagement, how about using September 13, Fortune Cookie Day, to ask followers on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook – wherever your audience hangs out – to comment with fortune cookie messages they’d like to find in a cookie but never do? Offer a prize (your book, perhaps) to the person who writes the message you like the most.

National Pet Memorial Day on September 10 made me think of my friend Roxanne Hawn’s “Heart Dog: Surviving the Loss of Your Canine Soul Mate.” Roxanne can leverage the obvious link to her book by starting an online discussion about how humans memorialize their pet. She can also write and distribute to the media a tip sheet offering advice for honoring pet memories that can help their humans deal with grief when a pet dies.

Imaginative September holidays for book promotion

Spend some time reviewing this short list of some of the fun and imaginative occasions coming up next month. Get the full list at HolidayInsights.com.

• September 1 National Tofu Day (UK)
• September 4 Bring Your Manners to Work Day
• September 5 Be Late for Something Day
• September 6 Fight Procrastination Day
• September 8 National Ampersand Day
• September 8 Pardon Day
• September 9 Teddy Bear Day
• September 10 Grandparent’s Day
• September 10 National Pet Memorial Day
• September 10 Sewing Machine Day
• September 11 No News is Good News Day
• September 13 Defy Superstition Day
• September 13 Fortune Cookie Day
• September 13 Positive Thinking Day
• September 16 Collect Rocks Day
• September 16 National Play Doh Day
• September 17 Wife Appreciation Day
• September 19 International Talk Like a Pirate Day
• September 21 International Peace Day
• September 22 Hobbit Day
• September 25 World Dream Day
• September 27 Crush a Can Day
• September 28 National Good Neighbor Day

There are also several book-related holidays in September to consider, including Read a Book Day and National Punctuation Day. You’ll find them in the 2023 Literary Calendar on this site.

Which of these holidays is a good fit for you and your book, and why? How will you use it? Please tell us in a comment.

I don’t like when industry buzzwords and terminology are dropped into conversations with people who don’t work in that field.

You know how it goes . . . social workers never tell anyone anything. They share with them.

Educators don’t work with groups. They’ve got cohorts.

And there are no phrases with words in the military and financial services field — those folks love their acronyms. They’ve got a POV or ARM for everything.

Authors are guilty of using buzzwords, too

Authors do it, too.

How many times have you mentioned to someone who doesn’t write that you’ll add a POD option for your next book or that you’re wondering if you should ditch ARCs this time?

Marketers are no different. They might even be worse!

I get frustrated when I see them using the latest buzzword (or any buzzword) with authors without pausing to explain or define industry expressions.

No matter who does it, it’s a way of setting up boundaries that separate those in the know from those in the dark. I prefer inclusion over exclusion.

Learn these book marketing buzzwords

With that in mind, here are a dozen common book marketing buzzwords you’re likely to come across as you learn how to market your books. The list is not exhaustive, but it’s a good start.

1. Call to action — CTA

A call to action, often abbreviated to CTA, tells your reader what you want them to do next.

Authors who are savvy social media users include CTAs in many of their posts. They might say, “If you liked this, please subscribe to my newsletter,” or “What do you think of my new character’s name? Does it work for you? Tell me in a comment.”

All authors should include a “please review this book” CTA at the end of their books.

We need to be told what to do, so please tell us in a CTA.

2. Funnel

This concept describes the journey a reader takes from the first interaction with your book(s) to purchase. It typically moves from awareness to opinion to purchase, as shown in this illustration. (Note that it looks like a funnel.)

Not everybody who becomes aware of your book will go on to purchase it. Those who do move through the complete cycle shown in the illustration and come out the bottom of the funnel as your readers after they purchase your book.

For more on this, read “Curious about book funnels? Here’s (almost) everything you need to know.”

3. Landing page

This is a simple web page with a single purpose.

For authors, that could be encouraging readers to subscribe to your newsletter or buy your book (but not both).

Because a landing page is so focused on just one goal, it is visually simple and has no menu or toolbar with other options to distract visitors.

