Staying Hidden Is a Privilege Most Authors Don’t Have: 3 Tiers of Book Marketing

Publishing a book used to feel like the finish line. You wrote the story, found an agent, landed a publisher—and then, theoretically, the book went out into the world to find its readers. Especially during the pandemic days when there was literally nowhere to go. So, we stayed home.

That version of publishing is gone, at least for now.

(5 In-Person Networking Tips for Authors.)

Today, whether you’re a debut novelist or a seasoned veteran, writing the book is only the beginning. Once it’s finished, edited, packaged, and published, a new job begins: helping readers discover it. And yes, that means the author showing up.

Being an author today means more than writing a compelling story. It means stepping forward as its advocate—explaining why it matters, why it belongs on a reader’s nightstand, and why this story, right now, is worth their time. There are more ways than ever to reach readers, but the goal isn’t reaching everyone—it’s reaching the right reader: the one who will fall in love with your book.

My background is in marketing. I grew up in a household where my father was a Harvard University professor of the subject, and while I joke that I earned a “homeschooled master’s degree,” the fundamentals stuck. Marketing national brands was my primary career for years, long before I made the pivot into writing novels full-time. I’ve been in the book world since 2011, and writing crime fiction since 2017—and wow, things have changed rapidly and continue to evolve daily. Still, I’d argue that Marketing 101 hasn’t disappeared. The mechanisms change, but the principles remain.

My first book was a nonfiction guide for women entrepreneurs, Real You Incorporated: 8 Essentials for Women Entrepreneurs. Over time, I adapted those principles for authors, because the truth is, authors are brands—whether we like that word or not. Defining your author brand allows you to articulate who you are and what you write in a clear, strategic way that resonates with the readers most likely to care.

When I think about book marketing, I divide it into three tiers: image advertising, sales promotion, and event-based marketing.

Image advertising is about positioning your author brand for its target audience. This includes your visual identity, tone, themes, and messaging—the essence of your work. Anchored by consistent elements like your logo, fonts, or positioning statement, image advertising puts your best foot forward. This is your brand out for a walk along a fancy boulevard. It should remain consistent across every book you write.

As Sue Grafton once said, “If you want to make a living as a writer, you have to accept that publicity is part of the job.”

The second tier is sales promotion, where many authors spend most of their time and money. This includes discounts, giveaways, limited-time offers, Kindle Unlimited promotions, and the like. Sales promotions focus on a specific book or moment rather than your broader brand—but because your name is still attached, consistency matters. If you’re running a Facebook ad, for example, can you incorporate your fonts, tone, or visual identity? Every touchpoint reinforces who you are.

Gillian Flynn put it bluntly: “Writing the book is only part of the work. Talking about it—over and over—is how it finds its readers.”

The final tier is event-based marketing, and it remains essential. Whether in-person or virtual, events allow you to connect directly with readers—through festivals, signings, conventions, book clubs, appearances on the Killer Author Club, or Zoom conversations. Storytelling has always been communal, and story selling is no different.

Once you’ve covered the basics, the fun can begin. This is where creativity brings your book to life.

For my novel Jill Is Not Happy, I created a companion booklet written “by” my protagonist: Tips for a Perfect Marriage. Since Jill is the narrator of a marriage thriller, her advice is—unsurprisingly—a little sinister. Readers loved it, and it became a memorable feature on my book tour.

For We Were Never Friends, my upcoming novel about a reunion of former sorority sisters gone horribly wrong, I’m taking a different approach. The book features five women, each with her own secrets, rivalries, and carefully curated version of the past.

Rather than simply introducing the characters, I created a quiz—very much inspired by the glory days of women’s magazines—to answer one essential question: Which sorority sister are you? Once readers take the quiz, they can root for “their” character to survive the weekend. My editor and agent have already taken it, and the matches were eerily perfect. I’ll be sharing the quiz throughout my book tour, which kicked off on publication day, February 3rd, and it’s been a fun, effective way to bring the characters to life before readers even turn the first page.

At the end of the day, authenticity always breaks through. Be yourself. Be genuine. With the proliferation of channels, you simply cannot be everywhere, nor should you. And try to remember why you started telling stories in the first place.

As Lisa Gardner reminds us, “No one cares about your book as much as you do. If you won’t champion it, why should anyone else?”

Marketing isn’t selling out. It’s standing up for the story you worked so hard to tell and helping it find the readers who are already waiting for it. And while you’re at it—why not have some fun?

Because in crime fiction, motives matter—and in book marketing, the motive is the same: Get the right story into the right hands before it disappears.

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