Why Isn’t My Book Selling? What You Need to Know about Building a Marketing Plan

One of the most frequent frustrations I’ve seen from authors in my work in publishing is the lack of returns in sales after years of painstaking research, tedious editing, and soulful writing. It’s so hard to know if our hard work will pay off (and to be honest, your agent and your publisher don’t know for certain either).

However, what I have noticed is the disconnect between authors and publishers when it comes to the marketing process. In many of these instances of low sales, the authors are shocked at how little the publisher has done to publicize their book. The truth is: publishers do not have the staff to continue to market your book post-launch. The publisher almost always picks up your book based on how well they believe you will sell it. On the rare occasion that the publisher spends the time and financial resources marketing your book long-term, it’s because they know it will be worth their while in sales.

But there are millions of books out there. We can’t count on our book being “The One” that the publisher banks on. So, how do you market your book to make sure it actually sells? You need to start with a strong marketing plan, which should be present in your book proposal.

Most agents and editors when reviewing book proposals are looking for writers with a platform. What’s a platform? It is an established, dedicated following of potential readers that you’ve built up over time either over social media, events, email marketing, community building, or your own writing (or other content creation). A platform is your built-in group of readers who already trust and value your work and are therefore first in line to purchase your book.

If you have a platform, you have a lot of options. You can run giveaways and promotions that will mobilize your followers to publicize your book. You can put out little snippets of the book (with your publisher’s permission) as little teasers to get people interested. If you have not been doing so already, create consistent content to keep your followers engaged and bring in new ones. Start discussions with your followers on social media about what their pain points are, what the latest trends are, and learn what goes in to their decision to purchase a book.

Don’t have a platform? Don’t panic just yet, but know that a platform is something you build up over years by marketing yourself and your expertise. If you’re ready to pitch your book and you don’t have a platform, you can’t materialize one overnight. In order to sell your book without an established platform, you need to compensate with a stellar marketing plan.

Begin with your ideal reader, and scope it out from there. Where does your ideal reader spend most of their time? Where do you imagine your ideal reader in the world with your book? What problem is your reader experiencing that your book will solve, and where will they end up after reading it? What kinds of activities would they be doing or media would they be consuming where they could discover your book?

Break your plan down by the different types of media where readers might find your book: podcasts, television, radio, print media, websites, social media. Which social media pages does your reader follow? Which publications, podcasts, or television programs could you be interviewed on to talk about your book? Are there influencers in your subject area who you could try to contact about plugging your book? Are there events, conferences, or conventions where you could speak publicly about your book? Are there particular communities/organizations that would benefit from having copies of your book?

If you’re thinking, “I barely know what an ‘influencer’ is,” or “speaking in front of people gives me major anxiety,” it’s okay. You will need to show the agent/editor that you have brainstormed the best options for marketing your book, but don’t include something in there that you know you’ll never be able or willing to do.

So, say you do all of these things I’ve suggested and…crickets. The book publishing industry is incredibly unpredictable. Your publication date could coincide with a sudden, tragic historical (or worse, financial) event. A paper shortage could delay the right number of copies getting to retail stores, and by the time they do, everyone’s moved on to the next major book.

My point is, there is so much we cannot control. Sometimes we just don’t know why a particular book did not connect with readers when we thought it would. The most important thing is to make sure we’ve made every effort on our end to get our book in our readers’ hands.

Your marketing plan is a huge part of your proposal, which is something I can help out with as a book coach. Inbox me if you’re interested in getting some direction on this.

Subscribe to my (weekly) newsletter to be notified of my latest posts, offers, and promotions.

Featured photo by cottonbro studio.