It is never too soon to begin building an audience of ideal readers for your forthcoming book. 

In fact, if you have an idea, have written an outline, completed some chapters, or are in the editing phase, now is the perfect time to start book marketing and establishing an engaged community.

Marketing is an important step in the publishing process and should be a key component of your overall publishing strategy long before you actually publish. It can even help secure the longevity and vitality of your book long after your launch.

The trouble is, most new authors do not even think about marketing their book until it is almost or already published. This means they have lost valuable time. What’s more, after the book launch, they often find that the momentum they built is gone and sales trickle in or stop altogether.

What Your Audience Can Do

Building up your dream audience before your book is published helps validate your ideas and gives you an idea of what people are interested in. This information can help you make adjustments to your book to better meet the needs and interests of your target audience.

Plus, engaging with your audience before your book is published can give you valuable feedback on your writing, ideas, and marketing strategies. You can use this feedback to make improvements to your book and ensure that it resonates with your ideal readers.

Your new community can help you generate pre-launch buzz and excitement for your book. This can build a sense of anticipation and increase the visibility of your book when it is finally released.

Having an established audience can provide a supportive network for your book launch. These people are more likely to buy your book, share it with others, and help spread the word about your book to their own networks. Think of it as built-in promotion for your book. They can help spread the word, provide positive reviews, and support your marketing efforts.

Building A Community

It’s also an opportunity to establish long-term relationships with readers and fans. These relationships can be leveraged for future book releases and other publishing projects. Building relationships with your audience before your book is published can help you develop a strong connection with your readers. This connection can be valuable in the long term, as you continue to promote your book and possibly publish more books.

By growing an audience before your book is officially available to the public, you can increase your chances of generating book sales. People are more likely to buy a book from an author they are familiar with and have a relationship with – one that they know, like, and trust – compared to an unknown author.

Your well-established audience can help you have a successful book launch too, as people who are already interested in your work are more likely to buy your book and spread the word about it.

Plan Your Book’s Future

Book marketing is truly the long game, so keeping the longevity of your book in mind even before you launch it is a good move to make. Understanding your book’s possible lasting impact can help you determine your target audience and tailor your marketing efforts to reach them effectively and position it in the marketplace to maximize its long-term potential.

It’s highly beneficial for you to also develop a marketing plan that takes into account the longevity of your book to help you maximize its potential for continued success. You can develop a plan to sustain its sales and build your brand as an author and increase the potential for future book sales and other publishing projects.

After The Book Launch

All that said, your book will require continued marketing efforts after the launch too. There are several reasons to continue your book marketing well past your publish date.

Sustained visibility: The initial launch of a book is an important opportunity to generate visibility and interest, but it is just the beginning. Continuing to market the book after the launch helps sustain its visibility and keep it in the minds of potential readers.

Maintaining momentum: After the launch, the initial excitement and buzz surrounding the book can start to dissipate. Continued marketing efforts can help maintain momentum and keep the book’s sales steady.

Reaching new audiences: Continued marketing efforts can help reach new audiences who may have missed the initial launch or who are just discovering your book.

Building long-term relationships: Marketing your book after the launch can help you build long-term relationships with readers and fans. These relationships can be leveraged for future book releases and other publishing projects.

Staying relevant: The publishing industry is constantly changing and evolving, and continued marketing efforts can help keep your book relevant and up-to-date.

If you don’t have an established audience when you publish your book, it can definitely make it more challenging to promote and sell copies, since an established audience can provide word-of-mouth marketing, reviews, and social media support, which can be critical in getting your book noticed. 

Start Now

The good news is that it is not too late to start building a community if you have already published your book. The biggest piece of that is to stay consistent with your marketing once you begin. Keep in mind that building an audience takes time and effort. It also takes strategy.

Throwing the proverbial spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks will just not cut it when you are trying to grow a group of raving fans. You do need to have your messaging dialed in and you do need to be consistent with that messaging. That’s why having accountability and support as you implement your marketing strategy is key. Learning from experts who have already done what you are aiming to accomplish is just good business. You don’t have to make the mistakes they made. 

With persistence and creative marketing strategies, your book can shine. But overall, building an audience before your book is published can help you have a smoother publishing journey and increase your book and brand’s chances of skyrocketing success.