Before your novel hits the shelves, developing consistent marketing habits can set you up for a successful launch.
By starting early and focusing on audience engagement, you’ll build a base of eager readers long before release day. Below is a structured guide to five actionable marketing habits—covering social media, networking, audience-building, and branding—that fiction authors can adopt before publishing their book. Each habit includes clear strategies, examples, and best practices to help you grow your audience, increase engagement, and create anticipation for your book launch.
1) Consistent Social Media Engagement
Be active and authentic on social media to connect with readers. A strong social media presence allows you to build an audience even while writing your book. Don’t wait until your book is finished; start as early as possible by sharing your journey and interests. The key is to show up consistently on platforms where your target readers hang out and to engage in genuine two-way interactions – social media is a conversation, not just a broadcast.
- Pick One or Two Platforms and Show Up Regularly: You don’t need to be everywhere. Identify where your ideal readers spend time (e.g. Twitter for sci-fi fans, Instagram for YA readers, TikTok for romance “BookTok” enthusiasts) and post consistently. Establish a posting schedule you can maintain (say, 3 times a week) so followers know you’re active.
- Share Valuable & Personal Content: Post content that resonates with readers beyond just your book updates. Share what inspires your writing, books you’re reading, writing tips, or snippets of your daily life. This mix of personal and relevant content helps readers feel connected to you as an author.
- Engage and Interact with Readers: Treat social media as a dialogue. Respond to comments on your posts, ask questions, and join reader communities or genre-related hashtags. By engaging sincerely, you turn casual followers into an invested community.
- Use Interactive Posts to Involve Followers: Make your audience feel like part of your book’s journey. Interactive content tends to boost engagement. For example, run polls (“Help me choose a name for a side character” or “Which cover mock-up do you like best?”), share quizzes, or host live Q&A sessions about your writing process. These not only excite existing followers but also attract new ones through sharing.
2) Networking and Community Building
Cultivate relationships in the writing and reading community to expand your reach. Networking isn’t about self-promotion at others’ expense; it’s about genuine connections. By building a supportive network of fellow authors, bloggers, and avid readers, you create a team of allies who can amplify your book’s launch when the time comes.
- Give Before You Ask: Approach networking with a mindset of generosity. Support others in small ways consistently: promote another author’s book release, leave thoughtful comments on their blog, or share a book blogger’s review that you enjoyed. By helping others first, you lay a foundation of trust and reciprocity.
- Connect with Fellow Authors: Join writer associations, online forums, or social media groups where authors gather. Engaging with fellow writers can lead to cross-promotion opportunities and knowledge exchange.
- Reach Out to Influencers and Bloggers: Identify book bloggers, Bookstagrammers (Instagram book influencers), or podcasters who cater to your target audience. Begin interacting well before you need anything: comment on their posts, share their content, or send a brief note praising something they wrote. Over time, you can pitch collaboration ideas – perhaps they might host you for an interview, review an advance copy of your book, or team up for a giveaway.
- Engage in Local Literary Circles: Attend local author events, writing workshops, or genre conventions. Networking in real life – chatting with a librarian who runs a book club, or meeting a bookstore owner – can open doors for you later (like getting your book stocked or being invited to speak at an event).
3) Grow and Engage Your Audience with an Email Newsletter
Start building an email list of interested readers early – it’s one of the most powerful marketing assets for an author. An email newsletter lets you reach fans directly in their inbox, ensuring they don’t miss your important updates. Even if you haven’t published yet, you can begin attracting subscribers by offering them value and a glimpse into your world.
- Offer a “Reader Magnet” to Attract Subscribers: Give readers a reason to subscribe before your book is out. A popular strategy is to offer exclusive content for free. For example, write a short story or prequel scene related to your upcoming novel and give it as a free download for newsletter sign-ups. This tactic can dramatically accelerate email list growth.
- Send Consistent, Value-Driven Updates: Treat your newsletter subscribers as VIPs. Email them regularly (for instance, monthly or bi-monthly to start) with content that isn’t just “buy my book.” Share behind-the-scenes insights, updates on your writing progress, snippets or quotes from your work-in-progress, and personal musings relevant to your genre. When you do have news like a cover reveal or pre-order link, they’ll be excited for it because they’ve been with you all along.
