Articles - The Writer's Ally™

5 Ways to Use Your Book to Grow Your Business or Brand

You crossed the finish line. You did the thing. You published your book. Now it’s time to use your book to grow your business—because publishing isn’t the end. It’s the starting line for what really matters: opening doors, building visibility, and turning your book into a tool that deepens your impact.

This post is your playbook for doing exactly that, with a book launch strategy built for long-term results.

Publishing Isn’t the Finish Line

Too many authors hit “publish,” post about it a few times on social, maybe host a virtual launch party… and then stall out.

Writing and publishing a book can be a long and exhausting road, so I get it. It’s also a massive accomplishment, and you absolutely deserve a moment (or three) to bask in that glow.

But here’s the truth: Your book isn’t just a thing to sell. It’s a tool. If you’re serious about growing your business, building your platform, or expanding your career, you’ve got to use that tool intentionally. That’s the heart of a strategic book launch strategy.

This isn’t about marketing a book for book sales. It’s about leveraging your book for real momentum in your business—visibility, credibility, reach, and revenue.

We’ve worked with dozens of authors who didn’t just want to check “publish” off their list—they wanted their book to do something. And guess what? It did.

The difference is that our clients treat their book like a strategic asset, not a standalone product. That approach is key when you want to use your book to grow your business.

Here are five ways our clients have successfully leveraged their books—and how you can too.

Five Book Leverage Strategies That Work

When you learn to use your book to grow your business, it changes how you think about marketing. You could focus on just selling books, but remember, you’re not in the business of selling books. You’re in the business of selling the thing that your business sells.

So now that I’ve hopefully shifted that for you, let’s explore five approaches that will help you use your book to grow your business instead of just selling copies.

Use It as a Lead Magnet

Your book is packed with value, but its value goes way beyond the cover price. Many authors look at me like I’m nuts when I encourage them to give books away. But resistance to giving their book away for free is one of the biggest mental hurdles nonfiction authors need to jump on their way to success.

Consider this: Would you rather spend six months trying to sell 100 copies of your book or give away 10,000 copies in a month? If giving the book away as a lead magnet brought you just one big-ticket client, what would that be worth to you?

I bet it would be worth more than $300, which is about what you’d profit from selling your 100 copies.

When you’ve strategically designed your book to bring in potential clients for your offers, one of the most powerful ways you can leverage it is to use it to attract the right readers and turn them into subscribers, clients, or community members. Here’s what that could look like:

Offer the digital version (PDF, ebook) free in exchange for an email address
Create a bonus resource library or companion workbook that readers can access through an opt-in on your site (and include the CTA throughout your book)
Highlight your book’s core transformation and make it irresistible to your ideal audience, then tie it into your overall customer journey

Pro tip: Create a dedicated landing page and use strong, benefit-driven copy to support your book launch strategy.

Book More Speaking Gigs

There’s a reason that “author” is the root word of “authority.” Wanting to increase visibility as a thought leader in a particular space is a major reason why many experts write books—having the right book positions you as an authority without your ever needing to say a word.

Because of that “authority halo effect,” you can leverage your book to get on more stages—virtual and otherwise. Try these tricks:

Add “author of [Title]” to your speaker one-sheet or media kit
Pull topics directly from your chapters to pitch session ideas
Include excerpts from your best professional reviews or note achievements on your one-sheet (such as “100+ Amazon reviews!”)
Offer your book as a bonus or giveaway for event attendees

Event organizers love speakers with books—it signals professionalism and readiness, a core part of your book launch strategy.

Pitch Podcasts and Media with Your Book as a Credibility Anchor

Publishing a book doesn’t just give you something to sell—it gives you something to lead with. Your book is the perfect foot in the door for pitching podcasts, media outlets, or guest teaching opportunities. Being able to say “I’m the author of…” immediately boosts your credibility. You’re not just another expert—you’re a published authority with a clear point of view.

