We advise authors, especially first-time authors, to do as much self-promotion as possible, because there is a positive correlation between authors’ self-promotion and their book sales. As dedicated as your press team is to your book, they likely need your help to identify some segments of the audience for your book, and they are promoting multiple books and might only be able to afford to devote a certain amount of resources to each one. Your press will ask you to fill out a marketing questionnaire when you submit your final manuscript. Take this form seriously and fill it out as completely as you can. If you’re not sure how to answer a question, ask for help from your publisher’s marketing team.
Reach Out to Your Professional Network
- During the production process, add your book’s URL (the web address of your book’s page on the publisher’s website) to the signature line of your emails, your website, blog, or social networking sites, your university/professional website bio page, and other venues.
- Tell all of your friends and colleagues about the book and direct them to your book’s page on the press’s website. Ask them to spread the word as well; word-of-mouth is a powerful tool.
- Post information about your book on online listservs, newsgroups, or forums in your field (e.g., H-Net, Humanities Commons). A posting should contain a brief (one to three sentence) description of the book and a link to the book’s page on the press’s website. It is always best to check the “netiquette” of such forums to be sure they allow for book announcements—some do not.
- Attend and present at scholarly meetings. Be sure to let your press know which meetings you will attend along with pertinent details about when and where they will be. If your press has a booth at the conference, tell people where they can find it and your book after you present a paper. It is likely that your press will be unable to attend every conference that you do, but they can often supply you with a flier, perhaps offering a discount to conference attendees, that you can share with your colleagues. Be sure to bring a copy of your book to the meeting to show other scholars. If these meetings host book panel or author-meets-critics sessions, apply to do one. If your press is going to exhibit at the conference, ask about the possibility of doing a signing.
- Contact your university news bureau and your alumni association(s) to encourage them to include information about your new book on their websites and in their publications.
- Encourage the librarian at your institution to purchase a copy of your book for the library’s collection.
- Consider course adoptions. Think about your colleagues or peers who might use your book in their classes. Urge them to request exam copies and use your work in their teaching. Provide a list to your publisher of possible course adopters or academic influencers in your field, so that your press can consider sending them complimentary copies.
- When it comes to your network, specificity is often just as valuable as size (if not more so!). An author who has an active Substack with 500 subscribers will likely be more attractive to a marketing team than an author who says they’re an active member of scholarly society with 5,000 members. The more specific and targeted an author can be about their audience (or the better they know what organizations, outlets, etc. best aggregate their audience), the better the author can empower the marketing and sales teams and support the success of their book.
Be Active on Social Media
- Create accounts on relevant social media to promote your book. When deciding where to create accounts, consider the platforms that are most commonly used by your professional network and on which you feel you can establish a consistent presence. You will want to do this several months before the publication date so you can establish a group of followers.
- Promote the book on your website, blog, or social networking sites. Include your book’s URL so if people read about the book on your blog, for example, all they have to do is click to the publisher’s site to place an order. Consider posting videos of yourself discussing the book or being interviewed about the book. Be as creative as possible!
- Be sure to follow your press on social media and repost its posts about your book. We recommend joining online listservs (e.g., H-Net), newsgroups, or forums in your field to become part of the discussion/community.
- In addition to promoting your book on your social media, it is a good idea to interact with individual and community web pages that are relevant to your book in hopes that through these relationships, your posts on your book will be shared.
Extend Your Reach
- Build relationships with local and regional booksellers. It can be a little daunting to make contact on your own, but booksellers not only appreciate personal relationships with authors but also are often excited to feature local ones. Your presence promoting your book often translates into more direct sales for them, especially if you can arrange for book signings or similar events.
- Schedule readings at local bookstores, local libraries, your academic department, or other appropriate venues. Be sure to let your press know the details of these events so they can send books and promotional materials, and promote the events through their social media channels and online event calendars.
- Research any book awards that your book may be eligible for, list these opportunities on the marketing questionnaire, and then coordinate awards submission with your publisher. Some award programs require authors to self-nominate; others require publishers to do so.
- Write op-ed pieces relating to your book’s subject matter for your school paper, local paper, the Chronicle of Higher Education, online newsletters like Inside Higher Education, and blogs that deal with either your book’s subject matter or are scholarly in nature (if your book is a scholarly book). Be bold! If there’s national interest in your subject, submit an op-ed to major news outlets, too.
- Positioning yourself as an expert voice on a contemporary issue can make your book far easier to publicize. Consider doing an impactful social media thread, an event at an indie bookstore, a spot on the local NPR affiliate, or a national cable news interview.
- If your book is accessible to general audiences, consider posting on blogs that deal with popular topics related to your book. Look into becoming a contributor to webzines and blogs like PopMatters and The Conversation—sites that publish reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on cultural studies.
- Keep abreast of current events. Pay attention to news that can serve as a publicity hook for your book and let your press know about it.
—Michigan State University Press and AUPresses Faculty Outreach Committee