My landing page offering the “Build Book Buzz Guest Blogging Cheat Sheet” is an example of one that’s designed to get newsletter subscribers.

The landing page for the Build Book Buzz Reader Book Review Forms is a product sales page. Note that there’s no menu or toolbar.

4. Lead magnet

Also referred to as a “reader magnet,” “lead generator,” “opt-in bribe,” or “freebie,” this is an irresistible gift you offer your target audience in exchange for their contact information.

While marketers might encourage you to collect full mailing addresses, don’t.

First, you don’t need that much information — all you need is a name and email address.

Second, people won’t provide it. If you force them to fill in their address to get your lead magnet, they’ll close the window and you’ll lose your chance to start building a relationship with someone in your target audience.

My “Guest Blogging Cheat Sheet” mentioned above is a lead magnet,  as is my “Book Marketing Plan Template” and “9 Places to Look for Readers Who Write Reviews.”

Get nonfiction lead magnet ideas in this article and fiction lead magnet ideas in this one.

5. Opt in

Opt in is a verb that describes what people do when they add themselves to your email list (often because they want your lead magnet). They opt in.

Best practice for email marketing is a 100 percent opt-in list. Don’t add people to your email list without their permission. They need to decide whether they want to hear from you or not.

Note the example on the right; you’ll also find it on the right sidebar of this page.

For more on this subject, read “3 important email marketing truths you need to know as an author” and “Book review: Newsletter Ninja: How to Become an Author Mailing List Expert.”

Don't add people to your email list without their permission.Click to tweet

6. Optimize/Optimization

When you “optimize” something, you make the most of it.

For authors, optimize refers to maximizing the power and impact of your Amazon sales page, Amazon author page, and the text on your website for SEO reasons (see below).

It’s often used in conjunction with search terms people will use to find you and your books.

7. Pixels

Pixels also refers to images but in this case, it’s an advertising term referring to a piece of code that is used to track behavior on a website. It’s often used when talking about the effectiveness of Facebook ads that drive traffic to a website.

8. Re-targeting

Have you ever noticed how a product you looked at on an e-commerce site shows up as an ad on other sites you visit?

That’s re-targeting. It’s designed to encourage you to buy that product. Think of it as a digital reminder.

Here’s an example of re-targeting and really, it’s kind of creepy. After my daughter’s dog had surgery, I asked her via text how she got the pup to take pills. She sent me a picture of this product . . . which showed up on a page I was reading on my phone’s browser this morning.

9. Plugin

This is software that you add — plug in — to your browser or website that gives it more functionality. You’ll use a plugin to add an email optin form to your website.

Notice the social network icon toolbars at the top and left side of this article that allow you to share it quickly and easily. We added those toolbars here with a plugin.

10. SEO

SEO — search engine optimization — is what you do to your website (see optimize/optimization above) so that it gets found by search engines.

The better your site’s SEO — meaning, the more content you create that fits what your target audience is looking for — the higher your site pages will show up in search engine results.

11. Split testing

Also referred to as A/B testing, this function allows you to test website features such as headlines, text, or images or email subject lines and content, among other things.

12. Upselling

Upsells are designed to sell more to someone making a purchase. The most recognizable example is “Would you like fries with that?”

When you upsell, you’re either suggesting that the customer buy a better version (with more features or functionality, for example) or encouraging them to add a complementary product to the purchase.

Authors can upsell by offering a discounted price on a companion workbook, providing a volume discount, or selling additional merchandise or services from within the book.

There are many, many more book marketing buzzwords, of course.

Is there a book marketing buzzword you don’t understand? Maybe we can help you. Share it in a comment. 

(Editor’s note: This article was first published in September 2017. It has been updated and expanded.)

I’ve known Richard McCartney, our guest blogger, for several years. He’s the founder of KBookPromotions, a site named by PAID AUTHOR as one of the Best Book Promotions Sites in 2022 and 2023. Richard is also the author of a book series on self-publishing. Each of his books reached #1 on Amazon’s bestseller lists, garnered hundreds of reviews, and won awards such as the Book Excellence Awards for Marketing. Richard is often invited to speak as an expert on publishing, self-publishing, and book marketing.

