4 Book Marketing Tips from Gary Vaynerchuk

Marketing your book is perhaps just as important as writing it. It should begin even before you send it out to the shelves. Time, patience and strategy are all part of an effective marketing campaign.

Here are four valuable marketing tips from Gary Vaynerchuk you could incorporate into your book marketing strategy.

1. Build a Community

“Answer every single email and every single comment on your blog for the rest of your freaking life.”

– Gary Vaynerchuk

Gary Vee spent years building a community around his personal brand, which he later leveraged to sell products. He understood early on that it is far easier to tempt a fan than a stranger to buy your products.

By responding to your audience sincerely, and boosting their self-worth, you give them one more reason to stick around. You give them a sense of belonging, and in return earn their loyalty to your author brand.

2. Follow the Golden Rule

“I have an audience that trusts me. It’s about building a global brand—not selling four more bottles of Pinot Grigio. A funny thing happens when you give value up front. You guilt people into buying stuff.”

– Gary Vaynerchuk

In a previous post, we wrote about the golden rule to social media self-promotion. Gary Vee swears (literally) by this technique.

Value builds trust. And your audience is more likely to buy your books if you continue add value to their lives.

As an author, give your audience resources for free. It could be anything from writing materials to free chapters and more. The value you bring to the table will speak for itself when you ask them for something in return.

3. Attention is Currency

Gary Vee was one of the earliest to jump on to the TikTok bandwagon. He leveraged on the mass-scale shift in attention and actively promotes businesses to take their product to where the attention is at.

You may not like a particular platform, but if your readers use Reddit threads to discuss books from your genre, take your resources there.

Have too much on your plate? Consider hiring a personal assistant.

4. Network and Build Hype

How many times have you ignored emails and messages that started with “Hey guys! I never do this but I have a book coming out in a week and it would mean the world to me if you pre-ordered a copy?”

Yet, most of us go on to do the exact same thing. Bulk emailing is a ship that sailed long ago. In its place, Gary Vee recommends getting personal with your networks.

Before his book Crushing It came out, he went to Connecticut with his family and spent a week writing emails. He wrote personal emails to thousands of people who had the potential to influence the audience of his book.

People responded, and the book took off.