Book marketing for authors with a launch date

It depends on what you choose. Press releases start from $1,000 + GST, launch planning is $175 + GST an hour, and author websites start from $5,000 + GST. Most self-published authors start with a press release and a launch plan. If a well-written release and a launch event will do the job, we'll tell you before we quote.

Start with your readers: who they are and where they gather. Build a simple author platform with a website and email list, then plan a launch with a local media angle, an event and steady posts. Add ads only when your royalty per copy can cover the cost of each sale.

As a self-published author, you're also the publisher. Make sure your book's details are complete with online retailers, ask your local bookshop and library about stocking it, send review copies to readers in your genre, and pitch local media with a story about you, not just the book.

Start two to three months out. Share the cover and the story behind the book, build your email list, line up a launch venue and prepare your press release. Pre-orders, where your retailer offers them, give readers an easy early step. Ask a few early readers for honest reviews you can share on launch day.

There are three main options. Retailer ads on the platforms that sell your book, Meta ads aimed at readers of similar authors, and local media such as newspapers and community radio. Test with small budgets and track the cost per sale. If each sale costs more than you earn, change the ad or stop.

Lean on free and low-cost channels first: local media, library and bookshop events, book clubs, community groups and your own email list. A well-timed press release can reach more local readers than a modest ad budget. Spend on ads once you know which message works.

Use the ad tools of the stores that sell it, plus Meta ads aimed at readers of comparable books. Send ads to the store page, not your homepage, so readers can buy in one step. Keep your email list growing, because it's the one audience you own.

Sometimes, but often less than authors expect. Many publishers focus their budgets on a few lead titles each season, so most authors are asked to help with their own promotion. Ask your publisher early what they'll do, then plan your own efforts around it. Local media and events are often where an author can add the most.

Publishers present upcoming titles to booksellers, send review copies to media and reviewers, organise author events and sometimes run ads. Small and self-publishers do the same things on a smaller scale. A clear plan, started months before publication, matters more than a big budget. Self-published authors can borrow the same steps, starting with review copies.

We don't claim a list of author clients. Our experience is in PR, storytelling and launches, such as the brand and pitch work for Mallee's Living Histories and the launch of Sunraysia's Walking Hockey Festival. As a marketing agency for authors, we'll be upfront about that and plan around your book and your readers.