More self-published authors are finding success today than ever, and their book marketing campaigns deserve a share of the credit. If you're a writer working on a book, make sure you start building a social media following and planning your marketing program early. As you're writing your book, consider the target audience who will find the content entertaining or informational. Clarifying your audience helps in the writing process and later informs the marketing campaign planning process. Because you'll be going up against many competing books, you need to be specific.

The book marketing process begins by defining your goals – they're different for each author. Starting with goals help you develop the tactics needed to achieve them. The classic reason for writing a book is to sell copies and earn money as a writer. But today, some business leaders pen books for visibility and promotional value. For other writers, such as self-help professionals, there might be more dual income and personal PR goals. Adjusting each campaign to meet the author's need is the specialty of veteran publicists who have spent their careers marketing books. Their knowledge is beneficial to you. 

Determining the optimal media targets for your publicity pitches is another area where book PR specialists can help. The mass media era of the last century has been replaced by more targeted marketing that has proven more successful. For example, you may appear on several podcasts with smaller audiences than radio or TV. But those listeners are highly interested in niche topics that may be close to your book's content. As a result, when they hear more about you and your work, they are likelier to become buyers and readers than you would have with a general audience.

Book tours were, for decades, a central element of publicity campaigns. The COVID pandemic brought them to a standstill, and everything became virtual. As the pandemic fades into the past, in-person tours have resumed, but acceptance of virtual appearances has endured. Therefore, it gives you a choice and allows authors with budgets too small for travel to go on tour anyway. People who participate in virtual events can be located anywhere and buy books online, vastly expanding the value of an online tour. In some cases, authors blend the two and make some online and some in-person tour stops.