After paying for editing, cover design, formatting, and publishing, authors eventually encounter another important expense: marketing.
So how much does professional book marketing cost?
There is no single price that applies to every book.
An author might spend a relatively modest amount on an individual promotional service or invest thousands of dollars in advertising, publicity, reviews, media exposure, and a coordinated marketing campaign.
The more useful question is not simply, “How much does book marketing cost?”
It is, “What am I trying to accomplish, and what kind of marketing will help me pursue that goal?”
Understanding what drives book marketing costs can help you make a much more informed decision.
Why Book Marketing Costs Vary So Much
Book marketing is an umbrella term covering many different activities.
Running an Amazon advertising campaign is different from pursuing national publicity. Obtaining professional marketing assets is different from promoting a book to an email audience. A three-month campaign is different from a one-time promotional push.
Consequently, comparing book marketing companies based solely on price can be misleading.
You first need to compare what is actually being provided.
What Can Be Included in Professional Book Marketing?
Depending on your goals, professional book marketing can include services such as:
- Amazon advertising
- Online advertising
- Book publicity
- Media placements
- Press release campaigns
- Book review outreach
- Email marketing
- Podcast promotion
- Author interviews
- Book trailers
- Social media promotion
- Bestseller campaigns
- Author website development
- Author branding
- Influencer promotion
- Television opportunities
Each requires different resources, expertise, media costs, labor, and campaign duration.
That is why professional book marketing does not have a universal price tag.
How Much Should an Author Budget for Book Marketing?
Rather than starting with an arbitrary number, begin with your objectives.
Are you trying to generate initial awareness for a newly released book?
Are you trying to revive an older book?
Are you primarily interested in Amazon sales?
Do you want media exposure?
Are you trying to establish yourself as an expert?
Do you want reviews and social proof?
Are you attempting to build a long-term author brand?
The answers can dramatically change the appropriate marketing plan.
An author primarily interested in Amazon visibility might emphasize advertising and reviews. A business author may place greater value on publicity and authority-building. A novelist may prioritize reader acquisition and long-term audience growth.
Your budget should follow the strategy, rather than allowing an arbitrary budget to dictate a collection of unrelated tactics.
Book Advertising Costs
Advertising generally involves two types of costs: campaign management and advertising spend.
Platforms such as Amazon allow advertisers to bid for visibility and clicks. The amount spent can depend on competition, targeting, campaign duration, and how aggressively the author wants to advertise.
Professional management adds another expense because someone needs to research keywords and audiences, build campaigns, monitor performance, adjust bids, and evaluate results.
Advertising can be valuable because it puts a book directly in front of potential readers, but it should still be evaluated within the broader marketing strategy.
Book Publicity Costs
Publicity operates differently from advertising.
Instead of primarily purchasing clicks or impressions, publicity attempts to generate exposure through media opportunities, articles, interviews, news coverage, podcasts, television, and other channels.
The cost can vary considerably depending on the scope and duration of the campaign and the types of placements or opportunities involved.
Publicity can be particularly attractive to authors who want to build credibility around themselves as well as awareness of their books.
Book Review Campaign Costs
Reviews can play an important role in establishing social proof, particularly for books sold online.
Professional review outreach requires identifying appropriate reviewers or reader communities and promoting the book to people who may choose to read and honestly review it.
Authors should be cautious of anyone promising fabricated reviews or guaranteeing positive reader opinions.
Legitimate marketing should focus on creating opportunities for authentic feedback rather than manipulating it.
Bestseller Campaign Costs
Some authors want to pursue bestseller status as part of their marketing strategy.
These campaigns can involve concentrated promotional activity designed to generate book purchases during a particular period.
The potential value goes beyond the sales generated during the campaign. Bestseller status can become an author-branding credential that may be incorporated into future publicity, websites, social media, book covers, biographies, speaking materials, and other promotional assets when appropriately earned and represented.
Because these campaigns can require significant promotional resources, they may cost substantially more than a basic one-time marketing service.
Want Help Determining the Right Marketing Approach?
You do not necessarily need to select individual services before talking with someone about your goals.
Schedule a book marketing consultation with MindStir Media to discuss your book, budget, objectives, and the types of professional promotion that may be appropriate.
Is More Expensive Book Marketing Always Better?
No.
Spending more money does not automatically create a better strategy.
A $10,000 campaign built around the wrong audience or objectives may be less useful than a smaller campaign carefully matched to the book.
The important factors are strategy, execution, targeting, deliverables, and alignment with your objectives.
Authors should understand exactly what they are buying before comparing prices.
Should Book Marketing Pay for Itself Through Royalties?
This is one of the most important questions for authors to consider.
If your only definition of return on investment is immediate book royalties, you should evaluate any marketing expenditure accordingly.
However, books sometimes generate value beyond direct unit sales.
An entrepreneur might use a book to attract clients.
A consultant might use one to establish expertise.
A speaker might use a book to support speaking opportunities.
An executive might use a book to strengthen a personal brand.
A novelist might be investing in readership that becomes increasingly valuable across several future books.
That does not mean authors should ignore financial returns. It means the appropriate definition of ROI depends on why the book exists in the first place.
Beware of Extremely Cheap Book Marketing
Authors should be cautious about offers promising enormous exposure for remarkably little money.
Ask where your book will actually appear.
Ask who the audience is.
Ask what work will be performed.
Ask how long the campaign lasts.
Ask what you receive when the campaign ends.
Ten thousand impressions in front of the wrong people may be less valuable than a much smaller number of meaningful exposures to likely readers.
Price matters, but value matters more.
Should You Market a Book That Has Already Been Published?
Absolutely.
Book marketing does not have to begin and end during launch week.
If your book has already been available for months or years, you can still create new promotional activity around it.
A new advertising campaign, publicity push, review strategy, media appearance, promotional event, updated creative assets, or coordinated relaunch can give readers new opportunities to discover the book.
The fact that the original launch is over does not mean your opportunity to market the book is over.
How Should You Choose a Book Marketing Budget?
Start with three questions.
First, what are you trying to accomplish?
Second, which marketing strategies are most appropriate for accomplishing it?
Third, what can you comfortably invest without depending on a guaranteed financial outcome?
Then build the campaign from there.
Book marketing should be strategic. Spending money simply because a promotional opportunity exists is not the goal.
The goal is to invest in activities that make sense for your book, your audience, and your objectives.
Discuss Your Book Marketing Budget With MindStir Media
MindStir Media offers a variety of professional book marketing, advertising, and publicity services for both newly published and previously published authors.
Instead of guessing which combination makes sense, you can discuss your book and goals with the MindStir Media team.
Schedule a free book marketing consultation with MindStir Media to explore available book marketing options and determine which strategies may fit your goals and budget.