Whether you’re traditionally published or self-published, as an author today you’re expected to participate in your book marketing campaigns. You are the linchpin! Nobody knows your books as well as you do, which makes you the best person to identify, reach, and connect with your audience. Don’t worry: Finding readers is the fun part!
When planning a marketing campaign, take the time to devise a strategy. For example, you wouldn’t be able to offer a giveaway before you have printed galleys in hand, and you wouldn’t want to run advertisements before your book is available for pre-order. Planning your activities ahead of time will pay dividends in the long run.
Here is a suggested marketing timeline to help you schedule your promotions on Goodreads. This plan should supplement your other activities, such as building a website, printing galleys, doing media outreach, scheduling readings, and all the other exciting parts of a book launch.
6 months before publication
Update your author profile. Make sure you have a current author profile picture and that your bio is complete. Here are a few tips to make your Goodreads author profile great.
Review the titles attributed to you. If you see books on the list that you didn’t write, contact our support team and we’ll fix it.
Review the information on each of your book pages, and email us if anything needs to be corrected.
Start or import your blog. Keep the content fresh and relevant to cultivate your personal brand.
4 months before publication
Shelve some books. Log books you’ve read in the past—including the ones in your physical bookshelves!—so that readers can get a sense of who you are based on what you read. Some other ideas:
Create a bookshelf of the books that you used for researching your book.
Browse the list of best books of the 20th Century and add the ones you’ve read.
Suggest books for “Further Reading” about the topics in your book.
Join groups that interest you. Start reading the conversations, and feel free to chime in. Begin to build relationships with the people you meet.
Upload an excerpt from your new title to the book page. Give readers a taste of what’s to come! You can also use your blog or writing section for this.
3 months before publication
Schedule a giveaway for galleys. The more that books are circulating, the more likely you’ll get reviews, and the sooner you do this, the better. Galleys don’t need to be typeset or have the final cover, but the content should not change.
Actively participate in groups. Join the ones that genuinely interest you and participate in the conversations. Don’t just talk about your own book!
Create an editorial calendar for your blog, or post an “evergreen” message to make use of the space on your profile. (check out Khaled Hosseini's profile for an example of this kind of post!)
1 month before publication
Schedule another giveaway for advance reader copies. These should have the final cover. Read some tips for running a giveaway on Goodreads.
Turn on Ask the Author. Answer at least three of the pre-seeded questions from Goodreads to provide some content for this section. Don’t expect too many questions from readers yet, but decide when you’ll answer questions. Here are five tips for using Ask the Author.
Create events for both in-person and online events. Pssst: Answering questions on a particular date via Ask the Author—that’s event worthy!
Schedule an ad campaign to start on your publication date. Create several ads in the campaign, each uniquely creative.
Publication week
Schedule a giveaway for your signed, finished copies to start the day after your publication date.
Answer pending questions via Ask the Author.
Enjoy your publication day! Is it just us or is the sky is just a little bluer today...?
1 month after publication
Review ad campaign stats. Edit ads if needed.
Continue to participate in group activities, answer Ask the Author questions, and shelve books that you’re reading.
Share some special content, like an alternate point-of-view story or a recorded video message, to delight fans looking for more.
As you can see, a successful marketing campaign takes months of preparation and planning. Many of these steps are things you can do on a regular basis, like shelving a handful of books each week. Did we miss anything? Tell us in the comments below!
Next: How St. Martin's Press Doubled Down on the Success of The Nightingale to Take it to Greater Heights
You might also like: The Impact of Goodreads Choice Awards for Authors and Publishers
Goodreads Authors can subscribe to the Monthly Author Newsletter by editing their account settings.
posted by Cynthia on July, 11
When planning a marketing campaign, take the time to devise a strategy. For example, you wouldn’t be able to offer a giveaway before you have printed galleys in hand, and you wouldn’t want to run advertisements before your book is available for pre-order. Planning your activities ahead of time will pay dividends in the long run.
Here is a suggested marketing timeline to help you schedule your promotions on Goodreads. This plan should supplement your other activities, such as building a website, printing galleys, doing media outreach, scheduling readings, and all the other exciting parts of a book launch.
6 months before publication
Update your author profile. Make sure you have a current author profile picture and that your bio is complete. Here are a few tips to make your Goodreads author profile great.
Review the titles attributed to you. If you see books on the list that you didn’t write, contact our support team and we’ll fix it.
Review the information on each of your book pages, and email us if anything needs to be corrected.
Start or import your blog. Keep the content fresh and relevant to cultivate your personal brand.
4 months before publication
Shelve some books. Log books you’ve read in the past—including the ones in your physical bookshelves!—so that readers can get a sense of who you are based on what you read. Some other ideas:
Create a bookshelf of the books that you used for researching your book.
Browse the list of best books of the 20th Century and add the ones you’ve read.
Suggest books for “Further Reading” about the topics in your book.
Join groups that interest you. Start reading the conversations, and feel free to chime in. Begin to build relationships with the people you meet.
Upload an excerpt from your new title to the book page. Give readers a taste of what’s to come! You can also use your blog or writing section for this.
3 months before publication
Schedule a giveaway for galleys. The more that books are circulating, the more likely you’ll get reviews, and the sooner you do this, the better. Galleys don’t need to be typeset or have the final cover, but the content should not change.
Actively participate in groups. Join the ones that genuinely interest you and participate in the conversations. Don’t just talk about your own book!
Create an editorial calendar for your blog, or post an “evergreen” message to make use of the space on your profile. (check out Khaled Hosseini's profile for an example of this kind of post!)
1 month before publication
Schedule another giveaway for advance reader copies. These should have the final cover. Read some tips for running a giveaway on Goodreads.
Turn on Ask the Author. Answer at least three of the pre-seeded questions from Goodreads to provide some content for this section. Don’t expect too many questions from readers yet, but decide when you’ll answer questions. Here are five tips for using Ask the Author.
Create events for both in-person and online events. Pssst: Answering questions on a particular date via Ask the Author—that’s event worthy!
Schedule an ad campaign to start on your publication date. Create several ads in the campaign, each uniquely creative.
Publication week
Schedule a giveaway for your signed, finished copies to start the day after your publication date.
Answer pending questions via Ask the Author.
Enjoy your publication day! Is it just us or is the sky is just a little bluer today...?
1 month after publication
Review ad campaign stats. Edit ads if needed.
Continue to participate in group activities, answer Ask the Author questions, and shelve books that you’re reading.
Share some special content, like an alternate point-of-view story or a recorded video message, to delight fans looking for more.
As you can see, a successful marketing campaign takes months of preparation and planning. Many of these steps are things you can do on a regular basis, like shelving a handful of books each week. Did we miss anything? Tell us in the comments below!
Next: How St. Martin's Press Doubled Down on the Success of The Nightingale to Take it to Greater Heights
You might also like: The Impact of Goodreads Choice Awards for Authors and Publishers
Goodreads Authors can subscribe to the Monthly Author Newsletter by editing their account settings.
posted by Cynthia on July, 11