Huge changes in Amazon KDP: What authors need to know in 2023

By Richard McCartney

Just when you thought it was safe to dip your toes back into KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing), Amazon has changed the rules again.

At the end of May, Amazon KDP announced a raft of immediate new changes, the most important of which concerned book categories. It also increased print on demand services pricing effective June 20.

These changes have much wider repercussions. For example, many books in the Amazon store related to self-publishing and dated before June 2023 will become largely out of date, because most reference book category selection or expected ROI from book sales.

Many authors were alarmed when they heard they could only select three categories. How would this impact their sales and visibility?  To better understand this, let’s look at how book category selection use to work, and how it works now.

Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission (at no extra charge to you).

Previously, on Amazon…

Previously, Amazon had a pretty flawed system where authors were asked to select two categories when uploading their book into KDP.

Unknown to many, the categories displayed to them were notably limited and different from the larger selection of categories readers could actually browse through on the Amazon website.

Also, unknown to many authors, up to 10 categories could be added to a book, but for this to happen authors had to email KDP Support.

As you can imagine, this was a rather unfair and troublesome system because many authors didn’t know they could add more than the two categories provided in KDP.

This put them at a disadvantage.

Changes in Amazon KDP should eliminate category stuffing issue

Added to this, Amazon Support rarely checked the category selections sent to them, so some more savvy authors started abusing the system by employing what some call “category stuffing.”

This malpractice places a book in niche categories where only a few sales are needed to reach the bestseller lists (perhaps even reach the #1 spot), even if the book is irrelevant in those particular categories. For example, a steamy vampire novel could appear in the bestseller list for photography.

Why it took Amazon so long to resolve this flawed system remains a mystery. However, finally, all that is largely over.

And now …

Amazon has simplified the category selection process by listing all categories inside KDP. That means we can now select from a much broader range of categories than before. And, should we change our minds on the categories selected, we can update them whenever we like through our KDP Bookshelf.

One notable limitation is that Amazon now restricts books to three categories. On the whole, this is a good thing because it should prevent the malpractice of “category stuffing” I mentioned before. It should also fix a glitch many authors reported in November 2022 regarding incorrect categories showing for their books.

NOTE: The three-category limitation takes effect when you update your book. If no change is made, then you remain with the categories you had before the May 2023 changes.

Amazon has simplified the category selection process by listing all categories inside KDP. That means we can now select from a much broader range of categories than before.Click to tweet

Category selection tips

Being limited to just three categories makes your book category selection all the more important.

When publishing an e-book in KDP, most authors will select the first two categories that come to mind when browsing the list of categories now provided in KDP. In many cases, this is a mistake.

One of the objectives in selecting categories for your book is not so much to select the most logical ones, but rather the “best fit” ones. By this, I mean selecting the categories where you book is most likely to be found in the Amazon Store.

Amazon shoppers often discover books by entering keywords in the search box and by searching through the bestseller lists. Amazon has a “Top 100” list in hundreds of categories, and many readers will look at these lists.

Amazon shoppers often discover books by entering keywords in the search box and by searching through the bestseller lists.Click to tweet

So, one of your goals should be to try and select at least one category where your book appears in these lists with minimum sales effort needed. Popular tools like Publisher Rocket help with this, if you don’t mind paying for such products.

If you have a very limited budget, there are books in the Amazon Store showing you how to achieve this, too.

Amazon KDP print cost changes

As for the change in print prices, the largest impact will be for large trim size books, especially those with color printing.

Pricing will vary by format, page numbers, trim size, and even marketplace (CA, EU, UK etc.).

Thankfully, Amazon provides a KDP Printing Costs and Royalty Calculator tool. It’s the best way to determine your new print costs and projected return on investment.

The changes in Amazon KDP aren’t so bad, right?

When selecting book categories, authors now have a full range of category selection within KDP without having to contact Amazon Support. All of this is, I believe, generally good news for all of us published in KDP.

For book pricing, using the KDP Printing Costs and Royalty Calculator which will show you that only large trim size books will be seriously impacted. Calculating costs in advance will help you decide if you want to make changes, too.

