A good book marketing plan starts months before launch, focuses on one clear reader and one main goal, and keeps going after launch day. The core steps are to define your reader, build a home base such as a website and newsletter, gather early readers, launch with a clear call to action and keep promoting for months. No plan guarantees sales, but a plan that fits your reader and your time beats scattered effort.
This guide sets out a simple timeline you can follow, the channels worth considering and the mistakes to avoid. It works for fiction and non-fiction, and you can scale it to your budget. If you want help, our book marketing services cover each stage. For the publishing side, see how to publish a book on Amazon KDP.
Key takeaways
- Start with one reader and one goal, not every channel at once
- Build a website and newsletter before launch, because you own them
- Genuine early readers and honest reviews matter more than hype
- Launch week is a beginning; steady promotion afterwards drives sales
- Track a few numbers and adjust, instead of guessing
In this article
- What comes first in a book marketing plan?
- What should I do three months before launch?
- What should I do in the month before launch?
- What should I do in launch week?
- What should I do after launch?
- Which marketing channels work best?
- What mistakes should I avoid?
- How much time should I plan for marketing?
- How do I measure whether the plan is working?
- Frequently asked questions
- Services that can help
What comes first in a book marketing plan?
Before any tactic, decide who the book is for and what you want from it: sales, leads, speaking, authority or a legacy. A thriller reader, a small-business owner and a grandchild need different messages. Write one sentence describing your reader and one describing your goal. Then list where those readers already spend time, such as certain social platforms, podcasts, newsletters, libraries or clubs. Everything else in the plan follows from these answers.
What should I do three months before launch?
- Build or improve your author website with a clear page for the book, using our author website design service if you need help
- Set up a newsletter and a signup offer, such as a sample chapter, with an author newsletter setup
- Claim your Goodreads profile with Goodreads author setup
- Finalise the cover, description, categories and keywords
- Start recruiting early readers for an ARC reader team
What should I do in the month before launch?
Send advance copies to your reader team and ask for honest reviews on launch day. Set up a pre-order if it suits your audience, using Amazon pre-order setup. Prepare launch posts, a short video and an email sequence. Pitch podcasts and local media, or ask us to handle it with podcast interview booking. Check that your links, listings and series pages work.
What should I do in launch week?
Tell your newsletter first, because those readers are warmest. Post the book across your channels with a clear link and a reason to buy now. Thank early readers and share genuine reviews. If you run ads, start small and watch results. Keep your message simple and repeat it in different ways. Launch week creates momentum, but it is not the finish line, so save energy for the months that follow.
What should I do after launch?
Keep promoting at a steady pace: new reviews, guest posts, podcast appearances, newsletter swaps and well-timed promotions. Consider deal sites and ads once the book has reviews and a good listing, with help from BookBub and promo site strategy. Write the next book, since readers who like one often buy more, and link the books together. Revisit the listing, cover and description if sales are slow, because small changes can matter.
Which marketing channels work best?
| Channel | Best for | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Newsletter | Selling to readers who already know you | Steady, low cost |
| Website | Giving search and AI tools a home for your book | One-time build, light upkeep |
| Reviews | Building trust for new readers | Needs genuine early readers |
| Podcasts | Non-fiction and expert authors | Pitching and preparation |
| Paid ads | Testing demand once the page is ready | Budget and learning curve |
| Deal sites | Series starters and discounted books | Planning and fees |
What mistakes should I avoid?
- Starting marketing after launch, when there is no audience
- Buying reviews or using fake accounts, which platforms remove and penalise
- Spreading effort across every platform instead of two or three
- Ignoring the book page, since marketing that sends readers to a weak page wastes money
- Expecting launch week to do all the work
How much time should I plan for marketing?
Plan a small, steady routine instead of bursts. Many authors do well with a few hours a week: one newsletter, a few social posts, outreach to one or two podcasts or bloggers and a quick look at the numbers. If you have another book to write, set limits, since burnout ends more marketing plans than a lack of ideas. Where time is short, choose the two channels closest to your reader, drop the rest and revisit the plan in three months.
How do I measure whether the plan is working?
Choose a few numbers and check them monthly: newsletter signups, visits to your book page, sales or pages read, reviews and where buyers came from. Change one thing at a time, such as the cover, the description, the price or an ad, so you know what caused any difference. If nothing moves after a few months of honest effort, test the basics before you spend more: the cover, the description, the first chapter and the price. Small, patient adjustments usually beat big, expensive changes.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I spend on book marketing?
There is no fixed figure. Many authors start with their website, newsletter and a small test budget for ads, then spend more as they learn what works.
When should I start marketing my book?
Ideally three to six months before launch, so you can build an audience and gather early readers.
Do I need a website to sell a book?
It helps a great deal. A website gives readers, search engines and AI tools one reliable place to learn about you and your book.
Are paid ads worth it for books?
They can be, once the book has a strong cover, description and some reviews. Test with a small budget and track results.
Can marketing guarantee bestseller status?
No. Anyone who promises that is not being honest. A plan improves your chances but cannot ensure a result.
What should I track?
Newsletter signups, page visits, sales or page reads, review count and the source of your sales. A few numbers are enough.
Services that can help
- Book marketing services
- Book launch strategy
- Author website design
- ARC reader team setup
- Amazon bestseller launch
This guide is part of our book marketing guides and connects to our book marketing services.