But it’s not just the title of “author” that opens doors. It’s also how you use it. Here’s how:

Frame your pitch around timely and relevant topics that your book addresses. Connect it to trending conversations, seasonal relevance, or recurring pain points in your audience’s world.
Send a free copy to producers or hosts. It shows you’re serious, helps them prep more thoughtful questions, and gives your pitch a polished edge most guests don’t offer.
Pull key soundbites, personal stories, or teachable frameworks directly from your book to make interviews smoother and more engaging. This keeps your message consistent and easy to remember. (And if you can say “As I explain in more depth in my book…” during your interview, it’s even better!)
Reinforce your name and your book title in the bio and/or intro paragraph you send out once you’ve booked the show. Hosts love a clean introduction, and “Today’s guest is the author of…” makes you sound like a pro.

Bottom line: Your book isn’t just content; it’s a credibility signal. When you use it strategically, it opens doors that cold pitches and generic bios can’t.

Create Spin-Off Content or Courses

A great book is a content goldmine. Whereas traditionally published authors often have to navigate their publisher’s rules around sharing free content, as an indie author, you can use whatever you want, whenever you want, and however you want. So use it like this:

Turn each chapter into a blog post, podcast episode, or YouTube video
Build a mini-course or workshop around your key framework or method
Repurpose your book content into an onboarding series or email funnel

You already did the hard thinking about what your audience needs and how to deliver your ideas most effectively. Now, expand on it in ways that bring in revenue or deepen engagement as part of your book launch strategy.

And if you’re worried about “cannibalizing” your programs by sharing your best content in the book, don’t. Of the people who buy your book, a percentage will never go on to work with you—for these folks, the book delivers standalone value, a “one and done” experience.

But if you’ve been strategic with your book, a larger percentage will go on to work with you, and they won’t care that some of what they’ve read is repeated in your online courses or workshops. They’ll appreciate the repetition and emphasis. They’re the ones who will read it and think, “This is what I want to do, and this person gets it. I need their help to execute on this.”

Align It with Your Sales Pipeline or Signature Service

Not only does your book give you something to lead with, it also should lead somewhere. When you truly use your book to grow your business, the book becomes the front door to your offers.

For nonfiction authors, especially those running a business, coaching practice, or thought leadership brand, your book should create a bridge between inspiration and action. In other words, it should help the right readers say, “I want more from this person.”

But that doesn’t happen automatically. You have to build the pathway.

Here are a few smart ways to do it:

Reference your services, coaching, or offers directly in the book. A short call to action in the intro, conclusion, or even between chapters is enough to signal there’s a next step.
Plan the book as pre-work or onboarding material. This works beautifully for group programs, courses, or 1:1 work—your clients come in primed and more prepared, and readers easily see the next steps in their journey.
Build a follow-up sequence. Remember earlier when we talked about including CTAs in your book to offer a bonus resource, which readers will opt-in to on your website? Well, once they opt in, your autoresponder sequence is a great opportunity to introduce those readers to what else you offer. This is how you turn readers into leads without being pushy.

Your book builds trust. Don’t let that trust end at the last page.

When you point readers to the next aligned step—whether that’s a service, a freebie, or a conversation—you make your book more than just a product. You make it a strategic tool for growth and transformation.

The Common Mistake: Waiting Too Long to Leverage

Here’s where many authors go wrong: They publish, pause… and wait.

Sometimes—oftentimes—it’s because they’re just plain exhausted. If the journey to publication itself doesn’t wear them out, the launch will. That’s what we discussed earlier, the whole “spaghetti against the wall” thing, or burning out because you’ve packed too much into too short a time.

For other authors, they’ve put so many projects to the side while they prioritized their book that now they have a to-do list in screaming red. So when it comes to leveraging their book, they tell themselves they’ll “get around to it.” They think they need a bigger list, more time, better timing.

But momentum fades. Don’t let that happen.

Your Book Is Fresh—Use That Momentum

Strike while the iron’s hot. People are watching. You’re excited. That’s the moment to start leveraging your book—not six months from now when your book feels old and your launch list is dead.

