If there is anything that strikes fear in this author’s heart is the that I have to promote my book. It is also one of the most confusing parts of being a writer is realizing that writing the book is only part of the job. At some point, you also have to figure out how to promote your book without feeling like you are shouting into the void, annoying everyone 
you know, or accidentally marketing only to other authors.
That last one is a sneaky little trap.
Writers are wonderful. Writers are supportive. Writers understand the chaos, the caffeine, the plot holes, and the emotional damage caused by imaginary people. But if every post you make is aimed at other writers, you may build a lovely writing community without actually reaching the readers who are most likely to buy and love your book.
So today, let’s talk about how to promote your book during the writing process and after it is finished, with concrete examples that help you find readers instead of only circling the author pond like a confused little marketing duck.
Why You Should Promote Your Book Before It Is Finished
Last week, we talked about why it matters to start promoting early. The short version is this: people need time to notice you. Readers usually do not see one post, immediately buy a book, and ride off into the sunset clutching your paperback to their chest.
They need familiarity. They need curiosity. They need repeated little reminders that you exist and that your story might be exactly the kind of book they want to read.
Promoting early does not mean yelling, “Buy my book!” before the book even exists. Please do not do that. The internet has suffered enough.
Instead, early promotion means building interest in your world, your themes, your voice, and your future readers’ emotional investment.
How to Promote Your Book During the Writing Process
When your book is still in progress, your goal is not to sell hard. Your goal is to create recognition and curiosity. Think of it as leaving a trail of breadcrumbs, preferably not the kind that attracts raccoons.
1. Share the Journey, Not Just the Word Count
There is nothing wrong with posting word count updates, especially if your audience includes other writers. But readers may not care that you wrote 1,247 words today unless you give them a reason to care.
Instead of posting only this:
Wrote 1,247 words today!
Try something like this:
My main character just made the worst possible decision, and honestly, I respect the commitment to chaos.
Or:
I just wrote the scene where two characters almost tell the truth, then absolutely do not. Emotional damage: scheduled.
Those posts still let people know you are writing, but they also create curiosity. They make readers wonder who these characters are, what happened, and why everyone is apparently allergic to healthy communication.
2. Build Content Around Your Book’s Themes
One of the best ways to promote your book before it is published is to talk about the things your ideal readers already enjoy.
If you are writing a paranormal romance, post about supernatural legends, favorite fictional couples, eerie settings, or 
“what would you do if…” scenarios. If you are writing historical fiction, share strange historical facts, old photographs, setting details, or myths people believe about the time period. If you are writing cozy fantasy, talk about comfort reads, magical objects, found family, tea, maps, and the deep emotional importance of fictional bakeries. Okay that last one may be for my book, but that’s okay!
This works because readers are drawn to topics before they are drawn to unknown titles.
For example, instead of posting:
My book is coming someday!
Try:
- “Five signs you would absolutely follow the mysterious glowing light into the woods.”
- “Why small towns make the best supernatural settings.”
- “My favorite books with found family and ancient secrets.”
- “Aesthetic: haunted bakery, old jewelry, and teenagers making questionable choices.”
Those posts are more likely to reach readers because they are about the experience and emotional flavor of the book, not only the fact that you are writing one.
3. Create Reader-Facing Teasers
Teasers do not have to reveal your whole plot. In fact, they should not. A good teaser gives readers just enough to lean closer.
You can create:
- Character cards
- Quote graphics
- Setting mood boards
- Short video trailers
- Playlist posts
- “Meet the character” reels
- Behind-the-scenes research posts
- Polls about character choices
If you are using social platforms, visual content can work especially well because it gives people something quick to react to. A reader might scroll past a plain “I wrote today” post, but stop for a moody character graphic that says, “She thought the necklace was costume jewelry. It was not.”
