PR ON THE GO May 4, 2022

Public Relations Hacks: 9 Ways to Get Publicity For Your Book

What is one of the best ways to get publicity for a book?

To help you adopt creative ways to market your book to the public, we asked business leaders and public relations professionals this question for their best ideas. From getting on Goodreads to seeking high-profile endorsements, there are several effective ways that may help you give good exposure to your book.

Here are 9 great ways to get publicity for a book:

Start Before The Book Release

Chandra Gore, Publicist & Principal Consultant of Chandra Gore Consulting

"Releasing a book is an amazing milestone to accomplish. Your publicity truly starts before your release day. Connect with your local library and book clubs for possible book reviews, blog posts and support. Make sure you have banked questions/answers and quotes for use to include in your media outreach. Post a press release on your website along with weekly blog posts leading up to the release of your book. And share share share!"


Go Local

Andrea Sok, Owner at SOK Influencer PR

"Get local! Connect with your local independent bookstores to host readings, participate in book clubs, and partner on promotions. Plug in to local events by hosting a book signing or speak as part of the programming. And don’t forget the local media! Radio, TV and digital press can be extremely helpful in sharing your story and garnering coverage for your book."


Have A Solid Personal Brand

Tonya McKenzie, Founder, PR Consultant & Trainer at Sand & Shores

"​​The best advice that I have to ensure great publicity for the author is to have a solid personal brand. The book should simply be an extension of who your brand says that you are. What is your expertise? Where can that be seen in your book? Being able to grow your book's brand awareness will rely heavily on the expertise, advice, and information that the author is sharing in the book. These things are expressed through the social media channels that you set up, communities that the author develops around the book on different channels, and opportunities for the author to speak such as podcasts and book events. All of these things should be a reflection of the author and the author's brand voice."


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Get on Goodreads

Janice Wald, Mostly Blogging

"The best way to get publicity for a book is to use Goodreads. Goodreads is a site for book lovers. On Goodreads, people recommend books to others. Also, Goodreads allows you to have an author page. Finally, since Goodreads is a social media site, you can network with others to learn about their books and tell them about your books. The best part: Goodreads is free."


Create a Press Kit

Caroline Lee, CocoSign

"The best-in-class way to get publicity for a book is to build a stellar press kit. It consists of every piece of vital information about you and your book, which will be sent to the media members to get covered. Your press kit can be digital, available on your site, and shared via a link. You can also send out physical press kits and include things, such as a copy of your book. The best examples of what you might include are data, statistics, images, a brief biography, reviews, fact sheets, and any pertinent press releases."


Start With Your Friends and Family

Baruch Labunski, Rank Secure

"One of the best ways to promote your book is to start with your friends and family getting you as a speaker or book signing in one of their groups. Most people are involved in some type of civic group, a church, a league, or other community function. Contacting family and friends and asking them to let you talk about your book is a sure way to get some immediate publicity locally among those who want to support you. Be particularly aware of groups where your book would be of high interest over those where it doesn't "fit." For instance, a book about children's personalities would work well among a group of parents or teachers. An accounting book would go over big in a group of tax attorneys or entrepreneurs."


Leverage Other People's Audiences

Eric Chow, Mashman Ventures

"When a new movie is coming out, actors and actresses will go on press tours. When the country looks to elect a new president, candidates go on a campaign tour. When musical artists release new albums that do well, they go on tour. Similarly, authors should be going on a media tour. Leveraging traditional media channels is fantastic if an author is able, but getting on podcasts, YouTube channels, and even TikTok with other creators is a lot easier to do. The key for authors is identifying the creators who have their target audience, and rather than pitching the creator to have them on, finding a way to help or connect with that creator. For example, get introduced by a mutual friend. This can be a great way for authors to share their story, and generate publicity for their book."


Bookstagrammers

Louisa Smith, Epic Book Society

"If you're trying to get promotion for your new book, you should consider whether you want to use influencer marketing or blogger marketing. Bookstagrammers are a great way to get quick exposure to a lot of people. If you're not familiar with the term, bookstagrammers are social media influencers who share book recommendations and reviews via Instagram. Some bookstagram accounts can reach thousands of followers, for example, James Trevino has over 300K followers. However, influencer marketing is short-lived. After a post or story has been published, it is forgotten about within a day. This is why you should focus your attention on book bloggers. If a book blogger reviews your book, the review will be evergreen, that means it will be on the web for the world to see forever (unless agreed otherwise). This can return you more publicity over a long period of time, instead of the quick preview you get with influencer marketing. For long term publicity book bloggers are a better resource."


Seek High-Profile Endorsements

Natalia Brzezinska, PhotoAiD

"One of the best ways to get publicity for a book is to land a high-profile endorsement from a well-known individual or organization. If you can get someone with a large social media following to promote your book, that can be especially helpful in getting the word out. You can also try reaching out to local newspapers and radio stations to see if they'll do a story on your book. Whatever approach you take, be sure to have an engaging and well-crafted book press release ready to send out to reporters."



Thank you! This experts roundup was created in collaboration with Terkel. Sign up at terkel.io to answer questions and get published.

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