How to market a book, one term at a time.
Author Marketing School is a free lesson path for first-time nonfiction authors. Ten lessons in four terms take you from a year before launch to the second year after it, with real tactics from authors who did the work and a plan builder that turns it into dates.
- 3,000+ books published by Scribe
- 23 NYT and WSJ bestsellers
Four terms, from a year out to year two
Most book marketing advice is written for novelists chasing a spot on a list. A nonfiction book written by a business owner, consultant or expert usually has a different job: bring in clients, open doors to talks, or make the author the obvious person to call. The lessons follow the calendar of that kind of book.
12 to 3 months out
Pick the one reader and the one job, write a one-page plan, set up your Amazon page within Amazon's rules, and line up honest early readers. Most of the work that makes launch week easy happens here.
The last 3 months and launch week
Book a podcast tour on shows your reader already listens to, then run a launch week with a short list of tasks, one event and a plan for every copy you hand out.
Put the book to work
Use the book as a sales tool: mailed to prospects, given to new clients, bought in bulk by event hosts. Turn chapters into talks and sell or give books where you speak.
Keep it working
Build the habits that keep a book finding readers years later: a newsletter, regular content from the chapters, refreshed Amazon details, and a short list of numbers that tell you whether the book is doing its job.
Six things these lessons take as given
The book has a job
Before any tactic, decide what the book is for. Clients, talks, recruiting, a legacy for your family. Every lesson asks you to judge a tactic by whether it helps that job.
Sales rank is not the goal
Amazon's own help pages say rank reflects activity relative to other books and is not an accurate way to track a book. A nonfiction author is better served counting conversations, invitations and clients.
Copies are cheaper than ads
A book in the right person's hands earns hours of attention. Many of the authors shown here give away far more copies than they sell, on purpose.
Rules are followed
No paid reviews, no review swaps, no keyword tricks. The Amazon lesson and the reviews lesson link to the exact Amazon pages so you can check every rule yourself.
Small and steady beats loud
Thirty minutes a day on the channel your reader uses, an email every few weeks, a little something every week for a hundred weeks. Habits outlast launch week.
Results are earned, not promised
The author results on this site are real and linked to their stories. They are strong results, not typical ones, and nobody can promise them to you.
Ten lessons, in order
Each lesson ends with a short homework list, so you finish the course with a plan, an Amazon page, a reader list and a set of habits. Read them in order, or jump to the term you are in.
- Start with the readerOne reader, one job for the book, one sentence that steers every marketing decision.
- A one-page book marketing planThe plan that fits on one page: goal, reader, channels, dates, budget and the numbers you will watch.
- Your Amazon book pageKDP keywords, categories, description and author page, set up by Amazon's own rules.
- Early readers and honest reviewsHow to get book reviews without breaking Amazon's rules on free copies and conflicts of interest.
- The podcast tourHow to get on podcasts as a guest: the shortlist, the pitch, the mailed copy and the follow-up.
- Launch weekHow to launch a book in seven days without trying to do everything.
- The book as a sales toolMailing copies to prospects, bulk orders, client gifts and event copies.
- Speaking with your bookTurning chapters into talks and putting books in every seat.
- Year twoAn author newsletter, content from the chapters, and the habits that keep a book working.
- What to measureThe handful of numbers that show whether the book is doing its job.
What authors did, and what it produced
Every lesson uses tactics from Scribe Media authors, each linked to the full story. These are strong results, not typical ones, and no one can promise them. They are here because the tactics behind them are specific enough to copy.
Turn the lessons into dates
Enter your launch date, the book's job and the hours you have each week. The Launch Plan Builder gives you a week-by-week plan you can print or add to your calendar.
Want to talk through your book's marketing?
If you are writing a book, or have one coming out, leave your name and email. Someone from the Scribe team will get in touch to talk through what the book is for and what would help it do that job.
Rather pick a time yourself? Book a free 30-minute consult or call 512-325-0249.
Thank you. Your details are with the Scribe team.
Someone from Scribe will reach out by email. If you would rather not wait, pick a time for a free consult.
Common questions
How do you market a nonfiction book?
Start with one reader and one job for the book (clients, talks, authority), then put the book in front of that reader again and again: a clear Amazon page, honest early reviews, podcast interviews with hosts your reader already trusts, copies in the hands of prospects and event hosts, and a steady email or LinkedIn habit after launch. The lessons on this site walk through each step in order.
When should I start marketing my book?
About a year before launch is ideal, and three months is the practical minimum. Podcast interviews take time to arrange and air, early readers need weeks to read, and your Amazon page needs its description, categories and keywords settled before launch week. Term 1 of the lessons covers the 12 to 3 months before launch.
Do I need a big social media following to market a book?
No. Most of the authors whose tactics are shown here used small, specific audiences: an email list of a few thousand, a LinkedIn network, a bookstore they loved, the clients and prospects they already talk to. A small audience that cares about the topic is worth more than a large one that does not.
Is Author Marketing School really free?
Yes. Every lesson is free to read with no sign-up, and the Launch Plan Builder is free to use. Scribe Media made the site. Scribe sells book writing and publishing services, and the optional form on some pages lets you ask to talk with the Scribe team.
Will these lessons help me hit a bestseller list?
That is not what they are for. Most nonfiction authors who run a business or a practice get far more from a book that wins clients, talks and trust than from a ranking. The lessons teach you to market toward that job, and to measure the things that show whether it is working.