Maybe that was you. Think your book is too old to leverage? It might be if the content is no longer relevant, but even older books can be revitalized with a clear plan. We’ve helped clients breathe new life into books they published years ago by refining their messaging, updating their packaging and pitch angles, or building fresh content around core ideas.

A book doesn’t expire. It just needs a strategy—and if you didn’t have one at launch, it isn’t too late.

How We Help Authors Leverage Their Book in the Mastermind

Inside our Author Advantage Mastermind, we don’t just help you plan—we help you activate your long-term book marketing strategy and make sure you squeeze every last bit of juice from your book.

Whether you want more clients, more press, or more speaking gigs, we help you find the best paths for your goals. Then, in an intimate container (just four authors!), we map out your next six months with intention, making sure your book isn’t just sitting there gathering virtual dust. You’ll get feedback from me and your peers on your pitches, landing pages, lead magnets, and more—so you’re not left alone, guessing what works.

Your Book Deserves to Be More Than a Checked Box

You didn’t write this book just to say you did. You wrote it to do something. So don’t let it just sit there looking pretty in your Zoom background. Let your book be the tool you use to grow your business. Put it to work. Leverage it for reach, recognition, and real business growth.

👉 And if you want support, structure, and strategy to do that right, apply to join us for the Author Advantage Mastermind. We accept applications on a rolling basis in preparation for the next cohort.

FAQ

Can I use my book to grow my business if it’s not a business book?

Absolutely. In fact, in many cases, the book won’t be about business. It should be tied in to what you offer. So if you offer business coaching, then yes, your book will be a business book. But it could also be a self-help book about mindset or how to eat for optimal energy and creativity. It all depends on what will attract the right people to achieve your specific goals. By the way, we’ve seen fiction and memoir authors do some of this work, too, by turning their message into workshops, talks, or community-building efforts.

Is it too late to use my book to grow my business if I published a while ago?

It isn’t so much about when you first published as it is about whether your content is still relevant to your target audience. Assuming it is evergreen, you can always use your book to grow your business, whether it launched last week or last decade. A clear repositioning, updated messaging and a new cover, or a new content strategy can breathe fresh life into an older title and make it work for you in powerful ways.

What’s the fastest way to start using my book to grow my business?

The simplest first step is to integrate your book into your marketing funnel. You can use your book to grow your business by offering it as a lead magnet, highlighting it on your website, or using it as a conversation starter on podcasts or LinkedIn.

Do I need a big audience to use my book to grow my business?

Nope. You can use your book to grow your business even with a small but aligned audience. The key is to focus on the right channels, build strategic partnerships, and repurpose your content to reach your ideal clients or readers where they already hang out.

I don’t have time to figure out a strategy—what should I do?

That’s exactly where our Author Advantage Mastermind comes in. We help you use your book to grow your business with hands-on planning, expert support, and community accountability—so you don’t waste time guessing what works.

Ally Machate is on a mission to help authors make great books and reach more readers. A bestselling author and expert publishing consultant, Ally has served small and “Big Five” publishers, including Simon & Schuster, where she acquired and edited books on staff. Her clients include authors with such companies as Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, Rodale Inc., Chronicle Books, Kaplan Publishing, Sourcebooks, and Hay House, as well as independently published bestsellers. As founder & CEO of The Writer’s Ally, Ally and her team lead serious authors to write, publish, and sell more high-quality books.

Book Marketing Strategy for Authors Who Want Visibility Without Burnout

Are you tired of book marketing advice that feels like a full-time job? You’re not an influencer, so there’s no need to act like one. Today, we’re going to dive into a smarter book marketing strategy for authors to build visibility without burning out.

Because let’s be honest—when most authors hear the word “marketing,” they think of social media spirals, awkward self-promotion, and being told they need to “show up more” without anyone explaining what that actually means.

And if you’re trying to do all that while running a business, maintaining a career, or, you know, having a life… it starts to feel impossible.

