What’s the best way to sell your book? 

If you ask a publisher, the answer is PR. If you ask us, we say a whole lot more than PR. 

As a self-published author, you have to be your own hype squad. Because after the writing, comes the selling. And to sell, you need readers. And to get readers…you need to market your book. 

But if you’re relying on the “standard” set by those traditional publishing houses to market your book, may we suggest another way? It’s not that we have a problem with PR. It’s just that we know there is a lot more to the book marketing story to tell. 

Here’s why.

The problem with PR-based book marketing

While the landscape is changing, we still have a long way to go. Most sources say that there’s only (roughly) a one in one thousand chance of getting published traditionally. Ooof. We know. 

The reality is that it’s really freakin difficult for up-and-coming authors who don’t fit the traditional mold to get their books seen. And yes, getting signed on to a publishing house does come with its perks. But that doesn’t mean you should mimic what they’re doing either. 

The problem is that the most common strategy for publishers to push books is PR. A media event here. A book signing there. An interview in-between. 

And it’s great but it’s just one piece of the book marketing puzzle.

Relying on PR limits your reach

Falling back on PR as your one and only plan to tell folks about your book is not very effective. Sure, it may be when you’ve got an agent and a publisher at your side, who can get you the “in” and the connections you need to do it. 

But as a self-published author, it’s a little more complicated than that. You may land a deal here and there, but it’s not nearly enough to build that rabid fan base you want. There are more efficient ways to reach your readers — like TikTok. 

Relying on PR decreases control 

When you accept media pushes (podcast interviews, book signings, speaking engagements, etc.), you’ve gotta play by their rules. But when you choose to market your book in other ways (social media, for example), you can say what you want, when you want.

As self-published authors, we know that independence runs deep. It’s what makes your books different (read: interesting!). Don’t you want to keep that same independence when showing off your book, too?

Why you should take a holistic approach to book marketing

In this day and age, having an online presence is KEY. 

We know you don’t want to think about it like this, but as a self-published author, you’re basically a business owner. Business owners need an online presence to connect with their customers and help nurture them to the sale. 

Marketing your book is exactly the same. 

Let’s take BookTok for example. No matter what kind of books you’re into, you’ve probably stumbled across a few videos ranting and raving about someone’s latest read. And a lot of them have THOUSANDS of views. 

Honestly, authors can get pretty popular if they build up enough traction in this community. The New York Times even agrees:

“Many of this year’s best-selling books have something in common, but it’s not any of the usual factors: a famous or long-established author, a tie-in with a movie or TV show. It is TikTok.”

It’s because of connection. You reach the right people by word of mouth, they become interested in what you have to say, and want to get their hands on your book. They visit YOUR TikTok, then your website, order the book, get on the email list, and then daydream about the next one. 

You don’t have to be on TikTok—you can replace the platform in this example with one of your choosing. But it’s a great example of how having an online presence and harnessing the power of digital marketing can supercharge your fan base and, ultimately, help you sell more books. 

So…ready to market that book?

Now that you know more about marketing your book and building up a rabid fan base, everything should be easy, right?

Not so fast…you’re an author. Not a marketer. All you want to do is write your books and swoon over your character development. Not optimize your website or figure out what TikTok audio can get you seen. 

Well, you don’t have to. Because that’s where we come in — with our One Bed Inn Quarterly Strategy Intensives! Each 2-hour intensive helps you create a plan, based on your personal goals for YOUR books. We’ll create a full quarter (3 months) of content prompts and outlines to help you promote that next best seller and have readers begging for more. 

Sound like the thing you need?