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As an author, it can be hard to decide how to spend your limited time on marketing your book. More books are being published annually than ever, dedicated book review sections at outlets like The Washington Post and AP have closed down, and marketing scams targeting authors are on the rise. As a result, getting your book noticed by legitimate media outlets can feel like an impossible task. This blog post offers tips and tricks (and warnings!) about how to self-publicize your work.

At the University of Michigan Press, our marketing team has put together a folder of UMP Author Marketing Resources. We update these periodically with standard advice about events, social media, and resources authors can use to market their book.

Think About Audience

You can start thinking about the audience for your book in the early phases of writing a manuscript. What journals are you consulting as you write your book? Are there listservs where you have asked questions?

More specifically, you may want to pay attention to which outlets in your field actually publish book reviews. When it becomes time to fill out an author questionnaire, having a list ready of review outlets that will be read by your book’s main audience will help us to target our outreach to the outlets that will be most effective at getting your book in front of the people who need to read it.

Listservs

Since publishers usually can’t be members, listservs are an area where authors really are the only ones that can promote a book. For outreach to listservs to be effective, it definitely helps if you are already engaged as a member. Remember that you want to show that you are interested in what others have to say as well.

There may be other, similar online spaces where your book’s audience gathers. I have heard from colleagues that some authors in American History, for example, have found Reddit to be a valuable space because there is a large subreddit for that subject. Those authors also participated in AMA (Ask Me Anything) sessions to generate valuable interaction with others.

Podcasts

We often encourage authors to reach out to the New Books Network because they cover over 100 subjects. If there is a podcast that is a good fit for your book, you don’t need to wait until your book is published! Just make sure to mention your book in the interview.

Op-Eds

Another way you can expand your reach to new audiences is by writing op-eds for media. These help establish your expertise and build credibility for readers. Because the audience is different from an academic journal, it is really important that you adapt your writing to speak to general readers. Doing this helps to establish your ability to communicate your topic and adapt your writing for readers outside academia. Ideally you should be able to tie your op-ed into current news to make it clear why a reader should care about your topic now. Some common outlets that we have seen authors write for are The Conversation, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and Inside Higher Ed.

The great thing about these outlets is that they also tend to be reshared by other outlets. For example, when one of our authors wrote a piece for The Conversation, it was republished by at least 10 other outlets, including several local newspapers. Make sure to include the title and DOI link for your book in your bio so that readers know where to go to learn more.

Use Your Resources

Think about low-effort ways to make sure that your book is promoted to your contacts:

• Add a link to your book in your email signature so that it can be seen by people you are emailing about other topics.
• If you have an existing professional page or website, make sure that your book is listed there.
• Consider setting up an Author Page on Amazon. That is an option that is free for authors and allows you to see some of Amazon’s information on the book’s performance, like customer reviews and sales rankings. You can encourage people who have already read the book to leave reviews on Amazon as well.
• If your book is geared towards general readers, registering as a Goodreads author can also offer opportunities to do virtual Q&As and engage with readers.

While it isn’t an option for every author, you may be able to utilize your university’s media department, since they often look for ways to promote their current faculty. Reach out to whoever is in charge of communications and make sure that they know about your book. Maybe they can only share a social media post, but maybe they can add you to a list of experts that they can pitch for media opportunities. Similarly, many institutions will also promote new publications by alumni in an alumni magazine, so getting in contact with your alma mater can offer opportunities to be interviewed or at least have your book mentioned.

Events

Not every book needs a big book tour, and they can be a lot of work. There are smaller book event opportunities that can be really effective in promoting your book. Thinking back to the audience for your book can help you determine your goals: Do you want to reach people on campus? Do you want to start a discussion with other scholars? Is this a book that would be of interest to local readers?

You can also think about whether you want to reach a virtual or in-person audience. Virtual events can reach a wider audience geographically. They can also be easily recorded and shared with people who couldn’t attend live. In-person events may help you connect with a local audience, sell books, or get attendees involved in a conversation.

I’ve seen authors set up book talks through local libraries, bookstores, societies, and universities or other institutions. Some conferences offer “Author Meets Critics Panels,” which are a perfect way to discuss the book, while other conferences may require you to organize and propose a panel that is related to the topic. Either method can be a great way to engage others in discussion around your book.

If your book is likely to be of interest to the local community, you can talk to your local bookstore or local library about an event. Local bookstores are more likely to schedule events for books that they feel will appeal to general readers and where the author is likely to help pull in an audience. If you go this route, be prepared to discuss how you are going to help generate attendance. Libraries may be more interested in book talks for educational purposes but may not be set up to sell copies of your book.

While you can absolutely set up events while your book is in production, to have the most impact, you should make sure they are scheduled after your book’s publication date so that copies can be available. Whenever you set up book events, make sure that you are letting us know so that we can help make sure you have flyers, books, or other materials you may need.

Rising Scams

Unfortunately there have been some bad actors trying to take advantage of authors who want to get the word out about their book. Articles in Electric Lit, Medium, The New York Times, and Writer Beware have all called attention to this increase, while some review outlets, book clubs, and Goodreads communities have added warnings to their websites. The Authors Guild also has a dedicated webpage on Avoiding Publishing Scams.

Whenever you get an email about an unfamiliar marketing opportunity, it’s a great idea to loop in your marketing team. I’ve personally heard from a number of authors who have received suspicious emails and helped them investigate whether the offer was legitimate. While these scams keep evolving, here are some red flags you may want to watch out for:

• Does the description of the book club, Goodreads page, or award match the official information found on their webpage?
• Is the person claiming to be from a prestigious agent or publisher? (Publishers and agents rarely reach out to authors about a published book.)
• Does the audience they are promising to introduce your book to (ie. “a private community of over 1,000 engaged readers”) seem realistic?
• Does the email link to official information or include a photo of a non-clickable URL?
• Does the email demonstrate that they have read your book or could the summary have been AI-generated from the book descriptions available online?
• Does the email offer a service (ie. editing your Amazon page to boost sales)?
• Do they ask for payment?

Safe Promotion Opportunities

Fortunately there are a number of great, free ways to promote your book. Even if you are not sure whether a marketing opportunity is a scam, there are a few ways you can respond that are safe:

• Download and share the cover image of your book
• Direct the contact to the press webpage for your book for information about ordering
• (If your book is open access), share the DOI link to read or download the book for free

If someone asks you to pay or provide them with a print or digital review copy, please talk to a marketing team member. We are here to help!

About the Publicity Manager

Danielle Coty-Fattal has worked with the University of Michigan Press for over a decade. Since starting in the Acquisitions department, she has created over 500 publicity plans and enjoys working with authors to spread the word about their books.