So if you’ve ever thought:

• “I should be doing more… but I don’t know what more is.”
• “I’m not a marketer—I just want people to read the book.”
• “Everyone else seems to have a plan (and a team)… I’m just winging it alone.”

Take a breath. You’re not behind or doing it wrong—you’re just trying to fit yourself into the wrong marketing model.

Why Hustle Culture Is the Wrong Book Marketing Strategy for Authors

Most book marketing advice assumes you have unlimited time, content creation skills, and a desire to be online All. The. Time.

But here’s the thing: You’re not an influencer. You’re an author. And that’s a very different role. You don’t need to post daily, dance on Reels, or pour all your energy into promotion for a book that was supposed to support your business—not swallow it whole.

“Always be marketing” might work for people whose business is content. But for most authors, this concept leads to burnout, inconsistency, and a quiet, lingering shame that you’re somehow not doing enough. It just isn’t necessary, or helpful, for most authors to apply this idea.

What a Sustainable Book Marketing Strategy Actually Looks Like

Here’s what does work—especially for authors who want long-term ROI, not short-lived buzz in their book marketing strategy: You don’t need to chase trends, pump out daily content, or become a marketing guru overnight. Instead, sustainable visibility comes from smart, consistent actions that fit your strengths, serve your audience, and support your bigger goals. This approach not only saves your sanity—it actually builds momentum over time.

Consistency Over Virality

The thing that makes stories about posts going viral so fascinating is that these events are unexpected. You can try to craft strong posts and set up conditions for virality, but you can’t control it.

So don’t count on one post changing everything. Instead, embrace the idea that showing up consistently with targeted, valuable messages is what builds trust and engagement.

Aligned Audience-building

The social media landscape is always changing. Which channel is hot, which channel is new, which channel has been banned by the government–it’s a bit of a moving target, which is extra challenging when you’re trying to build a presence and long-term engagement.

But let me give you the permission you’ve been looking for: There’s no need to be everywhere. Focus on growing your visibility on channels where your readers already hang out, such as your email list, LinkedIn, podcasts, or niche communities.

And even if you do feel a need to have a presence everywhere, you still don’t need to put your best effort into every social platform available. Again, narrowing your focus to just one or two channels–after experimenting to figure out which ones yield the best results, of course–is going to conserve your energy and still connect you with the right readers.

Think of it this way: When your social approach is scattershot, the algorithms don’t favor you, and only a tiny percentage of your followers see your content. But if you focus on just a couple of platforms where you can interact more regularly, your engagement goes up, the algorithms kick in, and you reach a lot more people. The right people.

Simple Systems, Not Flashy Strategies

A basic, repeatable rhythm that fits your life beats a 30-item content calendar every time.

So many authors try to do all the things during their book launch, hoping to make the biggest splash they can. This is what I call the “spaghetti against the wall” approach to marketing–a fast track to exhaustion and resentment. Your book’s launch should be a joyful time, a celebration of the culmination of your hard work. You, and your book, deserve that.

The fundamental mistake here is assuming that more is always better, and sometimes that can be true. But if you have a limited amount of time, money, and energy–like most humans do–then more is just more, because the thinner you spread yourself, the lower the quality of your efforts. It’s actually less that is better.

Consider the author who gives it everything they’ve got for a month and then is too tired to do anything else for the rest of the year with the author who chooses a few key activities and keeps up with those over the course of a year. Can you guess who’ll see more sales and opportunities overall?

What You Can Let Go Of

This is your permission slip to stop doing what’s not working or what was never meant for you.

You don’t need:

Five social platforms
The latest “must-have” tool you saw in someone’s funnel
To measure your success against someone with a full-time team or a traditional publisher

Marketing doesn’t have to mean playing someone else’s game. The best book marketing strategy for authors is built around what you can sustain—and what matters for your book.

This is especially true if you are a business owner who’s written a book as part of a business growth plan. It’s natural to look at what the Big Five publishers or bestselling authors are doing and think you should be following their example. But this is how all these ideas about constantly marketing started in the first place! Following that model is entirely wrong for you, because it isn’t your business model.

