“How long should I promote my book? Two months? Three months?”

Authors ask me this question all the time.

They’re often surprised by my answer: You should promote your book as long as it’s available for purchase and the content is relevant.

The book launch myth

I’m surprised at how many authors put all their effort into the period around the publication date, then abruptly stop. They abandon the book, even if (or especially if) they’re disappointed with sales results.

That’s often because many, many authors — you, maybe? — mistakenly believe that they can only promote their book when it’s new. That’s the farthest thing from the truth.

But they have this impression because there’s a lot of hoopla and hullabaloo around book launches. You can easily find launch courses and checklists online.

You’ll have to look a little harder, though to find programs like my Book Marketing 101 courses that look at book promotion more wholistically and explain how to support your books over the long term.

Readers don’t care about your publication date

In reality, you can — and should — promote and market your book as long as it’s available for purchase.

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.

1. Pitch yourself to the press as an expert source.

If you’ve written a book on a topic, you’re an expert. Your expertise doesn’t have an expiration date. Your book is a long-lasting credential. But don’t wait for journalists to find you — go to them.

Note that you don’t have to be a nonfiction author to be an expert source. Novelists typically do a great deal of research around situations, professions, themes, and other specifics for their books. What did you learn more than you ever thought you would while researching your fiction? You can probably talk to the media about it with confidence.

Also read:

• Finding the hidden news hooks in your fiction
• How to be your own book publicist
• Promoting your book: 8 ways to pitch media outlets
• How to get trade journal publicity

2. Speak about your book’s topic.

Whether your ideal readers belong to the Junior League, Rotary International, or the National Society of Accountants, you can identify a topic that will resonate with them.

While this is often thought of as a tactic for nonfiction writers, novelists can also speak about topics related to their book’s content.

Also read:

• 5 real good reasons to be an author who’s a public speaker

3. Do podcast interviews.

Let’s be honest. Authors who hit the bestseller list as soon as their books are released are busy, busy, busy. They don’t have time to be interviewed by every podcast host who wants them as a guest, so they give their time to the most popular shows.

That leaves everyone else to interview everyone else, right?

The best part? Podcast hosts don’t necessarily need you to have a “new book” credential to book you. They just need you to be a good guest with something interesting to say.

Also read:

• 19 cool podcast facts every author needs to know
• Podcasts and authors: Should you be a host or guest?
• 19 of the best podcasts for authors and writers

4. Guest blog.

Blog hosts want interesting, original content for their readers.

Your book doesn’t have to be new for you to provide what blogs need and want. In fact, the longer your book has been out and the more you’ve learned about reader reactions to it, the better able you are to write guest posts that will address reader interests.

Also read:

• The guest blogging audience most novelists don’t know about
• 4 reasons to embrace guest blogging
• Download our free Guest Blogging Cheat Sheet

5. Use social media to keep your book title in front of the right readers.

Not too long ago, I bought a book because the author posted on Instagram that the Kindle version was on sale for three days. I’ve been meaning to buy it, but had forgotten to do so.

Then this $1.99 Kindle deal showed up in my Instagram feed. It was a no-brainer. (When I told my daughters about it, they each bought a copy, too, because they had heard good things about the book.)

You know that you don’t want to smother people with marketing messages and images on social media, but regular, appropriate, and humble posts will help remind people (like me) that your book is out there waiting to be read and loved.

You can also use social media months and months after your book is published to remind people to review it on Amazon, Goodreads, and elsewhere. Encourage them to request it at bookstores and libraries, too.

Also read:

• Want to attract readers? Create social media content that resonates
• Instagram Stories for authors: How to create and use them
• Boost social media success with these 3 image types
• Create book promotion quote graphics
• BookTok for book marketing
• Three keys to selling more books with social media

Don’t forget . . .

There’s a lot more you can do, too. But here’s what’s important to remember:

• You don’t want to merely launch your book and move on. You want to continue to promote it months or even years later so it can educate, entertain, or inform the people you know will love it.
• Readers don’t care if your book is “new.” All they care about is that it’s good.