I was AFRAID about trailers because my editing talent is non-existant but it’s a great way to promote your book, and
it’s honestly not that hard. You can use PowerPoint or Google Slides and make a slide show and convert it to video, or use apps like CapCut or Microsoft Clipchamp or iMovie if you’re an Apple person, which I am not! But trailers aren’t hard to make and once you start doing them, they become kind of addictive. So have fun!
That is the kind of sentence that makes people want answers. Preferably dramatic ones.
4. Use Reader Language, Not Only Writer Language
This is where many authors accidentally miss their audience. Writer language sounds like process. Reader language sounds like story.
Writer language:
- “I am revising Act Two.”
- “I hit 70k words.”
- “I fixed my midpoint reversal.”
Reader language:
- “The moment everything changes is finally on the page.”
- “My characters have reached the point where there is no going back.”
- “Someone just found out the truth, and nobody is okay.”
Both are accurate. One speaks more directly to readers.
This does not mean you can never talk about writing. Of course you can. Many readers enjoy seeing behind the curtain. Just make sure you are not only posting content that requires someone to be a writer to care.
5. Start an Email List Before Launch
An email list may feel intimidating at first, but it is one of the most reliable ways to stay connected to people who actually want updates from you. Social platforms can change their rules, hide your posts, or randomly decide that today only fourteen people may see the thing you spent an hour making. Rude, but very on brand for algorithms.
With an email list, you have a direct path to interested readers.
You can invite people to sign up by offering something simple, such as:
- A first chapter preview
- A bonus scene
- A short prequel story
- A character guide
- A printable reading journal page
- A themed checklist or worksheet
You do not need thousands of subscribers to start. Ten real readers who care are more valuable than a crowd of people who followed you during a giveaway and immediately forgot you existed.
If you are just beginning, resources like Mailchimp’s email marketing guide can help you understand the basics of building and communicating with a list.
How to Find Readers Instead of Only Other Authors
Author communities are useful. They offer support, advice, encouragement, and people who understand why fictional people can ruin your entire afternoon.
But your book promotion plan should not live only inside writing spaces.
To reach readers, ask yourself:
- What genres do my ideal readers already love?
- What tropes do they search for?
- What emotions are they looking for in a book?
- What other books, movies, or shows might they enjoy?
- Where do they spend time online?
If your book has found family, post about found family. If it has slow-burn romance, post about slow-burn tension. If it has mystery, post about secrets, clues, and suspicious side characters. If it has historical settings, post about surprising historical details.
You are not just selling a title. You are showing readers why your story belongs in the emotional neighborhood they already enjoy visiting.
Reader-focused platforms and communities can include BookTok, Bookstagram, Pinterest, Goodreads, genre-specific Facebook groups, Reddit reading communities, library groups, and niche blogs. The key is to participate like a person, not a walking billboard wearing a trench coat.
Goodreads also has an Author Program, which can be useful once you are ready to create or claim an author profile and connect your books to a reader-focused space.
How to Promote Your Book After It Is Written
Once the book is finished, your promotion shifts. You are no longer only building curiosity. Now you are helping interested readers take the next step.
1. Create a Simple Launch Plan
Your launch plan does not need to be enormous, but it should exist. Otherwise, launch day arrives and you find yourself staring at the screen thinking, “Oh no, I have to perceive my own book in public.”
A simple launch plan might include:
- A cover reveal
- A release date announcement
- A preorder announcement, if available
- Three to five teaser posts
- A launch week email
- A pinned social media post
- A blog post about the book
- A few short videos or reels
- A request for early reviews
The goal is not to overwhelm everyone. The goal is to make sure people who are interested have multiple chances to see the information.
2. Make Buying the Book Easy
This sounds obvious, but it is amazing how often authors make readers work too hard.
Every major promotion space should have a clear path to your book. That might be:
- A website book page
- A universal book link
- A pinned social post
- A newsletter button
- A link in bio
- A QR code on printed materials
Do not make readers hunt. Readers are busy. Some are tired. Some opened their phone to check one thing and are now forty-seven tabs deep into soup recipes and raccoon videos. Help them out.