What questions do you have about these changes? Please ask Richard in a comment.

As reported by CNBC and a sharp marketer who monitors the world’s largest online retailer for a living, Amazon is testing the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to summarize some product reviews. Generative AI uses technology to produce content such as text, graphics, audio, and video.

The summaries, which include a disclaimer that Amazon is using AI to create them, pull from user reviews to share what customers do and don’t like about products. (See an example of a review here.)

In theory, they save discerning shoppers time scrolling through reviews for key product features and issues.

Amazon hasn’t officially announced that it’s summarizing product reviews with AI, but it confirmed the news when asked by CNBC.

Will Amazon roll this out to reader reviews?

You might be wondering if and when this will apply to reader reviews and the impact it might have on reviews and book sales.

Nobody knows for certain, but we can make educated guesses.

“Amazon is always testing what converts better on their product pages. If they find that the AI-generated review summaries convert well on laundry machines, then they’ll likely roll it out for books as well,” says Bryan Cohen, author and CEO of Best Page Forward.

Dave Chesson, founder of Kindlepreneur, a top marketing resource for authors, agrees. “I think it makes sense to do it considering that when looking at the reviews of the book, as a shopper, it requires a lot of time to sift through the reviews and find one with legitimate, constructive feedback on the book,” he says.

Impact summarizing product reviews with AI might have on books

Authors engaged in the ongoing struggle to generate reader reviews might be concerned that AI-generated summaries will discourage reviewers. Amazon is probably tracking review trends as part of the test, too.

Once readers realize that too-brief reviews – “Loved it” or “Hated it” – don’t contribute to meaningful summaries, they might get more specific.

Chesson has a concern about AI incorporating those too-brief reviews into summaries, too.

“If they develop the system where it compiles the good and the bad to create two paragraphs, I worry what will happen when the feedback isn’t well-thought-out.

“For example, I’ve seen negative reviews in the past where the reviewer will say something about how they haven’t read the book and then proceed to give an opinion. Or, perhaps there aren’t many negative reviews and so the system reaches and gives full discussions on things that aren’t really a thing,” he says.

Once readers realize that too-brief reviews – “Loved it” or “Hated it” – don’t contribute to meaningful summaries, they might get more specific.Click to tweet

Stephanie Chandler, founder and CEO of the Nonfiction Authors Association, shares his concern, adding, “While they haven’t yet mastered how to distinguish between poor product reviews and positive ones, surely they will figure out how to separate these details based on the starred reviews,” she says.

Encouraging readers to write more helpful reviews

Chandler believes authors can get ahead of this by encouraging readers to write more meaningful reviews.

“As authors we may need to ask reviewers to get more specific with their feedback so that AI-generated review summaries are reflective of the content of the books,” she adds.

Even so, Cohen wonders if readers will be disappointed by the new review experience if it rolls out to all product categories.

“If these changes all come to pass, the next question will be how book reviewers will react to their words being summarized and then passed over,” he notes.

Upsides to summarizing product reviews with AI

Any flaws in the process will likely be eliminated by the time book reviews are summarized. When it happens, it’s possible the AI-generated summaries will help readers make quicker decisions about what to read next.

“If the AI system can help piece this together, which I think it can, this will create a much better shopping experience,” Chesson says.

A better customer experience can lead to higher sales for books that readers review favorably, too.

“If the AI summaries help get a higher percentage of readers to buy, then both Amazon and the authors who publish there will be very happy,” adds Cohen.

Want to help readers write more meaningful reviews now? Download the Build Book Buzz Reader Book Review Forms now. There’s one for fiction; another for nonfiction. They encourage reviews by taking the mystery out of the process for your fans. Learn more at https://buildbookbuzz.com/reader-book-review-form/

Do you think review summaries will help readers make better-informed decisions about what to buy and read? Why or why not? Please tell us in a comment.

Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission (at no extra charge to you).

You’ve probably heard lots of chatter about artificial intelligence (AI) writing tools recently. ChatGPT from OpenAI is getting the most attention, and not all of it is good.

