Book Marketing Course

Lesson 1 • The Publishing Ecosystem Overview

Maps the relationships among authors, publishers, distributors, and retailers. Establishes the commercial context that shapes every marketing decision made later.

Lesson 2 • Setting Realistic Marketing Goals

Introduces goal-setting frameworks calibrated to book sales cycles and author resources. Connects measurable objectives to overall career strategy.

Lesson 3 • What Book Marketing Actually Is

Defines marketing versus publicity versus promotion and clarifies author responsibilities. Prevents common misconceptions that derail early-stage planning.

Lesson 1 • Validating Audience Assumptions

Tests persona accuracy through surveys, beta readers, and online community observation. Prevents costly campaigns built on unverified assumptions.

Lesson 2 • Building Detailed Reader Personas

Constructs multi-dimensional profiles covering demographics, reading habits, and emotional motivations. Personas become the reference point for all messaging and channel choices.

Lesson 3 • Audience Segmentation Strategies

Divides a broad readership into actionable segments for targeted outreach. Teaches prioritization so limited resources reach the highest-value readers first.

Lesson 1 • Visual Identity for Authors

Covers logo, color palette, typography, and cover design alignment as brand signals. Ensures visual elements reinforce genre expectations and reader trust.

Lesson 2 • Author Brand Fundamentals

Defines brand as the consistent promise an author makes to readers across every touchpoint. Establishes why brand clarity accelerates trust and repeat purchases.

Lesson 3 • Author Bio and Positioning Statement

Crafts short, long, and social-media bio formats that communicate value and personality. Positions the author clearly within their genre and reader community.

Lesson 1 • Author Website Essentials

Identifies the must-have pages, conversion elements, and technical requirements for an author site. Connects site architecture to discoverability and reader conversion goals.

Lesson 2 • Email List Building from Zero

Teaches list-building mechanics including lead magnets, opt-in forms, and service provider setup. Email is positioned as the highest-ROI owned channel for authors.

Lesson 3 • Content Strategy for Platform Growth

Develops a sustainable content calendar that builds audience without burning out the author. Balances promotional, educational, and personal content for engagement.

Lesson 4 • Platform Analytics and Iteration

Introduces key metrics for website, email, and social channels to guide platform decisions. Establishes a monthly review habit that compounds platform growth over time.

Lesson 1 • Keyword Research for Books

Applies search-term research methods to identify high-traffic, low-competition keywords for retail listings. Keywords directly influence organic search placement on retail platforms.

Lesson 2 • Metadata Fundamentals

Explains how title, subtitle, series name, and description function as discoverability signals. Correct metadata is the foundation all other optimization tactics build upon.

Lesson 3 • Category and Algorithm Strategy

Selects categories strategically to maximize bestseller ranking potential and browse visibility. Explains how retailer algorithms reward sales velocity and conversion rate.

Lesson 4 • Library and Subscription Platform Presence

Extends discoverability to library lending and subscription services as complementary channels. Covers enrollment decisions, royalty trade-offs, and reader acquisition value.

Lesson 1 • Launch Strategy and Timeline

Maps a 90-day launch runway with milestones for each phase of the campaign. Aligns launch activities with retailer algorithms and reader discovery windows.

Lesson 2 • Launch Week Execution

Coordinates simultaneous email, social, and retailer activities during the critical launch window. Teaches real-time monitoring and rapid response to sales data.

Lesson 3 • Advanced Review and ARC Campaigns

Builds a system for recruiting, managing, and following up with advance review copy readers. Reviews are positioned as social proof that drives launch-week sales velocity.

Lesson 4 • Launch Team Recruitment and Management

Creates a volunteer street team that amplifies launch activities across their own networks. Covers incentive structures, communication cadence, and task delegation.

Lesson 1 • Retail Sponsored Ad Campaigns

Builds keyword-targeted and product-targeted campaigns on retail advertising platforms. Retail ads reach readers at the highest-intent moment in the purchase journey.

Lesson 2 • Social Media Ad Campaigns

Creates audience-targeted campaigns on social platforms using interest, behavior, and lookalike targeting. Social ads build awareness and retarget warm audiences efficiently.

Lesson 3 • Ad Creative and Copywriting

Produces high-converting ad images, video clips, and copy tailored to each platform's format. Creative quality is the single largest variable in ad performance.

Lesson 4 • Paid Advertising Fundamentals

Introduces ad auction mechanics, bidding models, and the relationship between ad spend and return. Sets realistic expectations for new advertisers before any budget is committed.

Lesson 1 • Measuring Career-Level Marketing ROI

Evaluates marketing effectiveness at the career level using lifetime reader value and catalog revenue metrics. Shifts focus from single-book profit to long-term author business health.

Lesson 2 • Building a Backlist Marketing Engine

Treats the backlist as a perpetual revenue asset requiring systematic promotion rather than passive sales. Covers price promotions, permafree strategies, and series read-through optimization.

Lesson 3 • Annual Marketing Planning

Builds a 12-month marketing calendar aligned with publishing schedule, seasonal trends, and budget cycles. Prevents reactive marketing by establishing proactive planning habits.

Lesson 4 • Reader Community and Superfan Development

Converts casual readers into loyal superfans through community building and direct engagement. Superfans generate word-of-mouth that no ad budget can replicate.