- Foster Engagement and Exclusive Perks: Use your newsletter to deepen reader engagement by offering something special that they only get via email. For example, run a poll asking subscribers to vote on a character name or which of two cover concepts they prefer – this makes them feel like insiders.
- Leverage Your List for the Launch: When your book becomes available for pre-order or purchase, your email list will be crucial for generating immediate momentum. Plan a few dedicated emails: one for the cover reveal, one when pre-orders open, a launch day reminder, etc. Be sure to encourage reviews and social sharing.
4) Develop a Strong Author Brand and Platform
Start crafting your author brand identity and online platform well ahead of your book release. Building an author brand means creating a recognizable persona and style that readers can latch onto – it’s how you present yourself across your website, social media, and any public-facing content. A clear, authentic brand helps readers remember you and signals what you’re about (genre, tone, themes), which in turn attracts your ideal audience.
- Define Your Brand Persona: Think about the impression you want to leave on readers. Are you the horror writer with a dark, quirky sense of humor? A fantasy author who often shares whimsical art and folklore facts? Align your online voice and content with that persona.
- Be Consistent Across All Channels: Ensure that your social media profiles, website, and any public profiles present a cohesive image of you as an author. Use the same author photo or logo across platforms, maintain a consistent color palette or style in graphics, and keep your bio and tone of communication aligned.
- Set Up Your Author Website Early: A website acts as your home base on the internet – a place to send readers for more information and to capture email sign-ups. It can be simple; a one-page site is fine to start. Include a short bio, a professional-looking photo, a blurb about your upcoming book (even if just “Novel Title – a [Genre] coming in [Year]”), and links to your social media and newsletter.
- Secure Key Branding Assets: As soon as you have a finalized book title (or at least when you’re certain of your pen name), secure the related digital assets. This includes buying a domain name for your author name or book title (if available) and reserving social media handles. Even if you don’t plan to blog regularly, owning your domain is useful – you might later use it for a book landing page or a simple blog.
5) Share Teasers and Build Pre-Launch Buzz
Create anticipation for your book by regularly sharing teasers and updates as the launch approaches. In the months leading up to publication, ramp up the excitement. Think of this phase as a campaign to hype your story – you want readers counting down the days to release. By strategically revealing information and goodies about your book, you’ll keep your audience engaged and attract new followers intrigued by the buzz.
- Plan a Cover Reveal Event: One of the most exciting milestones before publication is revealing your book’s cover. Plan a special cover reveal and treat it like a mini event. You can do this online through a coordinated post on all your platforms (perhaps even a live reveal via Instagram or Facebook Live.)
- Share Sneak Peeks and Excerpts: In the lead-up to launch, tease your story to hook readers. You might share a short excerpt or a compelling quote from your novel on social media or in your newsletter. Teasers could also take the form of character introductions or fun facts about your story’s world.
- Count Down with Your Audience: As the launch date nears, bring your audience along for the countdown. You can do a “X days to release” series, sharing something new each day or week.
- Engage in Collaborative Buzz-Building: Don’t build buzz all alone – tap into your network to multiply the effect. Reach out to author friends, loyal readers, or influencers and ask if they’d like to be part of your “street team” or launch squad. These are people who are willing to share your book news on their platforms.
By implementing these five habits in the months (or even years) leading up to publication, you’ll steadily build a devoted audience and generate excitement for your debut. Consistency is crucial – small actions done regularly (posting weekly, networking daily, emailing monthly) add up to a robust platform. Remember, marketing a book is a marathon, not a sprint, and starting early gives you a head start. With an engaged social media presence, a supportive network, an active newsletter, a clear author brand, and a strategy for teasers, you’ll have readers eagerly awaiting your book launch day. Good luck, and enjoy the process of connecting with your future fans!
Nicky Blewitt helps new authors increase online visibility and book sales via effective marketing and metadata analysis. His company, The Book Marketer, is a support service for new writers, run by established authors like himself.
Nicky has a network of seasoned authors, skilled book marketers, publishers, copy editors, designers, and social media experts who work together to guide authors who are just starting out. They offer training and online Zoom coaching sessions to help writers navigate the world of self-publishing, organise book launches, develop marketing strategies, and build their author platforms.