Users have documented problems that include capacity issues (you can’t always use it when you need to) and inaccurate information. Inaccuracy isn’t unique to this resource, though – it’s something to watch out for with all AI tools.

People are also concerned about bias picked up from information fed into the system and copyright issues.

QuickWrite and copyright

As a writer, I worry about copyright violations, too. So, before I started using and recommending QuickWrite, an AI tool created specifically for authors, I asked C.J. McDaniel, the tool’s creator, about copyright and plagiarism issues.

Here’s what he told me:

“First, the content being generated is original, and the algorithms & AI do not copy information. They generate responses to your queries. Our AI engine has been trained on billions of words of content to give it its wealth of context and knowledge and to train it in how humans communicate. So the information you receive back will be original to you; even if someone else gave it the exact same information, they would still get different results.

“But taking that a step further, some of the things you can do to make sure that someone else doesn’t have the same content are the things that I believe we authors already naturally do. This includes things like making sure we give it original commands and then do edits or add expertise, knowledge, or creativity to further flesh out what is given.

“QuickWrite comes up super clean on all the plagiarism checkers we have tested and anything we have seen is always common phrases that authors would use anyway. On our plagiarism checks, we haven’t seen anything come even close to that 25% duplicate content that Google uses as its standard for duplicate content.”

My QuickWrite review starts with firsthand experience

With my copyright question out of the way, I first used QuickWrite to help me write a blog post on how to use YouTube for book marketing. Here’s the process I followed:

1. I asked it to generate book marketing blog post topics.
2. After making a selection, I asked it to outline the article.
3. I then asked it to write each section of the outline, one section at a time (because that’s how the tool works).
4. As I worked, I copied and pasted each section into the text editing box until I had an AI-generated draft.

It would have taken me several hours to write that draft. QuickWrite produced it in about 15 minutes.

I spent time removing repetitious content, editing the text so it was more my style and less generic, and adding my stories and anecdotes.

But wow – this was a timesaver! That’s just one reason I wanted to write this QuickWrite review for you.

QuickWrite is a writer’s assistant

Think of QuickWrite as a writer’s assistant, not as a writer that replaces you. You wouldn’t use it to write a book (um, right?). But you can use it to brainstorm titles and character names, write book descriptions, and even write the email announcing your book.

via GIPHY

Artificial intelligence tools give you a starting point, not a finished product.

Completing an AI-developed project involves fact-checking nonfiction details, too. My bio is a good example of that. My QuickWrite-generated bio wasn’t accurate and neither was ChatGPT’s.

The lesson here? Write your own bio! (And do some fact-checking.)

QuickWrite was created for authors

The genius of QuickWrite is that C.J. McDaniel (the whiz behind MockupShots) created it specifically for authors. You won’t be tempted to waste time asking the software to solve math problems, write code, or find recipes.

And to make it as easy as possible to use, there are separate “task” sections for fiction and nonfiction and another for marketing-type writing.

You get access to all of it, making it especially useful to authors who write both fiction and nonfiction.

What can it do for you?

Save hours and hours of time with your creative process by using QuickWrite to:

• Develop well-rounded characters with backstories
• Master world-building that complements your storyline in seconds
• Get original scenarios that provide multiple options so you can create better stories
• Reduce research time with access to a vast pool of data and ideas for key elements and items for your book
• Craft a compelling email with the click of a button
• Create a nonfiction book title
• Write sales copy for your book with ease
• Create social media content for Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn articles
• Generate genre-specific blog content you can use to get traffic to your website or blog
• Create images
• Translate text (but I haven’t tested this)

Watch our videos to see how it works

After using this for the first time late last year, I created a short demo video to show authors what it can do, and how easy it is to use. (Note that it’s not a QuickWrite review — it’s a how-to demonstration.)

There are demo videos on the product sales pages, too. They’re more in-depth than mine, so be sure to watch them. You can get to the fiction demo here and the nonfiction video here.

