Writing and publishing a book require an enormous amount of work. Unfortunately, making the book available for purchase does not mean readers will automatically discover it.
That realization leads many authors to an important question: Should I hire someone to market my book?
You certainly can market a book yourself. Many authors do. However, effective book marketing can involve advertising, publicity, reviews, email promotion, social media, interviews, Amazon optimization, author branding, and ongoing campaign management.
The real question is not whether you are capable of marketing your own book. It is whether you have the time, knowledge, resources, and desire to manage the marketing yourself.
For some authors, hiring professional help can make a great deal of sense.
What Does It Mean to Hire Someone to Market Your Book?
Professional book marketing can mean different things depending on how much help you need.
You might hire someone for one specific service, such as Amazon advertising or publicity. You might use several services simultaneously. You could also work with a book marketing company to execute a more comprehensive campaign.
The important distinction is that you are outsourcing some of the work required to create visibility for your book.
That can include activities such as advertising, media outreach, publicity, reader outreach, review campaigns, interviews, email marketing, social media promotion, author branding, and other promotional efforts.
Can I Market My Book Myself?
Yes.
There is nothing preventing an author from handling book marketing independently.
You can learn how to run Amazon ads. You can pitch podcasts. You can contact media outlets. You can create social media content. You can build an email list. You can seek legitimate book reviews. You can learn about publicity and develop your own campaigns.
The tradeoff is time.
Every hour you spend learning an advertising platform, researching media contacts, developing promotional materials, contacting reviewers, or managing campaigns is time you cannot spend elsewhere.
For a full-time author, that may simply be part of the job.
For an entrepreneur, executive, physician, consultant, coach, or author with another career, the calculation may be very different.
When Should You Consider Hiring a Book Marketing Company?
There are several situations where professional help may be particularly valuable.
You Don’t Know Where to Start
Book marketing can feel overwhelming because there are so many possible strategies.
Should you advertise on Amazon?
Should you pursue publicity?
Should you try to get more reviews?
Should you appear on podcasts?
Should you focus on social media?
Should you build an email list?
Should you do all of them?
Professional guidance can help turn a collection of possible tactics into a more coherent strategy.
You Don’t Have Enough Time
Marketing a book can become a second job.
If you are already writing another book, running a business, working full-time, raising a family, or managing other responsibilities, you may not realistically have enough time to execute an aggressive campaign yourself.
Outsourcing can allow you to remain involved in important decisions without personally handling every task.
Your Current Marketing Isn’t Working
If you have already spent months promoting the book with little traction, continuing to repeat the same activities may not solve the problem.
Sometimes an outside perspective can help identify weaknesses in your positioning, promotional strategy, advertising, audience targeting, or overall presentation.
You Want Access to Services You Cannot Easily Execute Yourself
Some promotional strategies are relatively easy for authors to attempt independently.
Others require specialized expertise, established processes, media relationships, advertising knowledge, technical skills, or significant amounts of outreach.
This is where professional services can become particularly useful.
What Can You Outsource?
You do not necessarily have to outsource everything.
Many authors use a combination of professional and DIY marketing.
For example, you might continue posting on your own social media accounts while hiring professionals to manage advertising.
You might personally interact with readers while outsourcing publicity.
You could write your own newsletter while hiring someone to arrange podcast appearances or conduct broader promotional outreach.
The goal is not to remove the author from marketing. Authors themselves can be one of the most important components of a campaign.
The goal is to determine which activities make sense for you to handle and which would benefit from professional execution.
What Should a Professional Book Marketing Company Do?
Before hiring anyone, make sure you understand what you are buying.
A reputable company should clearly explain the services and deliverables included.
Depending on the campaign, this might include advertising, publicity, interviews, promotional content, email marketing, review outreach, media exposure, social media promotion, or other services.
You should also understand the duration of the campaign and what communication or reporting you will receive.
Be cautious about anyone who simply promises that your book will sell a specific number of copies.
Marketing can create visibility and opportunities for sales, but readers ultimately decide whether to purchase a book.
Explore Professional Book Marketing Services
If you are considering outsourcing some or all of your book promotion, it can help to understand the different services available before deciding what you need.
Explore MindStir Media’s book marketing services to learn more about professional advertising, publicity, promotion, reviews, author visibility, and other book marketing options.
Is Hiring a Book Marketing Company Worth the Money?
That depends partly on what success means to you.
If your only objective is immediate royalties, you should evaluate marketing expenditures in relation to realistic book-sales expectations.
However, books can create other forms of value.
A business owner may use a book to generate leads.
A consultant may use a book to establish expertise.
A speaker may use a book to increase credibility.
An entrepreneur may use a book to strengthen a personal brand.
A novelist may be building a readership that becomes increasingly valuable across several books.
Understanding your larger objective helps determine how much professional marketing is worth to you.
Should You Hire Someone Before or After Your Book Launches?
Either can work, but planning marketing before publication has advantages.
It gives you time to develop promotional materials, identify audiences, pursue early opportunities, and coordinate activity around the release.
However, it is certainly not too late if your book has already been published.
Books can be marketed months or years after publication if they remain relevant.
An existing book can receive a new advertising campaign, publicity push, interviews, reviews, email promotion, or even a coordinated relaunch.
How Do You Know When It’s Time to Get Help?
Ask yourself five questions.
Do I know who my ideal reader is?
Do I have a clear marketing strategy?
Do I have enough time to execute it?
Do I understand the promotional platforms I want to use?
Am I satisfied with my current book sales and visibility?
If several answers are no, professional help may be worth investigating.
Talk With MindStir Media About Your Book
You do not need to decide which marketing services you need before having a conversation.
If your book is already published and you want help increasing its visibility, MindStir Media can discuss your goals and available promotional options with you.
Schedule a book marketing consultation with MindStir Media to discuss your book, your existing marketing efforts, and potential next steps.