Let’s face it: standing out in the traditional publishing world is harder than choosing the hottest white-haired villain heartthrob (but it’s Aaron Warner, right?). So you opt for self-publishing your book, only to realize it has its own challenges — getting noticed being the most challenging of them all. 

That’s where working with your fellow authors comes in!

Collaborative book marketing is all about authors joining forces to promote each other’s work. When you work together, you can tap into each other’s audiences, resources, and creative ideas, and help cheer each other on to success.

Not sure how to approach collaborative book marketing? We’ve got you covered!

Who should you collaborate with?

That one author friend you’re always messaging when you need help with edits? Or the one you gush about your favorite reads with? Why not make a pact to work together?

We suggest tapping into the community you’ve already started to build, even if that community is just composed of readers and authors in general (instead of being specific to your genre). But if you are starting from ground zero, here are a few ways to identify folks you want to collaborate with. 

1. Look for authors with similar genres. This is the easiest place to start! Birds of a feather flock together and all. Your audiences are more likely to be interested in books from both of you!
2. Find authors with similar book marketing goals. That may mean joining an author marketing group or seeking online resources with an added author-based community. 
3. Is there an author you admire? Are they actively engaging with their audience? Do they have a strong online presence? No harm in reaching out, baby.  

Collaborative book marketing and your content

Collaborative book marketing can take many forms, but one of the biggest is with your content: your social media, email marketing, blogs, podcasts, etc. There are many ways to strategically utilize your content to work with fellow authors and reach new readers. 

Here are three of the more common ways to do it. 

#1: Social media marketing

We don’t have to tell you how relevant social media is. But we will tell you that if you’re going the self-published route, you will need it to promote your book! It’s, dare we say… mission-critical. 

Just think of how helpful teaming up on social media can be. You both create and share content that benefits the other, reaching new audiences and spreading the word about your book! It’s a win-win. 

Here are a few ideas to use social content to your advantage: 

• Joint giveaways: Partner up for social media giveaways where each of you contributes a book or some of your merch.
• Mutual Mentions: Regularly mention and tag each other in posts to introduce your followers to each other’s work.
• Social media takeovers: Swap out posts for a day or two, whether on stories, Reels, or regular feed posts, to give each other’s audiences something fun and new to see! 

#2: Email marketing

Emails are a direct line to readers. By including features with other authors and getting featured in their email marketing, you can reach a highly targeted audience of like-minded readers. 

Here are a few ideas to make the most of collaborative book marketing emails: 

• Email takeovers: Much like social media takeovers, email takeovers can introduce something new and exciting to your audience. This could be done on a per-newsletter basis or as a series.
• Add a feature spot in your newsletter: Are you sending out regularly scheduled content? Why not add an author feature section to help your readers find more great reads (and, of course, don’t forget to ask for a swap, too!)? 

#3: Blogs, videos, and podcasts

Do you currently use long-form content like blogs, videos, or podcasts? This is another great way to feature other authors and potentially reach a wider audience by being featured in their content!

You can write guest posts, use guest episodes for an interview or a Q+A, or shout out each other’s work somewhere in between. 

Don’t currently have any of these long-form pieces of content? Reach out to someone you know who does and see if they’d be interested in teaming up! Don’t be shy 😉

Collaborative book marketing and events

DISCLAIMER: By events, we don’t mean you have to host your own book con. You can keep it small and fun with smaller, co-hosted events instead!

Virtual book launches or tours

Meeting other authors and interacting with their readers without having to leave the house or change out of your sweatpants? Amazing. 

It doesn’t have to be anything flashy or fancy. You can host your virtual book event on Zoom, make it a free event, and include all the normal things a book tour might have — live readings, Q+As, giveaways, and more!

Webinar and workshop collaborations

Collaborate on webinars or workshops to share your book knowledge with a wider audience. Kind of like how you set up your virtual book tours, but focusing on a singular topic. 

Talk about your process for world-building. Or have breakout sessions to help readers get to know the characters in your book. People want to hear about this, even if they’re new to your work!

More book marketing resources this way!

The biggest thing? Make use of the resources and community you already have! In our experience with the BookTok and Bookstagram communities, everyone is fairly welcoming and excited to find new reads. They WANT to support you (authors and readers alike) because we’re all in this rage-against-the-(publishing) machine thing together!

Why wouldn’t you take advantage of that? 

For more author book marketing resources, check out our resource shop. We’ve got guides galore to help you find your author voice, work out your book launch plan, and soooo much more.