The Five Levels of Non-Fiction Author Marketing

First-time authors may think of marketing as a binary, but nothing could be further from the truth. In today's post, I'll describe the five levels of author marketing. (Note that my course The Author Flywheel: How to Intelligently and Affordably Market Your Book and a classic bit by the comedian Larry Miller inspired this lengthy post.)

Level 0: Marketing, Schmarketing

Audience

A common approach for authors whose sole goal involves publishing their books. In some cases, these people naïvely think that the qualilty of their writing or timeliness of their topics will make their texts sell themselves. Save for a few outliers, they couldn't be more wrong. Because of the author's lack of effort, I'm labeling this Level 0, not Level 1.

Pre-Launch Activities

• None.

Post-Launch Activities

• Mentioning the book to a few friends.

Out-of-Pocket Expenses

Zero. No shocker here.

Level 1: Starter Marketing

Audience

Typical for authors who lack considerable financial resources, time, and desire to promote their books. Still, they understand the import of marketing. They want to do something because it's better than doing nothing. Also, newbies working with traditional publishers might go this route because they expect the former to actually promote their books.

Pre-Launch Activities

• Very little. These folks erroneously believe that marketing takes place after their book releases. To be fair, it's a common mistake.
• Building a website if the author currently lacks one.

Post-Launch Activities

• Mentioning the book on social media or in person to friends and family.
• Encouraging others to spread the word.
• Appearing on a few podcasts that lack much reach.
• Announcing the book on the website and newsletter.
• Independently prending a few complimentary copies to journalists in a desperate attempt to land placement.

Out-of-Pocket Expenses

Minimal: $500 to $2,000.