Want to learn more? Register for the “Book Marketing 101 for Fiction: How to Build Book Buzz” or “Book Marketing 101 for Nonfiction: How to Build Book Buzz” e-course to learn how to do all of these things and more.

What can you do today to promote your not-so-new book? 

(Editor’s note: This article was first published in August 2018. It has been updated and expanded.)

Professional public speakers have long known that organizations with training budgets view a book as an excellent indicator of expertise and topic knowledge.

I discovered this, too, when my humor book, WHY CAN’T A MAN BE MORE LIKE A WOMAN?, was released a couple of decades ago. Fortune 500 corporations that included Corning, Kraft, and Xerox invited me to speak, as did organizations that needed a light-hearted, upbeat keynote speaker.

I was happy to oblige and accept flattering fees to speak at sales meetings, conferences, and women’s events.

Speaking doubled my book income

So…when my publisher released Publicity for Nonprofits: Generating Media Exposure That Leads to Awareness, Growth, and Contributions, my book marketing plan included securing paid speaking engagements that would allow me to:

• Provide nonprofits with information they could use immediately to generate publicity
• Sell books
• Leverage the book to earn more

In addition to meeting all three goals, my speaking income was a little more than the advance I received to write the book. Clearly, the time it took to pursue paid speaking opportunities was well worth it for me.

Benefits of being an author who’s a public speaker

Is it worth it for you? Here are five reasons to consider being an author who’s a public speaker, even if you focus on doing it locally rather than outside your home base:

1. You can earn more from your book as a public speaker.

Sure, you can – and should – accept unpaid speaking gigs offered by local groups or association conferences. But why limit yourself to unpaid opportunities? Why not take that experience to organizations that have money to pay speakers?

What’s more, most organizations that invite authors to speak both want and expect authors to have books available for purchase. It’s why publishers like to see public speaking in the marketing sections of book proposals. Speaking equals book sales.

The mechanics of that vary according to the situation. Some events are large enough that organizers arrange to bring a local bookstore onsite to handle sales.

In other situations, you will need to bring, sell, and sign the books yourself. (When that’s the case, always ask your host to provide a volunteer who collects money while you sign books.)

In addition, in some situations, event organizers purchase enough books to give one to every attendee. Sound appealing?

2. You can share your message with more people when you’re a public speaker.

You have something to say, right? That’s why you wrote the book. Speaking lets you present your core messages in person.

But it’s more than that. People in the audience can share their messages, insights, and stories with you, too.

When I spoke about the lighter side of gender differences (the subject of my first book), men and women alike would share funny stories with me afterwards. It’s the best kind of content research!

3. It can lead to more and often better paying work.

Many consultants speak to generate leads. If you’ve got a book and you consult on its topic, public speaking can not only generate more speaking invitations at higher fees, it can also fill your inbox with requests for information about your professional services.

To help seed this, be sure you have useful handouts that supplement your presentation. Brand them and add your contact information. Include a link to a free digital download – a lead magnet – that will let them add themselves to your email list.

4. It supports your expert positioning.

If you wrote a book, you’re considered an expert on its topic.

This applies to all types of authors – from nonfiction writers to novelists to memoirists. (Think about all the research you did for your novel. You learned a lot, didn’t you?) When you add “public speaker” to your list of credentials, you further underscore that expert status.

Expert positioning, in turn, opens you up to media interviews that generate publicity, more invitations to speak, and higher consulting and speaking fees.

5. Your fans want to hear from you.

Whether they deserve it or not, authors are admired by non-authors.

For reasons that I struggle to understand, many think authors are “cool.” And people like to hear what cool people have to say. Oblige them.

via GIPHY

This in-person connection is especially important with memoirists. Because your story is personal, readers welcome a chance to learn more about you in person.

It’s those personal connections that solidify relationships and create loyal fans, too.

How to get started as a public speaker

To get started, identify local groups you’d like to speak to. This is essential if you don’t have much experience.