Speaking of videos, I’ve been able to figure out how to do most tasks, but when I’ve been stumped, I’ve turned to the training videos in my QuickWrite account. That instant help makes a difference

Authors love QuickWrite

I love this tool – but don’t take my word for it.

I’ve received several testimonials from authors who purchased it on my recommendation. One told me:

“One particularly good aspect I found is generating character names. It saves trawling phone directories or googling to find suitable names for characters, and it appears to do it for any country. As I get used to it, I’m sure I’ll find a lot more to assist me. Thanks for introducing me to this software.”

And here’s another:

“Just wanted to THANK YOU for this QuickWrite info….. I’m stunned at how fabulous it is… actually makes me giggle out loud at how fast AI can come with plots, descriptions, etc. that would have taken me hours. Maybe days. Or even NEVER have thought of! Brilliant.”

No waiting

I especially appreciate that I have unlimited access to the tool – there are no restrictions. I’ve had to wait to use ChatGPT a few times and while that’s not the biggest problem in my life, it makes a big difference for me to have my tools available when I need them.

And, while you can’t try it before buying, you get a 30-day, money-back guarantee. That means you risk nothing when you purchase and try it.

Get special pricing

To use most AI tools like this, you have to buy “credits” to generate content. With my QuickWrite affiliate link, though, you can get lifetime, unlimited access for a one-time fee of $197 until June 16.

On that date, the price with my affiliate link increases to $297, which is still a better deal than what you’ll pay without my link.

Anyone without an affililate link pays either $49.99/month or $497 for lifetime access.

Not for purists

Obviously, I’m an enthusiastic user. And my QuickWrite review is an honest one. It’s a good fit for me, but whether you can benefit from its power depends in part on how you like to create and write.

One author told me that she is a purist who would be uncomfortable using a tool like this as part of her creative process. Others appreciate its ability to do certain writerly tasks frees them up to be even more creative with their writing.

I’m old-school with certain things, too, but I’m also a fan of anything affordable that does a good job of saving me time. This is one of them.

Ask me questions about my QuickWrite review!

What have I missed in this QuickWrite review? If I haven’t answered all of your questions, please ask them here or in an email.  If I can’t answer them, I’ll turn to someone who can.

Which AI tools have you tried? Do you like them? Please tell us in a comment.

I received an interesting voicemail message earlier this month.

“Hi Sandra, this is Ann and I’m calling from Stratton Direct. We want you to send us copies of your book, Streetwise Complete Publicity Plans. And we are interested to display your book in our physical bookstore in Manhattan. And this is at no cost to you. Just send us the copies and give me a call as soon as you get this so we can provide you more details. My number is….”

Stratton Direct is the marketing arm of Stratton Press, an author services company.

Here are four reasons I was surprised by the call:

1. Adams Media published Streetwise Complete Publicity Plans in 2003.
2. Considering I wrote it 20 years ago, it is woefully out of date.
3. It has been out of print for years.
4. Unlike many other authors, I haven’t been inundated with unsolicited calls or emails from companies like this. I thought it was because my print-format books are traditionally published. I was wrong.

So of course, I called her back. And took notes.

Why did Ann call?

Ann wanted to offer me shelf space in a brick-and-mortar store for this out-of-print, out-of-date book.

She could accept up to 10 copies. They would keep 10 to 25% of the retail price; I would keep the rest.

She said she was looking at the book on its Amazon sales page, yet, she asked questions that were answered on that screen. “Who published the book?” “What’s the ISBN number?”

But “How is it selling?” Come on, Ann. It’s a how-to book that’s 20 years old. How do you think it’s selling?

The old “You’re an important author” trick

I asked what put me on her radar. “You’re an important author!” she said.

via GIPHY

I could hear my Dad saying, “Don’t kid a kidder.”

I still don’t know how or why I was targeted, or why anyone else is. If you do, please explain it in the comments.

But, wait! There’s more!

Ann asked about my marketing strategy. Have I gotten it into local bookstores, she wondered. She didn’t seem to understand that a book that’s part of a series from a major publisher has more than local distribution. It’s in stores nationwide.

Or in my case, was.

