5 Tips to Help You Balance Book Marketing with Writing

“Book marketing is exhausting. I have no energy left for writing.”

“I prefer to write, but I know I should be doing more book marketing.”

“I’ve been pushing my latest book, but meanwhile my writing is suffering.”

I hear comments like these from writers all the time. And I can relate.

There’s no doubt that book marketing, though it can be exciting, can also be exhausting for writers.

It’s all about putting yourself out there again and again, and the simple reality of how much effort and time that takes is tiring in itself. Pair that with being an introvert (if you are) who experiences fatigue from social interaction and you have the perfect recipe for burnout.

Some authors seem to thrive in the new publishing world. But for many of us, it’s an ongoing juggling act that can leave us wondering: Is there a better way?

The Key to Learning More About Book Marketing

The key to learning more about book marketing is to try new things.

With every new tactic I’ve tried, my list of what works and what doesn’t (for me and my genres) has lengthened. That means that every book I’ve launched has been easier than the one before it.

Not “easier” in terms of the time and effort it takes, but easier in terms of knowing what I need to do and having more tools in the toolbox, so to speak.

This works only if you’re stretching yourself with every book launch. Do what worked last time, but then do some research to see what else you can try. Not everything will work but some things will, so don’t be afraid of failure. Go for it, and see what happens.

Document your successful activities so you remember to do them again for your next book. List what didn’t go well, too, so you can remember to avoid those things.

In this way, you’ll gradually learn what works for you so that with each launch, you become more confident.

When It Comes to Book Marketing, the Writing May Be Most Important

While we writers are involved in marketing—researching new tactics, trying them, following through, etc.—the fact that we’re not writing bugs us.

We could be using this time to finish the next novel, yet we’re designing a new social media post, creating a book trailer, submitting guest posts, filling out forms for promotions, shooting videos, sending out enewsletters, or writing blogs.

How many stories are going untold while we’re doing all this?

And might we be better served to forget about marketing and focus on writing instead?

It’s a legitimate question. I have only three nonfiction books and three novels that I’ve published, and according to what the research says, I’m still a raw beginner with those numbers.

In a Written Word Media survey, researchers found that authors earning $100,000/year or more from their writing had an average of 28 books in their catalogs, compared to about six books for “emerging writers.”

That puts things in perspective, doesn’t it?

“Each additional book you publish adds to your revenue each month,” Ricci Wolman wrote for Written Word Media. “Authors making over $60,000 aren’t doing so by publishing a few expensive books, they are building a catalog that builds their author income over time.”

Indeed, many of us, even if we’ve published several books, are still “newbies” in the overall scheme of things. This reminds us of the importance of putting time into our writing if we want future marketing efforts to succeed.

“Authors who are able to dedicate significant, consistent time to writing are more likely to have a higher author income,” Wolman wrote. “On average, Emerging Authors are spending 18 hours per week writing, 60kers are spending 28 hours per week writing and 100kers are spending 32 hours per week writing (that’s four 8 -hour days!).”

How to Balance Marketing with Writing

Of course, we still need to market our work, so the question becomes: how do we balance marketing with writing?

Here’s what I’ve found so far.

1. Book Marketing: You Have to Decide What to Invest

From what I’ve seen, there is no “magical” amount of time or money that you can invest in marketing your book.

There is no rule that if you do X, Y, and Z, your book will hit the bestseller’s list.

It makes sense that if you devote more time (and money) to marketing your book, you will sell more copies.

But at what cost?

Indeed, your next promotion may sell 100 books, but it will cost you not only the money you spend but the time you could have been putting in to write your next book.

Trying to figure it all out is crazy-making. In the end, you have to decide what your limit is.

How much time/money will you invest in marketing your book? It’s completely up to you, and depends on many factors:

• What else you have going on in your life
• How much time you want to spend on marketing and writing
• How much your writing time is suffering from your devotion to marketing
• The state of your current author platform

With each book you publish (and market), you should be growing your author platform. That means lots of outreach—exposing yourself to new readers however you can. As you do that, marketing your subsequent books will hopefully get easier.

That’s because you’ll find tactics and make connections that will be there for you next time around.

But after a certain period, you need to get back to writing your next book. That is a marketing tactic in itself, after all. Remember that the more books you have on the market, the better your chances of earning money.

2. Writing Goals Must Stay Front and Center

You are a writer, first and foremost. Whatever else you’re doing, your writing goals have to come first.

If you’re not writing and finishing your projects, you’ll have nothing to market in the future. And that’s a sure recipe for career failure.

If you’re feeling stressed because your writing has taken a back seat to marketing lately, then rearrange your priorities. Put writing first once again. Make it the first thing you do each day, or at least one of your top three priorities for the day.

Find a way to fit writing in again. It’s important not only to your future as an author but to your well-being.

3. It Helps to Work in Cycles

I’ve suggested this before (“3 Powerful Work-Life Balance Secrets for Writers“), but it’s worth mentioning here again as it can help take the pressure off when you’re not writing as much as you’d like.

My writing and platform-building/book-marketing processes have a seasonal quality to them. Rather than trying to write and market at the same level all the time, I enjoy better writing-life balance by focusing mainly on certain activities at different times of the year.

In the spring and summer, for instance, I’m usually doing a lot of marketing activities like book signings, workshops, podcast interviews, guest blogging, promotions, and more.

Then in the fall things start to slow down, and by wintertime, they have quieted enough that I can sink into whatever novel I’m working on.

That doesn’t mean I’m not writing in the spring and summer or not marketing in the fall and winter. It just reflects which activity gets the most attention during which season.

This may or may not work for you, but I’ve found it helpful as it a) relieves some pressure, and b) follows the natural flow of the seasons themselves. People are out and about and ready to attend and listen to events in the good weather, but during the colder months are more focused on family, the holidays, and getting a little extra sleep!

4. Use Book Marketing Tactics that Work For You

You have limited time to spend on book marketing. That means that you must use wisely the time you have.

Don’t spend it on fly-by-night suggestions that may have little effect.

It’s a competitive market out there. That means it’s easy to fall for the advice of a book marketing guru who tells you to do this and that to succeed, or to compare your activities with those of another author who seems to be doing well.

Every author is different. Every book is different. Every career is different. It’s a great idea to research book marketing tactics. Read about what other authors are doing. Write down a list of possible activities.

But then choose carefully. Which ones are likely to help your book succeed? Which tap into your natural strengths? Which works with your book marketing budget? Which suit your particular author platform and where it is right now?

5. Get In the Right Mindset: Stop Fighting Reality

Oh for the good old days when the publisher did all the marketing and all the author had to do was write.

Was that ever true?

Let’s face it. If it was, those days are gone. Long gone. Today’s authors must write and market their work. It’s up to you whether you accept this or continue to bemoan reality!

It’s better to accept it, as once you do, you can figure out how to make the combination work in your life. You may market more or less than the next author. It doesn’t matter. What matters is accepting that marketing is part of your job description, and learning how to do it the best you can—without losing your focus on writing.

It’s not easy, but it does get easier the more experience you accrue. I’ve also found that marketing can be a lot of fun, now that I know a little bit more about what I’m doing.

But more and more I see the value of returning to the writing. Finish the next book to the best of your ability. Get it out there.

In the end, it may be your next book that is your best marketing tactic, period.

How do you balance book marketing with writing?