How to Sell Books Without Social Media
Can you sell books without social media?
Did Grizzly Adams have a beard? You betcha!
Whether you’re technologically inept, super introverted, strapped for time, or “over it,” you may be reluctant to embrace social media for book marketing.
If that’s the case—or even if you’re just looking for some ideas that don’t require being on social media to promote your book, this article is for you.
Yes, it is possible to sell books without being on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, etc.
Book Marketing Without Social Media
Based on my years of experience as a nonfiction book coach . . .
it all boils down to embracing three main strategies:
Optimizing your online presence with a website and/or blog, an email list, and a great Amazon/Goodreads game;
Putting yourself where people can hear or see you—on podcasts, in the media, or in public events/speaking gigs/signings; and harnessing the power of word of mouth; or
Promoting your book through advertising, i.e., through book promo sites, PR, or book launch coaching and courses.
More on all that below.
But first, a friendly reminder:
If you want to sell books without social media, focus your efforts on things that will get you and your book in front of your ideal readers.
You need to know who your most likely readers will be, and then you need to get in front of them literally and figuratively.
And you don’t have to do every possible book marketing activity. That only leads to burnout.
OK! Here we go!
Optimizing your online presence can lead to book sales—without using social media.
An Author Website
If you’re not on social media, people need a common way to find you and connect with you: an author website.
With an author website done through Wix, WordPress, Squarespace, Kajabi, or some other option, readers will be able to find you online, learn more about you and what you do, see (and buy) your books, sign up for your email list (more on that later), and contact you directly.
Likewise, you may get approached for opportunities that will allow you to get more exposure or to sell your book directly.
An author website need not be complex or costly. But it’s a good thing—dare I say, a necessary thing—to have.
Blog
If you’d describe yourself as an introvert or as someone who’s always loved to write, what about a blog?
No, blogging isn’t dead. Blogs can be a good way to introduce people to your work and to the book(s) you’re trying to sell.
Blogs work best for nonfiction authors. They can be part of your website, standalone blogs, done through Substack or Medium.
It’s often best to write “evergreen” posts—things that are not time-sensitive.
Make sure your blog title, URL, and the headings within your post reflect terms that people are actually searching for in Google and other search engines.
The more people who search for and go to your articles, the higher you will rank in search results.
An Email List/Email Newsletter
Newsletters allow you to maintain direct contact with your audience.
Every one to four weeks, send out an email digest with content, updates, and offers related to your book(s) and writing. Be sure to include your stories and your unique personality.
You’ll cultivate a community of followers who will purchase your books and who will tell others about you.
You can ask these people to review your book. More reviews = more eyes on your book on retailers’ websites and more sales as a result.
Here are the best books on email newsletter marketing for authors.
Optimize Your Book Metadata, i.e., on Amazon KDP
You can sell books without social media if you can drive more people to your book’s page on online retailers’ websites. It’s easier to do this if you’re self-published, but if you’re traditionally published and you can’t get your publisher to help, there are still a few things you can do.
Selling books on Amazon without social media is possible by optimizing your book's metadata.
One way to do this is with the right keywords and categories.
Do you know how to write an Amazon book description that sells books? Have you tried the Kindlepreneur Book description generator tool to get some additional help and to properly format your description?
Have you chosen the right categories and keywords to boost your book’s relevance and discoverability?
Is your book description done according to best practices?
If you’re self-published, you can optimize (and even redo) all the above.
I teach Amazon optimization in my online courses for authors, and it’s been one of my book coaching offerings for several years.
But wait . . . there’s more.
Have you set up your Author Central page? Add Editorial Reviews—words of praise from experts, media, and other authors. Add an author bio with a link to your website. Add a headshot.
All of these things will not only boost your book in the Amazon algorithm; they’ll also make your book (and you) seem more credible and more impressive to prospective buyers, which will boost book sales.
Book marketing made easier:
If you’re an American nonfiction author and you need
a book marketing plan
to optimize your self-published book’s presence on Amazon or Goodreads, or
to talk about book marketing or publishing strategy,
I’m book coach Daniel Tortora, and I’m here to help!
Learn how to market your book and start selling more copies immediately!
Take the popular digital course, The Best Book Marketing Strategies!
Put yourself out there, so people can hear you or see you can sell books. No social media required!
Podcasts
You could start a podcast or pitch yourself to appear on others’ podcasts.
Every podcast episode is an opportunity to mention your books. They’ll usually be listed in the show notes.
Podcast episodes remain accessible for years, unlike Instagram Stories, for example, which go away in days, or Facebook and LinkedIn posts, for example, which may not be seen by all of a person’s followers.
If you’re interested in appearing as a guest on a podcast, Episode 209 (10/07/2019) of the Novel Marketing Podcast, “How to Get Booked for Guest Podcast Interviews Overview,” contains the best tips I’ve heard or read.