Remember, publishers are in the business of selling books. You are in the business of selling whatever it is that you sell, be it coaching packages, services, or online courses. Your book is a tool designed to help you sell those things, not something that eclipses everything else you have to offer.

How to Build a Book Marketing Strategy That Works for You

Sustainable visibility = a few high-impact moves:

One or two aligned channels: Podcast guesting + email or LinkedIn + partnerships are popular combos among our authors. Dig into your data to figure out what’s best for you, but once you see the patterns of ROI clearly, narrow things down.
Repurposing your book into content: Use your book for posts, podcasts, minibooks, and workshops. This is one of the significant advantages to being an indie author who has full control of your content. Authors with traditional publishers are often hamstrung when it comes to repurposing content from their books because they have other stakeholders to report to, and traditional publishers are very fussy about how much content you share for free.
Treating your book as an asset: Your book can generate leads and credibility—but only if you treat it like part of your larger strategy. That means stop fixating on selling books one copy at a time and start thinking of how you can leverage it instead to attract bigger, more profitable opportunities.

These are the bones of an effective book marketing strategy for authors. It can really be that simple.

How We Help You Build a Custom Book Marketing Strategy

Here’s what I hear all the time: “I know I need to market, but I don’t know what to focus on. I don’t want to waste my time.”

Sound familiar?

That’s exactly why I built the Author Advantage Mastermind.

Filter out what doesn’t matter so you can focus on what does
Build visibility in ways that feel strategic and doable
Get expert guidance, built-in accountability, and a clear map forward to grow your business by leveraging your book

No overwhelm. No pressure to go viral. No hustle for hustle’s sake—just a practical book marketing strategy for authors that actually fits your life. I’ll help you choose the highest leverage strategy for your goals and your business, and then we’ll work together in an intimate container that meets bimonthly for six months to support you while you work toward that plan.

You Can Let Go of “Doing It All.”

You don’t need to be everywhere. You need to be effective where it counts—and that’s what sustainable book marketing is really about.

Whether you’re burned out, confused, or just tired of hearing “you need to post more,” there’s a better way to make your book work for you.

👉 Join the Mastermind waitlist to explore if it’s the right next step for you.

FAQs About Book Marketing Strategy for Authors

Q: What is a good book marketing strategy for authors?
A purpose-driven plan for building visibility and engagement that supports your book’s goals, target audience, and your lifestyle—not just sales.

Q: Can I market my book without daily social media?
Absolutely. With the right sustainable book marketing strategy for authors, you can build momentum through targeted content, guest appearances, and email—without dancing on TikTok.

Q: When should I start building a book marketing strategy?
Ideally, during the writing or revising phase. Early choices around audience, platform, and message have a huge impact on long-term success. Your focus early on should be about research, planning, and sowing seeds to bring people onto your mailing list in advance of your launch.

Q: What if I already launched and it’s not working? That’s fixable. Many authors reposition their books with new messaging, audience focus, or visibility channels—all part of a strong post-launch book marketing strategy for authors. We can help with this.

Books Bring Clarity — Ally Machate on Spark & Ignite Your Marketing

Ally Machate, founder and CEO of The Writer’s Ally, recently joined Beverly Cornell on Spark & Ignite Your Marketing—the podcast where real conversations meet real strategies—to discuss the strategic power of publishing. In this two-part series of episodes, Ally shares her own passion for helping authors build their businesses with meaningful books, and explains how writing the right book can enhance credibility, attract ideal clients, and reshape a brand’s visibility.

The conversation explores the challenges many authors and entrepreneurs face, including perfectionism and imposter syndrome, and offers actionable strategies to overcome these blocks. Ally also shares how purposeful publishing can provide brand clarity, elevate offers, and give authors the confidence to hit “publish.”

Key themes from their discussion include:

Writing the Right Book for Business Growth: Aligning your book topic with your expertise and platform to build authority and attract clients.
Overcoming Visibility Blocks and Imposter Syndrome: Mindset tools and personal stories to move past fear and perfectionism.
How a Book Can Reshape Your Brand and Offers: Using a book to clarify messaging, strengthen your platform, and elevate your brand.