Groups you belong to should be at the top of your list. Identify groups that reach your audience and check their websites for their meeting schedules.

The daily and/or weekly newspaper calendar of events will give you others, as will Google (try searching for “community events calendar [your city,state]”).

If you’d like to speak nationally, target the local chapters of national associations so you get some practice in front of that group – and some possible recommendations for the national conference. Industry conferences usually have a call for proposals on their websites you’ll need to complete and submit.

For instruction on how to become an author who speaks, see Module 4 of of my two courses, Book Marketing 101 for Nonfiction and Book Marketing 101 for Fiction.

I know that public speaking isn’t an option for every author. You’ll do fine without this tactic in your book marketing plan.

For others, it might be time to step over the wall that’s held you back so far, especially now that there are fewer COVID-19-related restrictions. If you’ve never experienced it before, you might be surprised by the benefits and possibilities being a public speaker will bring to your author experience.

If you speak about your book’s topic, how do you usually get your speaking engagements?

(Editor’s note: This article was first published in March 2011. It has been updated and expanded.)

8 tips for talking about your book

By Heather Shumaker

You’re a writer. That’s why you loved writing your book. But once it’s published you’ll dive into your book’s story orally. If the thought of speaking into a microphone makes you freeze, then practice, practice, practice.

Here are eight tips to get you going.

1. Speak your book. We’re familiar with the statement “Write your book.” Now it’s time to “Speak your book.” Talking about your book is fun! You’ll discover you’re not just a writer, but also a speaker. People love to hear about your subject matter and the process of writing about it. Relax and remember you’re an expert at both.
2. Focus on libraries, not bookstores. By all means, give a book party or signing at your local independent bookstore, but don’t focus on bookstore signings for your in-person promotion. Create events instead. Libraries do great promotion, often pay an honorarium, and can draw good crowds. You’ll be more likely to sell books when people can hear you speak.
3. Be entertaining. When you speak, convey your book’s message through stories and anecdotes. People remember stories. They come to learn, but also to be entertained. Audiences love learning the inside story behind your book.
4. Do a book tour. If you want to travel with your book, target small, educated towns where the population still reads the daily newspaper or follows a single news source. Then get your event featured in that news source. For example, I visited Burlington,Vt., where the daily paper covered my talk. Ten people came to hear me, but nearly 200 people bought the book because they read the newspaper story. Publishers won’t typically pay for a tour these days, but if you give them several weeks’ notice, they will probably be glad to pitch the media around your dates.
5. Be ready for media. Get media training. Practice TV and radio answers using a voice recorder (I used iMovie). Time your answers and listen for emphasis. Do you trail off at the end of each sentence? Are you ending on strong words? Radio and TV often only give you 10 to 15 seconds per answer. Time flies and short is golden!
6. Find a landline. Make sure you have access to a landline for media interviews (radio and remote TV). All the shows I did required this. Turn off the call waiting beeps ahead of time.
7. Include a call to action. Give readers a specific action to take. In every radio interview. On your website. At a speaking event. Obviously your message is “buy my book” but you can attract them with various incentives. Ex: “You can read a free sample chapter on my website heathershumaker.com.” “Get your free tips by signing up for my newsletter…” Direct people to your author Facebook page or website. Let them know how to buy the book.
8. Save the first 2 weeks. My publicist told me to keep the first two weeks after my book’s launch clear, since this is when the big nationals might come calling. And call they did! Fox & Friends quickly whisked me off to an affiliate studio. Publicity begets publicity, so be constantly available by cell phone and e-mail when a national media outlet features you – chances are another news source will be in contact the next day or next hour.

To learn more about how to get opportunities to talk about your book with the media or to large groups, read more about “Book Publicity 101: How to Build Book Buzz.” Heather took the course before her book was published, then worked hard to use what she learned. Read more about her story in Part 1.

What’s your best tip for preparing to talk about your book, whether it’s before a group or in a media interview?