After asking me about my goal for the book, I gave her the answer she wanted: To sell as many books as possible. That was the goal 20 years ago, anyway. (Did she not notice that detail?)

That’s the answer that unlocked the full pitch.

Why, they have a “complete book selling system” that I can take advantage of! It includes placement in their “exclusive online store.” And I can keep 100% of sales from that store.

“Every sale you make goes into your bank account,” she assured me.

via GIPHY

All I need to do is send her my book’s manuscript so Stratton Press can republish it under its name.

My book will get its own sales page in their online store. They’ll market it aggressively on social media.

The new book, personal sales page, and “aggressive” promotion will cost me $3,000. That fee includes warehouse storage for what would be a print-on-demand book, too…even though no storage is required for books that are printed and shipped only after people order them.

Here’s why the Stratton Press pitch is stupid

Stratton Press  is charging a fee for services. But those services have no value.

You have a book already. Why do you need to re-publish it with an operation that’s trawling the internet for authors to flatter? (I refer back to that “important author” statement above.)

Plus, readers don’t buy books from unknown sites like this. They want to buy books from trusted retailers – Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, etc. (If you’re trying to sell your book from your own website, you understand this.)

What’s more, the Stratton Direct/Stratton Press website clearly targets authors, not readers. That’s a huge clue that the company’s goal is to fleece authors, not readers.

PREDATOR ALERT: Readers don’t buy books from unknown sites. They want to buy books from trusted retailersClick to tweet

Don’t fall for it

There are NO reasons for you to buy a Stratton Direct/Stratton Press package. None. Zero. Zip. Nada.

That physical bookstore in Manhattan? It’s “coming this 2023.” (But that’s more hopeful than “next 2023,” right?) Will it ever open? I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure readers won’t be shopping there.

What can this unknown bricks-and-mortar store (that doesn’t exist yet) offer that a favorite indie store can’t? More outdated, out-of-print books like mine.

I think this “coming soon” store was thrown into the mix to tempt authors who desperately want bookstore distribution, but can’t get it, don’t you?

6 signs you’ve heard from a predator

I returned Ann’s phone call because I knew it was from some type of author services company preying on authors who are vulnerable to flattery or other trickery.

I can see why the package offered to me would be attractive to those who are less informed and less cynical than I am. The sample book pages on the Stratton Press site that Ann sent me links to are lovely.

But that’s just smoke and mirrors.

Here are six signs to watch for so you don’t become the victim of a publishing predator.

1. They call. 

Legitimate publishers aren’t calling authors with published books. They just aren’t. And they certainly aren’t calling authors who aren’t already selling a lot of books.

Their goal is to convince you that they can sell lots and lots of books for you.

They can’t.

PREDATOR ALERT: Legitimate publishers aren’t calling authors with published books.Click to tweet

2. They send email messages.

See above – the good guys aren’t sending emails to unknown authors, either. Delete.

3. They flatter you.

I understand how anyone might be susceptible to a pitch from someone who says they represent a book publisher. We all want to think our books are so special that they attract strangers who will take those books to the next level.

Push past that temptation to think that maybe, just maybe, they are legit. If enough of us hang up the phone, flattery will get them nowhere.

4. They use bait and switch tactics.

My conversation went from “We’ll stock your book for free in our physical bookstore” to “and for $3,000, we’ll do these other things of no value to you” pretty quickly.

5. Googling the company name plus “complaints,” “scam,” or “predator” generates results.

This is the first thing I do when someone in the Build Book Buzz Book Marketing Group on Facebook asks about a publisher.

6. The company is on the ALLi Self-Publishing Services naughty list.

The Alliance of Independent Authors – ALLi – maintains a helpful list of author services companies along with ratings:

• Excellent
• Recommended
• Mixed
• Caution
• Watchdog Advisory

Stratton Press, on page 17 of the list, is in the next-to-the-worst category, “Caution.” Those are “Services that do not currently align with ALLi’s Code of Standards.”

