5 Tips for Promoting Your Book during a Pandemic
No industry has remained unchanged from the coronavirus pandemic. Book publishing is no exception. Certainly in-person events will be slow to return, but the news hasn’t been all bad. Consider this: Fewer travel expenses means budget redirected to swap or advertising. Less travel translates into more time at home with our families. And have you heard of the “business mullet” (professional top/sweater coupled with yoga pants)? This is not to make light of what we’ve all been through, but rather to simply point out that book marketing and promotion are certainly still possible.
Experiment with advertising.
This is a good time to focus on advertising activities like retargeting ads and boosting popular social media posts. As I noted above, perhaps some saved travel expenses could be used for an advertising boost, instead.
Look to libraries and bookstores.
Libraries and bookstore are adding online events and programming, so find out if there are opportunities for you to hold a speaking event, teach a course related to your book content, or host an online book reading.
Add additional book formats.
Bookstore sales may be down, but book sales increased in 2020. Consider making additional formats of your book available. Audiobooks remains a fast-growing segment in the industry, and that makes perfect sense now, as audiences are listening on the go rather than finding time to sit down with a physical book.
Focus on podcasts.
Podcasts are huge right now, as evidenced by the number of new ones popping up monthly. The podcast medium is wildly popular, so why not tap into it? There are countless publishing-related podcasts to pitch, but consider also topical podcasts. If your book is about brand strategy, seek out podcasts that cover branding, platform, visibility, and related topics.
Pro tip: Have a freebie ready. Most podcast hosts allow you to pitch something at the conclusion of the interview or, at a minimum, include an opt-in in the show notes. Be ready!
Stay thoughtfully consistent.
It’s important to be sensitive to what’s happening in your audience’s world and society in general. You wouldn’t want to share a celebratory “1,000 sales” post on a day filled with political upheaval or a deaths-related pandemic milestone, lest you appear insensitive. At the same time, you want to stay top of mind to your audience so be sure to keep posting relevant content.
Book marketing and promotion might be a bit more complicated during a pandemic, but it can still be done. And remember that every other author is facing the same circumstances. What’s one book marketing tactic you’re planning to try?