Beverly Cornell is the founder and fairy godmother of brand clarity at Wickedly Branded. With over 25 years of experience, she’s helped hundreds of entrepreneurs awaken their brand magic, attract the right people, and build businesses that light them up. Listen to both episodes on your preferred platform:

Through these appearances, Ally continues to help authors and entrepreneurs publish books that deliver results—books that build visibility, authority, and genuine connection.

Want a Stronger Book Launch? Fix These 5 Things

Writing a book can be such a challenge in itself that many authors prefer to tell themselves they can “figure out the book marketing strategy stuff later.” But well before the launch—often while you’re still drafting—you must decide on some of the most crucial factors that will shape your book’s success.

From title clarity to audience alignment, the foundation of a strong book marketing strategy starts early. And if you’ve already published and you’re not seeing the traction you hoped for? Don’t panic—there’s still a path forward. We’ll talk about that too.

Whether you’re still writing or you’ve already released your book and are realizing things aren’t clicking, this post is here to help you avoid regret (or recover from it) by building a marketing strategy that actually supports your goals.

Here’s what most authors don’t realize until it’s too late: writing and editing aren’t just about getting the words right. This is where the strategic bones of your book should start taking shape.

Why “Figure It Out Later” Doesn’t Work

We’ve worked with countless authors who poured everything into writing their book… only to realize too late that the title didn’t resonate, the reader wasn’t clearly defined, or the book’s positioning didn’t support their larger goals.

That’s not a craft problem—it’s a book marketing strategy problem.

When you leave audience clarity, messaging, and platform strategy for “later,” you set yourself up for extra work and lackluster results.

5 Key Decisions to Make Early

If you’re still in the writing/revising stage, this is the time to set yourself up for long-term success. These five decisions lay the groundwork for a book marketing strategy that actually builds momentum and doesn’t leave you straining to hear over the sound of crickets. If you want results from your book, not to mention an audience who gives great reviews, answering these questions is essential.

1. Who is the book really for?

Yes, your book might appeal to a wide audience. But here’s the part about marketing that’s a little counterintuitive: If you’re trying to speak to everyone, you’re connecting with no one. You simply cannot serve a broad range of readers in the same way you can go deep with a narrowly defined set of readers. That’s why successful books speak clearly to one reader first. When you know who you’re talking to—what they need, what they’re searching for, and what matters to them—it becomes much easier to write something that resonates and sells.

Consider Amy, a career coach who wrote a book about how to be a better leader. But is it for mid-level professionals trying to demonstrate their leadership skills to advance their careers? Does she want to connect with burnt-out executives looking for reinvention through fresh tactics? Perhaps start-up founders learning how to lead their first teams? The core content about being a strong leader might shift only slightly—but the title, tone, examples, and marketing would shift dramatically based on the choice of primary audience or ideal reader.

She chose the first group, by the way, and we helped her reposition her book as helping middle managers both become good leaders and understand what projects to pursue for greater C-suite notice, as well as how to communicate their results as the natural consequence of their leadership. Those elements, tailored specifically to her ideal reader, helped her book stand out among a sea of leadership titles and gave her book marketing strategy the focus it needed to succeed.

2. What outcome does the book support?

What should your reader walk away with? What result are they hoping for? And just as important: what outcome do you want this book to deliver for you?

Whether it’s leads, opportunities, career growth, or reader loyalty, defining this early will help shape both content and marketing.

Judy wanted to inspire women navigating divorce. She’d had a really difficult divorce from an emotionally abusive and narcissistic man, and she wanted to share her experiences in hopes of helping women in similar situations feel less alone. She also wanted to empower those women to leave their marriages, just as she had, so she decided to write a memoir to launch a new career as a speaker in women’s wellness spaces.