Book discovery tools like Books2Read can help authors create one link that points readers toward multiple retailers.
3. Keep Promoting After Launch Week
A lot of writers promote intensely for a few days, then stop. But your book is not old news after launch week. It is still new to anyone who has not discovered it yet.
After launch, you can keep sharing:
- Favorite lines from the book
- Reader reactions
- Character introductions
- Setting details
- Deleted scene notes
- Book club questions
- “If you like this trope, try my book” posts
- Seasonal tie-ins
- Behind-the-scenes facts
This helps you promote your book without repeating the same sales pitch every day until even you want to mute yourself.
4. Ask for Reviews Without Being Weird About It
Reviews matter. They offer social proof, help readers decide whether a book is right for them, and can support visibility on retail platforms.
You can ask gently in places like:
- The back matter of your book
- Your newsletter
- A launch week post
- A thank-you email to early readers
- Your website book page
Keep it simple:
If you enjoyed the book, leaving a short review helps other readers find it. Even a sentence or two makes a difference.
No guilt. No pressure. No emotional hostage situation. Just a kind reminder.
For a deeper look at why readers connect so strongly with fictional people, you might also enjoy my post on the psychology of character attachment.
5. Consider Indie Bookstores and Local Events
Online promotion matters, but do not overlook real-world opportunities. Independent bookstores, local gift shops, libraries, schools, community fairs, and small events can help readers discover your work in a more personal way.
If you have a finished book, consider reaching out to a local indie bookstore about options such as:
- Book signings
- Meet-the-author events
- Consignment shelf space
- Signed stock on display
- Local author panels
- Seasonal vendor events
This can be especially effective if you have a local connection, a regional setting, or a genre that fits the store’s audience. Readers often trust bookstore recommendations, and staff enthusiasm can go a long way.
Start small. You do not need to order a mountain of books and dramatically guard them in your living room. Reach out first, gauge interest, and build relationships over time.
Even a modest event can lead to sales, photos, social media content, future invitations, and new readers who tell other readers.
A Concrete Weekly Promotion Plan
If you are not sure what to post, try rotating your content so every post does not feel the same.
- Monday: Reader-focused question related to your genre or theme
- Tuesday: Behind-the-scenes writing update written in reader-friendly language
- Wednesday: Quote graphic or teaser line
- Thursday: Theme-based post readers might search for
- Friday: Personal connection post about why the story matters to you
- Weekend: Clear book mention, link, signup invitation, or launch update
For example, if you are writing a supernatural small-town novel, your week might look like this:
- Monday: “Would you follow a strange light into the woods?”
- Tuesday: “Today I wrote the scene where my characters realize the town has been hiding something.”
- Wednesday: A quote graphic with one eerie line from the book
- Thursday: “Why small towns make perfect supernatural settings”
- Friday: “I think I keep writing about found family because chosen people matter.”
- Weekend: “Want the first chapter when it is ready? Join my reader list.”
That mix lets you promote your book while still offering value, personality, and variety.
The Real Goal of Book Promotion
The real goal of book promotion is not to become a nonstop advertisement. It is to help the right readers discover that your story exists.
Some people will not be your readers, and that is fine. Not every book is for every person. Trying to please everyone usually creates bland marketing and emotional exhaustion, which is a terrible combo platter.
Instead, focus on the readers who already love the kind of emotional experience your book offers. Speak to them. Entertain them. Invite them in. Give them a reason to care before you ask them to buy.
Because readers do not only buy books because they exist. They buy books because something about the story makes them curious, comforted, excited, seen, or emotionally doomed in the best possible way.
So yes, promote your book. Start early. Keep going after launch. But do it in a way that feels like opening a door, not chasing people down the sidewalk with a paperback.
Your readers are out there. The trick is learning how to talk to them before you ask them to come inside.