Don’t take the bait

Here are three ways to avoid paying for services you don’t need and that won’t help:

• Stifle your ego. These people aren’t calling because your book is special. They’re calling because they hope you’re a sucker.
• Don’t return a call from anyone who says they’re an agent, publisher, or marketer. Honest, successful people in these categories don’t cold-call unknown authors.
• Keep your credit card in your wallet. Before spending money with “service providers” soliciting your business, Google them using the tip above. Check the ALLi watchdog list. Ask authors in online groups what they know about the companies.

Spread the word

That last point about sharing predator information with other authors is important. One of the best ways to minimize the damage caused by companies that prey on us is to choke off their supply of unsuspecting writers.

The more we talk about and share information about these companies, the more we can help our author peers. You can help immediately by sharing this article in author groups.

I’m glad this happened to me. It offered a firsthand look at how these goobers operate. I hope that sharing my experience here has helped you, too.

I probably haven’t identified all of the signs of a predator. What would you add to this list? Please tell us in a comment.

I always look forward to writing this article about the year’s top 10 book marketing articles on this site. It forces me to do something I need to do more often — study what resonates with you here so I can deliver more of it.

Google Analytics helps me identify the blog posts with the most traffic (visits). Because I want the list to focus only on articles created or updated in 2022, I remove those in the top 10 that don’t fit that description.

In addition to helping you see anything that could help you but that you might have missed, this annual process helps me:

• Identify trends
• Uncover surprises (for example, I thought “Amazon A+ Content: Elevate your book’s Amazon page” would get more traffic than it did, especially considering it was widely shared)
• Determine what to write about in the following year

Your top 10 book marketing articles

Which Build Book Buzz articles made the most difference for you? Here are your favorite book marketing articles according to blog traffic reports.

1. 2022 literary calendar has 149 opportunities for celebrating all things books

This month-by-month list of occasions that celebrate all things books this year makes it easy to find opportunities you can work into your book marketing plans. It includes information on how to use the special days and holidays for year-round book marketing and promotion. (Be sure to download the 2023 literary calendar using that option in the article here.)

2. How to email a press release to journalists: The biggest mistake to avoid

Originally published in 2012 and updated this year, this how-to article with a short demo video is at the top of the traffic list year after year. It’s a must-read if you plan to contact journalists.

3. BookTok for book marketing

This roundup of media coverage of BookTok (a TikTok subculture for books and readers) digs into the impact of short videos from book lovers and why they’re important, and explains how you can use BookTok to your advantage.

4. 5 ways to promote your book long after the launch

Readers don’t care if your book came out last week, last month, or last year. All they care about is that it’s a good book. Here are five things you can do to promote your fiction and nonfiction books long after the launch has come and gone.

5. 18 book marketing tips from the trenches

I asked authors, book marketers, book publicists, and publishers for their best book marketing tips. Here’s truly helpful advice from 18 of them.

6. The difference between book reviews and endorsements

What’s the difference between book reviews and book endorsements? And why should you care? The article answers those questions and outlines the two types of book reviews and how they differ. Don’t miss the examples of endorsements in the second half.

7. 7 ways to promote your book while watching TV

The next time you’re watching TV to relax, especially if the show doesn’t require you to look at the screen the whole time to follow the action, try doing a few of these book promotion activities.

8. Attract more readers by including these 3 author bio essentials

Condensing your personal story into a few sentences can be a challenge. Build your credibility with readers by including these three author bio essentials in your author bio. Each is something readers expect to see on your book’s back cover and sales pages.

9. Boost social media success with these 3 image types

Research shows that images improve your social media success and engagement. Here are three types of custom images you can create that support your book marketing messages while they increase social media engagement.

10. Create your book marketing plan by answering these 7 questions

If you want to sell books, creating a book marketing plan isn’t optional – it’s essential. Don’t be intimidated by the thought of it, though. It’s really just a matter of answering the right questions. You’ll find them here.

I’ve been blogging here for more than 10 years, so there’s a huge amount of free information on this site. Find it with the search box. It’s on the right if you’re on a computer; on the bottom if you’re viewing this with a mobile device.

I’m looking forward to another year of learning and sharing with you.

What do you want me to write about on this blog in the coming year? Please offer suggestions in a comment below.