The problem: the initial draft of the memoir focused too much on Judy’s pain and the internal landscape of her suffering, which could have forged a connection with her readers, but not so much with event hosts looking for inspirational speakers for wellness-themed events. In other words, she primarily focused on the immediate feelings and challenges of the situation instead of the solutions or recovery she experienced, which is what people seek to learn in wellness spaces.

But when we helped her refine her stories to produce clearer themes of resilience, trusting your intuition, setting boundaries, and healing, plus helped her come up with a reading line for the book that highlighted those themes, it placed her book more squarely in the wellness space. It showed event hosts that she had what their audiences wanted. That alignment between message and audience was what transformed Judy’s launch into a more effective book marketing strategy and a powerful tool for her speaking goals.

3. How does your brand or business connect to the book?

Even for memoirists or novelists, your book doesn’t exist in isolation. It’s part of your author brand, and maybe even your larger body of work or business.

William–an engineer with a long career in the sciences–had written the first two novels in his scifi trilogy before he came to us with a draft of his third book. But, surprisingly, the third book was not the conclusion of his series. Instead, it was the start of a new trilogy set in post-Civil War Texas. William told me that he’d gotten a bit bored with the first series and needed a break, so he let his love of Westerns carry him into a new genre.

William’s career in the sciences and his work in science fiction had a deep connection to his author brand and the audience he had built. Creatively, it makes total sense to pursue the ideas you’re most passionate about. But switching to a new trilogy in a totally new genre without finishing the first is an absolute kiss of death marketing-wise for any author who doesn’t already have a large and very, very loyal fan base.

A percentage of his existing audience might have been interested in following him into historical Westerns, but it would likely be a small percentage. Worse, his existing audience might be upset that he decided to start something new without first giving them the satisfaction of an ending for the stories he’d already released, abandoning him long before he ever had a chance to write that trilogy wrap-up.

If you’re writing nonfiction, this connection is even more direct—your book should support your offers, visibility, and positioning in your space. It’s one of the most overlooked parts of a successful book marketing strategy. The sooner you identify this relationship, the more seamless your strategy becomes.

4. Where will you promote the book?

You don’t need a massive audience to succeed, but you do need to know where your audience already spends time. Choosing the right channels early (podcasts, email, partnerships, social media, local events, etc.) means you can start growing those spaces now, instead of scrambling later.

So, for example, imagine your target reader is most active on LinkedIn and attends niche industry conferences. Still, you’ve spent all year building up your presence on Instagram because it’s the platform you already use personally, and you like it best. What value does a popular Instagram account hold if it doesn’t reach your intended audience? That’s a mismatch you can’t correct quickly. Knowing your audience’s habits early helps you focus your visibility where it actually matters.

This kind of clarity shapes your pre-launch book marketing strategy so you don’t waste time building the wrong audience on the wrong platform.

5. When should you start building visibility?

As the saying goes, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is today. You should start building your visibility much sooner than you probably think.

You don’t need to post “My book is coming!” every week—in fact, please, please don’t—but you should be steadily growing your presence, building trust, and priming your future readers. And you should start doing it as early as you possibly can.

One of my early ghostwriting clients started appearing more frequently on blogs and podcasts while we worked on his manuscript. The topic of his book was closely tied to his coaching work, so I encouraged him to pitch himself as an expert on that topic, leveraging his personal and career journeys. I also counseled him to set up a landing page for the upcoming book on his website, featuring an opt-in form, and to mention at the end of every podcast interview that he was writing a book on the topics he and the host had just discussed. Of course, he also shared the URL for his landing page, which the hosts included in their show notes.

Without the opt-in to join his mailing list, this would not have been as effective, since no one could have yet purchased the book, and they’d certainly not have remembered it almost a year later when it was published. But because we’d mapped out a clear strategy to accomplish the immediate goal—building a list in advance of publication—my client enjoyed several benefits.

First, by the time his book launched, he had already secured dozens of interviews and invitations to return to those shows for further discussions about the book. Second, he had a growing email list and warm leads who already saw him as a trusted voice. And finally, he had a base group of people he could solicit to join his launch team, which helped him get positive reviews up on Amazon quickly and helped him sell more copies faster.

