Mistakes Authors Make When Promoting Their Books

Promoting your book is one of the most important tasks for an author. Not just published authors—even unpublished authors! If you want people to read what you write, you need to know how to tell people why they will benefit from your words.

As an author, promoting your work may not feel intuitive, natural, or easy. That’s completely normal. Many people avoid promotion for fear of making mistakes.

Here’s my list of common mistakes authors make—so you can avoid them!

Mistake #1: Waiting to do media until your book comes out.

So many authors make this mistake. Don’t wait! It’s hard to get pitches greenlit if you don’t have any previous media to direct producers or editors to. And guess what? Getting an agent or a publisher is much easier if you can show them you can get media for your expertise (even as a fiction author!).

The Fix: Get started with media as soon as possible.

Create your own content on social media platforms and for your email list—especially video! Self-made videos, blogs, and podcasts are a valuable way to build your platform. That way, when you start pitching, you can point to your live streams or blog posts as evidence of your expertise and ability to speak effectively. No outlet or platform is too small. As I always say, media begets media. The more media you do, the more you’ll have ahead of you.

Mistake #2: Thinking the media will come to you.

Lots of authors assume they’ll be plucked from obscurity. It almost never works that way. You need to show the media why you have something important to share. You have to be able to deliver a helpful, impactful message to your audience. Many people avoid this because they feel uncomfortable pitching cold. But there’s a way to fix that …

The Fix: Create your own content and use that as a springboard.

Be your own producer! This is one of the areas I advise media-training clients on all the time. It’s essential to have a trove of content you can point producers to. I suggest setting up livestreams talking about your work, creating a blog, and regularly using social media. Having an editorial calendar can help you stay consistent about sharing online.

Mistake #3: Not following up on pitches.

You’ve taken the leap and started sending out pitches. But no one is biting! Many people throw their hands up at this point and decide that the editor or producer isn’t interested. You might be losing out on opportunities by giving up so quickly.

The Fix: Gently and politely follow up.

I can tell you as a television producer for close to 20 years, sometimes the follow-up matters more than the initial pitch. Send a follow-up email restating your pitch so the editor doesn’t have to dig through old emails. Make your case succinctly for why you have something important to share with their audience. Include a video clip if you’re pitching for TV or web.

Mistake #4: Putting all your eggs in one (big) basket.

Here’s a fact that might take a little weight off your shoulders: Getting on “Good Morning America” is not the be-all and end-all of doing media. In fact, doing traditional television doesn’t really sell books unless you’re a celebrity. So while it’s great to pitch those places, don’t spend all your time and energy trying to secure an appearance on morning news. It’s not the best use of your time.

The Fix: Say yes to everything.

Instead, focus on smaller outlets and other media, like podcasts—these are better places to reach your target audience. No media outlet is too small, so say yes to everything. Don’t be a snob! Every little piece of media counts. Keep in touch with journalists because you never know where they will end up.

Mistake #5: Winging it.

Some people assume that things will just come together once the interview starts. The truth is, “winging it” is a great way to flop a hard-earned opportunity. Things will not magically appear to you in perfectly articulated soundbites. You’ll get nervous, flub your answers, and stumble through questions. I’ve seen it a million times. No one wants that to happen!

The Fix: Try The Accordion Method.

Practice, practice, practice—and practice some more. Just as important is figuring out what to practice!

Over the years, I’ve developed a technique that I use with my media-training clients. It’s called The Accordion Method. You need a short, medium, and long answer for every question you will be asked. The short answer is the soundbite that grabs your audience’s attention. Think about the headline. The medium answer begins with the headline but adds a little more context. And the long answer follows suit, again beginning with the short soundbite but adding even more.

Remember, you don’t want to leave your audience waiting around for you to get to the point. Get to it right away and then fill in the details according to how much time you have.

[Learn more about the accordion method in Paula’s article from the July/August 2024 issue of WD.]

Mistake #6: Letting media appearances be one-trick ponies.

So, you did your interview—and you nailed it. Now what? Many authors let their interviews slip away. Maybe you share it once or twice on social media and that’s it. This isn’t enough!

The Fix: Reuse your content.

Think outside the box. Sharing your interviews on social media is great, but you can expand your approach to reuse your content. For instance, expand on an interview and create a blog post about it. You can link back to the original video and add more information. You can also keep resharing interviews on your social media channels—there’s no expiration date on great content.

Mistake #7: Letting the fear of self-promotion win.

Being uncomfortable with self-promotion is natural. No one wants to be seen as braggy or self-involved. But talking about your work is not about you—it’s about the people you can help with your knowledge and skills as a writer. Letting the fear of self-promotion win means denying your audience all that you have
to offer.

The Fix: Tell people what you’re up to.

Practice talking about your work. The more you do it, the easier it gets. Tell people what you’re working on and what you have out in the world. This includes books, podcast episodes, guest posts on blogs—you name it. Pay attention to the questions you’re asked most—that makes great content to share.

Mistake #8: Putting all the pressure on the book launch.

Your book launch might feel like the biggest event in the world when it’s happening. It’s certainly something to celebrate! Some authors feel like their launch is their one moment to create buzz around their work, and they put way too much pressure on what happens during the launch itself. If I’m being honest, it’s also a bit anticlimactic when it happens.

The Fix: Take a broader career view.

Yes, your book launch is important. But it’s just one aspect of your profile as an author. Your work as an author and expert continues well beyond the end of your book launch. That’s why it’s essential to look at the launch as part of a much bigger picture. Develop skills and practices to keep yourself in the media even when you don’t have a fresh book out. Your knowledge is evergreen, and applying what you know to the current moment is a key to navigating the media landscape.

Avoiding these common media mistakes will set you on a path to establishing yourself as a go-to media expert. 

Get Paula’s free resource “10 Questions Every Author Needs to Answer” at PaulaRizzo.com/10QWD. 

Learn more from Paula Rizzo live at the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, October 17-20, 2024.