The First Year of Marketing Your Book: Why It Matters Most
The first year of marketing your book is absolutely the most important. But more important than the marketing itself are the goals you must set for yourself. Without goals, you don’t have a plan—you have a prayer.
Saying, “I hope to hit 1,000 sales in my first month,” is a worthless train of thought.
Instead, change your mindset to something more actionable:
“I will hit 1,000 sales in my first month. And here’s how I’m going to do it.”
Always reach for the stars, but stay within the realm of realistic possibilities. Don’t say, “I’ll sell a million books in my first month,”—not because it’s bad to dream big, but because unattainable goals don’t help you focus.
Should your goal be to become the next Stephen King or James Patterson? Sure. That’s my goal too. But I’m not aiming to do it with just one book or overnight. There’s no repeatable formula for becoming a household name—but there is a repeatable formula to become a successful author and actually make a living doing it. And it all starts with your first book.
I wrote a separate post recently on marketing your first book through its launch. This post is an addendum to that—it’s about your yearlong plan after launch.
The First 90 Days
In the first 90 days, you should have several key marketing strategies up and running:
1. Promo Sites Like RobinReads.com
Sites like RobinReads.com are excellent, but many limit submissions to once every 90 days—which is honestly a reasonable pace. Bombarding readers with emails doesn’t work. Marketing is a marathon, not a sprint.
2. BookBub Promotions
If finances allow, run another BookBub promotion around the 90-day mark. They’re expensive, but worth it. I used the cash I made in my first 90 days to fund mine.
3. Amazon & Facebook Ads
This is the right time to run Amazon ads—ideally for a week before launch and about three weeks after. I also run targeted Facebook ads during the same window.
4. Goodreads Giveaways
Run a second Goodreads giveaway. These promotions get your book into 100+ readers’ hands. Here’s what I do:
- Run a 30-day giveaway before launch using the cheaper option to build buzz.
- Then, run a 30-day giveaway after launch using the more expensive option. That’s a guaranteed 200+ downloads.
No, they aren’t paid sales—but they do create readers. If you’re writing a series, and someone gets Book 2 or 3 for free, they’ll likely go buy Book 1. Win-win.
I run giveaways for 6+ months of the year, sometimes every month. It costs around $100 for the cheapest option.
5. Pubbly.com (Use the Trial)
Pubbly can be more effort than it’s worth, and it’s expensive—but their 10-day free trial is enough to generate a few reviews. Just be sure to cancel before the trial ends.
Email Lists & QR Codes
Now’s the time to build and nurture your email list. Generate a QR code for your signup page and put it everywhere—on bookmarks, inside your paperbacks, giveaway cards, etc.
Bookmarks are cheap and effective. Give them away with your books to encourage signups.
Podcasts, Blogs & BookTok
This is when you start reaching out to:
- Bloggers
- Podcasters
- BookTok creators
How to Start:
- Google bloggers in your genre and email them one by one.
- Reach out to BookTok creators. Be aware: they’re overwhelmed. They get far more books than they can ever read. (I know—I don’t even run a big TikTok, and I’m swamped.)
Larger influencers often require payment. Some ask for a lot—one quoted me $2,000 for a 60-second BookTok review. Personally, I wouldn’t pay that unless I had a completed series ready to promote. But if you have the budget (like Freida McFadden, who was a doctor before she became an author), go for it.
If you’re on a tighter budget, let your book sales fund your marketing and reinvest smartly.
Set This Goal: One Media Feature per Month
Whether it’s a podcast, a blog post, or a BookTok review—aim for one feature per month. Each appearance builds credibility and visibility. And the more you do, the easier it gets to land the next one.
90-Day Wrap-Up: Define Your Goals
Here were my launch goals for my first book:
- 10,000 total “sales” in the first year
- 1,000 sales in the first month
- 250 on launch day
And yes, I count giveaways as sales. The goal isn’t just to sell—it’s to get your book into the hands of readers who’ll actually read it. Selling is easy. Getting people to read? That’s the challenge.
Mackay Barr 
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