by Sandra Beckwith January 31, 2024 Reprinted with permission
It’s easy to see why so many authors suffer from book marketing overwhelm. There’s so much to do! Here’s how to avoid it and still succeed.
Raise your hand if you really want to stop thinking about book marketing and just write your next book.
I don’t even have to see you to know lots of hands are in the air.
You could be suffering from the heartbreak of psoriasis book marketing overwhelm.
You’ve learned that it’s not enough to write a book. If you want people to read it, you have to tell them about it.
And getting your book title in front of the right people takes time, knowledge, and effort.
Why you experience book marketing overwhelm
There’s so, so much you “should” do to promote your book, or so gurus, promoters, and other authors tell you.
Are you feeling pressure to use TikTok? I sure am.
And don’t forget about Instagram! Oh, right, there’s Facebook, too!
What about those new social networks popping up—you have to figure out how to use all of them effectively too, right?
Build an email list! Email marketing is where it’s at.
You have to get publicity in the news media.
Get out there with a virtual book tour.
Reader reviews! Get them! Then get more of them.
Be a podcast guest. How about creating and hosting your own podcast, too!
Create videos. People love watching videos.
Blog, blog, blog! Then write guest blog posts for others. Might as well blog on Medium, as well.
And this is only a start. There’s so much you “need” to do to promote your book.
Or is there?
Do you really need to do all of this? Do you need to do any of it? Can you do just some of it?
Pick just one …
Here’s an unexpected idea: How about picking one tactic and mastering it?
Does that sound more appealing?
What’s that tactic, though?
… but which one?
Determine the single tactic you’ll master by spending a little time upfront learning which of the many options appears to be a good fit for:
- Where you’ll find the people most likely to read your book
- The time you have available for marketing
- Your skills
- Your personality
- What you enjoy doing
Find the intersection of where you’ll find your readers and what you enjoy doing and are good at.
It’s that simple.
If you’re shy, you don’t need to master public speaking simply because it’s a good way to reach your audience.
Is writing your thing? (It’s definitely mine.) Building an email list and creating a newsletter for your readers makes sense. So does blogging and guest blogging.
If you love creating short YouTube videos for your young adult readers, figure out TikTok and share them there, too.
Master that single tactic
Then, when you identify that one tactic that puts you at the sweet spot where you’ll reach the right people doing something you enjoy, learn how to do it really well.
Learn how to do it better than anyone else.
Later, if you feel you can take on a second tactic, repeat this process. Learn how to use it effectively, then make things happen.
When you focus on a tactic you understand and enjoy, you’ll start to look forward to connecting with your audience in ways that support your overall author goals, not dreading it.
Permission to avoid book marketing overwhelm
Give yourself permission to find this focus so you avoid book marketing overwhelm.
Limiting yourself to one or two tactics while tuning out the rest, no matter what you hear from others, will feel liberating.
It helps put you in the mindset to write that next book while freeing up time for that project, as well.
And you’ve done it all while avoiding book marketing overwhelm.
What do you think of this idea? Do you want to master one book marketing tactic, not all of them?
Sandra Beckwith teaches authors how to market, promote, and publicize their books. She offers training programs and other resources that take the mystery out of key book marketing tactics and works one-on-one with authors so they get over, under, or around book marketing and sales roadblocks. Rather than offering book marketing services, she helps authors discover how to do it themselves. Subscribe to the free Build Book Buzz newsletter and get the free special report, “Top 5 Free Book Promotion Resources,” immediately!
