How To Promote Your Book
How To Promote Your Book
One of the biggest predictors of whether a book will be successful is if the author is actively involved in promoting it to its core audience. Some authors are hesitant to do self-promotion because it feels like bragging, but your friends and colleagues want to cheer you on. Think of book promotion as an extension of your role as a public scholar or professional.
Here are some of the most important things you can do to promote your book:
- Bulk Sales: Reach out to relevant organizations or companies that you’re connected to and suggest they order your book for their staff, board members, or external stakeholders. We offer discounts on bulk orders starting at ten copies. Organizations should email [email protected] to order.
- Events: Reach out to relevant organizations and offer a talk or webinar for their employees or audience. Think beyond your local bookstore or library and reach out to organizations that have a large and active audience aligned with your book’s subject such as a company, nonprofit or advocacy organization, or historical society. Suggest that they order books for attendees (see Bulk Sales above). Be sure to schedule events on or after your book’s publication date.
- Your Network: A month before your book is out, send an email to your friends and professional contacts announcing that your book will be published soon and sharing links to pre-order. We recommend sharing links to your book’s page on the Hopkins Press website, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop.org. Send follow-up emails on publication day and one month after the book is out. Include your book promo code (included on your flyer).
- Influencers: Put together a list of 10-15 influencers in your book’s space, including high-profile professionals/leaders in your field and social media influencers. Email/DM/contact them via their website to share a three-sentence pitch for your book and ask them to consider sharing it with their audience. Hopkins Press is happy to provide up to three copies of your book for a giveaway to any group with a substantial audience (check with our publicity team first).
- Amazon, Goodreads, and Storygraph Reviews: Encourage your friends who shop on Amazon to write a review on your book’s Amazon page. If your friends have Goodreads or Storygraph accounts, they can also review and rate your book on those sites.
- Social Media: If you’re active on social media or have Substack or other newsletter, start promoting preorders when your book (including the cover) is live on the Hopkins Press website and Amazon. Ramp up your messaging starting a month before the pub date. If you have a large audience on social media, Hopkins Press marketing may provide graphics for you to use.
- Op-eds: If your book is aimed at a general audience, pitch a short op-ed or essay based on your book to a news site or other publication. Many publications have contributor guidelines on their website. Ideal timing for a piece is 1-2 weeks before your book’s publication date. Let our publicity team know about any pieces you place. Ask the publication to include your book’s title and a link to the book page on the Hopkins Press website in your bio line.
- Institutional Communications: If applicable, connect with your university or other affiliated institution’s communications department to see if they can support your book’s release by hosting a book event with you or featuring you/your book in their magazine, newsletter, or social media.