Local media
Any local newspapers/magazines/newsletters, radio stations, or TV stations you can pitch to? Be sure to let them know what’s in it for them and that you’re local to the area.
And speaking of media: It may not be local, but what about your university alumni magazine? They are often glad to mention recently published authors’ books.
Speaking Gigs
Line up opportunities to speak (and to bring and sell your book) at conferences, events, and libraries. Libraries sometimes have book clubs. There may also be groups in your city, like service organizations and nonprofits, that would love to host you.
People love meeting authors in real life and love getting signed books! A speaking gig in front of a receptive audience can translate to book sales!
Oftentimes one of these opportunities leads to another! For one of my books, I gave 12 talks locally in less than a year, selling over 200 books in the process.
So, where can you give a book talk and sign and sell books?
Be sure you have a way to accept different forms of payment and ensure that you’re in compliance with any tax laws in your area.
Word of Mouth
Word of mouth is an effective marketing tool. Ask people every chance you get to help you get the word out about your book. Ask people to ask their library to purchase it. Ask people to review your book. Send personal emails to people who might be interested.
Find other authors or influencers with a similar audience who might be willing to endorse your book, share it with their audience, or make a helpful connection for you.
And don’t forget to put a link to your book in your email signature!
Investing in advertising, PR, or book coaching/courses can also help sell books—all without having to use social media.
Book Promo Sites
There are a number of websites and services that, for a fee, promote books to avid readers who’ve subscribed to such promotions.
As author and self-publishing expert David Gaughran puts it, “Promo sites are basically like Groupon for ebooks; authors pay a fee to have their book listed in the daily offers—usually sent out by email—and they get lots of sales or downloads in return. Readers get freebies and discounts, and the author’s book jumps into the charts; everyone wins.”
I’ve already written about book promos from Written Word Media’s book promo sites. They’re good. But they’re just one of many. Here’s a more complete list of book promotion sites.
If you’re a Goodreads Author, there’s also the possibility of offering a Goodreads Giveaway, something I go over in my Best Book Marketing Strategies course.
Paid Ads
I’ll keep this section short, but another option—more common for authors with multiple books—is to invest in Amazon, Facebook, or Google Ads, in that order of preference.
There is a steep learning curve here, and although Amazon has a free course on the subject, it usually pays off to hire an expert. If not, go into it knowing that trial and error and money is required to learn what works and what doesn’t.
In a related sense, you can mail postcards to libraries with the book’s cover and publication details, put up flyers at the local library or around town, or take out ads on websites or in publications your people are likely to see.
Hire a publicist, a book launch agency, or a book coach
And if you’re thinking bigger, hiring a publicist is certainly an option, but it’s one I don’t recommend, because it’s rather costly.
There are book launch agencies that can run ads for you, build an author website for you, and nominate your book for various awards, which can get it exposure.
You might also consider hiring a book coach or taking a book marketing course to show you how to sell books with no social media.
Many authors appreciate the structure, guidance, encouragement, and support that a book coach provides.
A coach or a course will help you implement many of the above strategies (and many, many more) that make sense for your book.
Whether it’s DIY, done-with-you, or done-for-you, what you’ll learn from a book coach can definitely help you sell books in a way that makes sense for you.
And finally, a bonus tip . . .
Write more books
Nothing sells books more than other books by the same author.
Whether you’re a fiction author or a nonfiction author, write a series. Write books that are interconnected. Publish a book at least once a year. If you can do that, you’ll have a better chance at selling multiple books to the same reader.
The more books you have that are similar, complementary, and published relatively soon after each other, the better.
(And again, the more books you have, the more it may make sense to invest in paid advertising, such as Amazon Ads.)
Book marketing made easier:
If you’re an American nonfiction author and you need
a book marketing plan
to optimize your self-published book’s presence on Amazon or Goodreads, or
to talk about book marketing or publishing strategy,
I’m book coach Daniel Tortora, and I’m here to help!
Learn how to market your book and start selling more copies immediately!
Take the popular digital course, The Best Book Marketing Strategies!
Be strategic and be patient.
Say yes to the book marketing activities you enjoy and that are likely to get you in front of your ideal readers.
You don’t need social media to do that.
Social media isn’t the be-all and end-all for book marketing. It’s just one tool of many that authors use.
Selling books without social media is possible; by adopting and embracing several or more of the strategies I’ve shared with you, you can more effectively promote and sell your book.
This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it will get you started.
Yes, you can sell books without social media; it just requires a blend of marketing strategies.
And if you write other, complementary books, you’ll find that one sale may quickly lead to another—the proverbial snowball effect.
It may be easier said than done, but let me say it nonetheless:
The more you’re able to put yourself out there—and the more you believe in the quality or value of what you’re selling—the easier it will be to sell books.
The more books you sell, the more money you make, the more doors that open, the more you get to experience, and the more readers you’ll get to inform, entertain, inspire, or help.
You got this!
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