A slow and steady platform-building effort in the background will do more for your book marketing strategy than a last-minute flurry ever could.

Already Published Without These in Place?

If you’re reading this after your book is already out and your launch didn’t go the way you hoped, you’re not alone—and you’re not stuck.

We’ve worked with numerous authors who launched their first books without a clear strategy. The good news? In most cases, you can relaunch, refresh, or reposition your book to better serve your goals without having to rewrite and republish it completely. Book repositioning is often one of the most effective post-launch book marketing strategies available—especially when your message and audience just weren’t quite aligned the first time.

So how do you know if these key foundational steps are at the heart of your book sales problem? Well, here are four signs that point in that direction:

Your audience isn’t engaging or converting.
The book isn’t gaining traction beyond your personal network.
You struggle to talk about the book in a succinct, compelling way.
You’re feeling stuck about what to do next now that the book is out.

This is all fixable. And often, the second wind—when your book marketing strategy finally aligns—is where the biggest results show up.

What We’ll Be Working On in the Author Advantage Mastermind

If your book is still in progress, tackle these questions yourself first and seek out a developmental editor, a type of book professional that can edit your draft with an eye toward these same issues and much more. Contact us today to see if this is right for you.

If your book is already published, this is exactly the kind of work we dive into in the Author Advantage Mastermind. Inside the program, we help you:

Clarify your ideal audience and what your book needs to say to them
Refine your messaging, positioning, and platform strategy
Build post-launch visibility systems that keep your book working for you
Leverage your book into bigger results for your brand or business

If you’re ready to stop winging it and start building a book marketing strategy that supports the book and your business goals, we’d love to support you. Your book deserves to reach its fullest potential as the most powerful tool in your business toolbox, but it can’t if it’s just sitting in your Zoom background gathering virtual dust.

Your Next Step

If you haven’t launched yet, this is your opportunity to build a stronger foundation by addressing these five elements in your book draft.

If you have launched, and it didn’t land the way you hoped, you can start fresh—with the clarity and book marketing strategy you were missing the first time.

Apply for the Author Advantage Mastermind here. Applications are taken on a year-round rolling basis.

Frequently Asked Questions About Book Marketing Strategy

1. When should I start building a book marketing strategy?

The best time is while you’re still writing or editing your manuscript. Early decisions about audience, messaging, and positioning have a major impact on how effective your launch will be.

2. Can I relaunch a book that didn’t do well at first?

Yes! Many authors successfully reposition their book with new messaging, a refreshed description, or a different audience strategy—even without republishing.

3. Do I need a big following to have a successful book launch?

Not necessarily. What you need is a clear strategy that connects your message to the right audience—and channels that actually reach them.

4. What are the biggest book marketing mistakes new authors make?

Waiting until after the book is written to think about marketing, trying to target too broad an audience, and investing in the wrong platforms too late in the game.

Ally Machate on Book 101 Review: Publishing Books That Sell!

Ally Machate, founder and CEO of The Writer’s Ally, recently appeared on Book 101 Review, hosted by Daniel Lucas. Now in its fifth season, the podcast continues to spotlight voices in the publishing world, and Ally brought her deep industry experience to the conversation.

In this episode, Ally shares how authors can publish successful books that don’t just sit on shelves—they reach readers and grow businesses. Drawing on her decades in the field, she walks listeners through the different professional roles in the publishing process, what each contributes, and how strategic planning can turn a book into a powerful business tool.

Listeners will hear Ally explain the importance of writing with a clear message and target audience in mind, as well as how The Writer’s Ally supports authors in choosing the right publishing path and reaching the readers who need their message most.

Tune in now:

Through thoughtful appearances like this one, Ally continues to guide authors toward publishing paths that align with their goals—whether that means building visibility, authority, or business growth!

Let's Talk!

We'd love to learn about the unique needs of your project. Contact us now for a free, no-obligation Book Strategy Call!

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