How to Market Books on Amazon and Elsewhere on a Limited Budget (Book Marketing Basics)

Congratulations! You’ve written a book and you’re about to publish it!

You’re new to the whole book marketing thing. And you have a limited budget.

First of all, you’re going to have to break into the piggy bank. But you don’t have to spend a fortune on marketing a book.

If you have $1,000 or less to spend on plugging this book, here’s what you need to know. . . .

What is the typical book marketing budget?

The typical author spends between $100 and $1,000 on a book marketing budget.

More experienced authors, and more high-profile authors, may spend between $2,000 and $5,000 or more on book marketing and promotion efforts.

If you fall into the first category—

if you have $1,000 or less to spend on book marketing—then you have two smart options:

1. Educate yourself and then use that knowledge to create and implement a low-expense book marketing plan.

2. Consider doing an author coaching session or package with a book marketing coach to help you develop a strategic, smart, DIY plan. Yes, that’s a lot of work. But it’s worth it.

Let’s look at each of your options.

1. Educate yourself and use what you learn to create and implement a book marketing plan.

This might include

A warning, though: too many authors have a tendency to over-study and under-do.

Don’t spend more time learning or doing “research” than actually doing.

2. Get a book marketing coaching session (or sessions).

A session or two gives you personalized guidance and advice.

You are wise to spend your money working with someone who can help you establish a really solid plan.

A book marketing coach will ask you about your goals, your ideal reader, and where and how you want people to find your book. They’ll then help you reach the people you want to reach and teach you strategies you can use going forward.

Whether or not you’re investing in learning or in working with a book marketing coach, you need a plan. Without a plan, you may deplete your budget rapidly and get nowhere.

As part of my book coaching services, I offer book marketing plans tailor-made to your book and your situation.

And you can only go so far if your book isn’t something that people actually want to buy. You can only go so far if you’re not speaking to your ideal reader. And you can only go so far if you’re not consistently showing up online and wherever your readers are likely to find you. And you can only go so far with an underwhelming presence on Amazon.

If your book marketing budget is a little bigger, say $2,000 or $3,000 or more—

and/or you simply are able to dedicate more money and less time, you ought to zero in on what you really need.

You’ll likely trying any one of the following:

Some book marketing strategies for authors on a limited budget

Every book is different. Every author has different goals, strengths, and interests.

But here are a few free or inexpensive things that I believe should be part of every author’s book marketing plan—things that I believe every author should do.

1. Make the most of your Amazon page.

For US authors in particular, that means setting up an Author profile on Amazon (and Goodreads). You can do this via author.amazon.com.

Setting up and optimizing your Author profile is covered in depth in The Best Book Marketing Strategies online course and Amazon sales page optimizing is a service I offer American nonfiction authors.

In short, make sure that possible buyers see your headshot, author bio, editorial reviews/endorsements for your book, and the proper Amazon categories for your book.

2. Add your book (and a link for people to buy it) to your email signature.

This might be a Universal Book Link if your book is available through multiple retailers, a link to its Amazon page, or a link to your website if that’s the best place for people to buy directly.

3. Actively seek out Amazon reader reviews and endorsements/editorial reviews.

I’ve written a great article on the subject, entitled “How to Sell More Self-Published Books on Amazon: 5 SEO Strategies for Authors.”

You need to ask people to review your book. The more reviews a book has the more important Amazon thinks it is and the more visible (and appealing) it will be to possible buyers.

And you need to get experts, influencers, even other authors to provide endorsements for your book that you can then place on your book’s Amazon page, on your website, in social media posts, and even on the print book’s cover or dust jacket.

4. Get on podcasts.

This is a great way to reach your ideal readers, and podcasts stay up for years. Better yet, for you introverts out there, you don’t even have to leave your home.

➡️The ins and outs of getting on podcasts are also covered in the online course The Best Book Marketing Strategies, a self-paced online course geared toward nonfiction authors.

5. Focus (or prioritize) your activities on one social media platform.

Too many authors try to do too much—to be everywhere all at once. Others think that by repeatedly posting the cover of their book, they’re somehow impressing readers and encouraging them to buy it. Not so.

Share quotes from your book, stories about you writing it, reviews and endorsements as they come in, images from your book, photos or news of you with your book or talking about your book, topics or thoughts that spin off from your book—and any news at all related to your book.

The above book marketing ideas are just a few suggestions of what’s possible. And it applies to self-published book authors and traditionally published book authors.

But if you’ve written a great book and you have a solid, well-informed, well-thought-out book marketing plan, you’ll be a few steps ahead.

Wishing you success on your book launch and on your book marketing activities. With a book marketing plan and some help, you can sell more books online and find more readers.

Get your free List of Book Marketing Strategies for American authors.

It includes 50 things to do that can help sell more books.

(I don’t think book marketing needs to cost a fortune. But If you have zero dollars to spend on marketing, do not download the list; my advice is not for you.)

Authors, MarketingDaniel J. TortoraAmazon Author Central, Amazon reviews, author coaching, book marketing, editorial reviews