COVID-19’s impact on most industries is stunning. On the book publishing side, publishers have furloughed or laid off staff. Printers have struggled to print and ship books according to pre-COVID timelines. Authors who rely on in-person promotion had to re-think their book marketing strategies.

And yet, as an author, you’ve kept moving forward, haven’t you?

I have, too. This past year, I’ve published dozens of book marketing articles designed to help you rise above the chaos and confusion so you continue to sell books.

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

1. 2020 literary calendar with 122 occasions for book fans

This month-by-month list of occasions that celebrate all things books during the year we’re leaving behind makes it easy to find opportunities you can work into your book marketing plans. It includes information on how to use the 122 special days and holidays for year-round book marketing.

2. Book cover re-designs: A pro offers 7 before and after examples

This guest post by cover designer Alexander von Ness explains the thought process behind makeovers of seven fiction and nonfiction book covers. Each example includes the original cover and Alexander’s redesigned version, along with a link to a more detailed examination on his site.

3. “I wish I had known that before I self-published.” 25 authors share what they’ve learned

I asked self-published authors, “What do you know now about self-publishing that you wish you had known when you started?” This article showcases their responses on everything from where to learn what you need to know to whether you should publish on Amazon exclusively and the importance of a book marketing plan.

4. TikTok demographics for authors

TikTok was the fastest growing social network in 2019. This 2020 article digs into the video platform’s demographics so you can see if it’s a good fit for your target readers.

5. 3 Amazon secrets every author needs to know

In this guest post, book marketer Rob Eagar explains how to use Amazon’s power to your advantage. He presents three little-known Amazon secrets that can make a big difference, including how to use the platform to build your author email list.

6. The shy author’s guide to book promotion

While some authors embrace book marketing and promotion with enthusiasm, many just wish it would go away. In this article, I detail five “I can’t do this” obstacles I see the most from shy authors. It includes ideas for getting around them.

7. 2021 literary calendar with 137 occasions for book lovers

This December update to the popular 2020 list published last January takes things up a notch with more holidays and a “download and save this calendar” option designed to make it even more useful.

8. Trade book reviews: Behind the scenes with a professional reviewer

Rose Fox, director of BookLife Reviews, Publishers Weekly‘s paid review service for indie authors, explains trade reviews (also known as media and literary reviews) and how to get them. She walks us through exactly what happens on the publication review side. She also explains why getting a book reviewed can take a lot longer than you’d think.

9. How to get awesome book cover blurbs

Many self-published authors refer to their book description as a blurb, but the publishing industry uses that word for pre-publication endorsements and testimonials. This article addresses who to approach for endorsements and presents nine steps for snagging blurbs your mother would be proud of.

10. 4 steps to new book marketing habits

This article breaks down the habit-making recommendations of B.J. Fogg, author of Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything. It’s a must-read if you’re serious about improving your life by replacing habits that don’t work for you anymore with those that will do the job.

I was happy to see that three of the top 10 book marketing articles here were written by guest bloggers.

It’s a reminder that guest blogging in reverse — bringing top authorities and experts to your site instead of going to theirs — helps provide your readers with useful content that matters to them.

Help me create content that will hit the top 10 list next year! Please add a comment telling me what you’d like to learn more about in 2021.

Tip of the Month

I like to share a “Tip of the Month,” a free resource or tool for authors, on the last Wednesday of the month.

This month, it’s Blogging Bistro’s 2021 Content Calendar Template.

People use content calendars to plan their blog posts and social media posts in advance. They help you become more thoughtful and organized, with the end result being a more consistent and strategic social media presence.

I love this particular calendar because it’s a Word document, not a PDF file, so you can type in it. You can even change the theme colors to reflect your author branding.

It’s the perfect companion to my popular 2021 Literary Calendar (and be sure to download the PDF version of that, too, here). Laura Christianson, the calendar’s creator, even linked to that list and pre-loaded the calendar with some of its writerly occasions.

I’ve downloaded the 2021 Content Calendar Template and have started adding the literary holidays that I’d like to promote in coming months. Give it a try yourself.

It’s easy to make resolutions to do something – anything – better at the start of a new year. For most of us, though, actually making that specific change is a lot harder.

2020 resolutions for many authors include doing more book marketing. These authors have realized that if their book is going to make a difference, they need to promote it well beyond the launch period.

I’ve got my own short list of things I want to change, improve, or accomplish this year, too. That’s why a Wall Street Journal essay based on a new book about creating habits, Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything, caught my eye. (If you have an online subscription, here’s a link to the essay.)

Get ready to establish new habits

In addition to explaining the research behind his approach to helping people build new habits, the book’s author, B.J. Fogg, offered specifics on how to do it.

What he shared surprised me.

Any of us looking to make positive changes in 2020 should visit our favorite retailer and buy this book. In the meantime, here’s what I learned from the article about how to create new habits.

1. Select a habit that you’re already motivated to create.

Start with something that doesn’t require you to find the motivation to do it. For example, chose a new habit you want, rather than one somebody else wants for you.

Let’s say that you want to do at least one thing a day to promote your book. Your challenge is turning that desire into a daily habit.

2. Start small.

Creating new habits takes time and effort, so don’t start with a massive overhaul. Select something smaller that you can see yourself mastering.

That’s why I’ve chosen doing one thing daily to promote your book as our book marketing example for this process rather than, “Start using an email newsletter to stay in touch with readers.”

If you aren’t gathering email addresses and sending messages to them already, you know that getting to an email newsletter will involved multiple steps. It will be a process. That’s a lot to ask of a single day, isn’t it?

But asking an author friend what email service provider she uses as one of your daily book marketing tasks is doable and will get you started on the bigger email newsletter process. (By the way, see what authors are doing with email in my free download, “Author Email Newsletter Samples.”)

3. Identify a prompt for your new habit.

This means that you want to link the new habit’s activity to a habit that’s already in your routine. For example, if your goal is to floss daily, the prompt you respond to might be putting your toothbrush back in its holder.

I want to build a daily meditation habit, so I use a meditation app that sends me a reminder on my smartphone at the same time every day. That’s my prompt. Consider doing the same thing for your new habit – set up a daily reminder on your phone.

What prompt will work for your daily book marketing activity? Perhaps it’s pouring that first cup of coffee, turning on your computer, or closing the bedroom door after you’ve said “good night” to your children.

It could also be the email prompt from my 365 Daily Book Marketing Tips email series. Hundreds of authors rely on my daily email message with a book marketing activity to trigger their daily habit. (Smart of them, right?)

4. Celebrate your victories.

Fogg writes in his WSJ essay: “As you try each new habit, celebrate immediately.” Allowing yourself to pause and do your version of high-fiving yourself will help reinforce your new habit by linking it to your brain’s reward circuitry.

What small acknowledgement will you use as your positive reinforcement each time you hit your daily book marketing goal? Maybe it’s petting the dog or doing a fist pump. It just needs to be something that feels positive to you.

This step is important, the author says, because the emotion you attach to a new habit from the beginning will help you maintain it. This works even better than repetition.

Create book marketing habits

If you’re serious about improving your life by replacing habits that don’t work for you anymore with others, you need to do things differently.

The steps outlined here from Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything will help you start. Reading the book will take you farther.

What new book marketing habit do you want to create? What’s stopping you? Please tell us in a comment.