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You are receiving Jane Friedman’s self-study class, How to Earn a Living as a Writer. New lessons release every Friday through April 18, 2025. Browse the archive.
Week 14: What works to sell books?
Last week, I offered a tantalizing idea: What if your book sales scaled up in such a way that you could earn a full-time living from that alone? This naturally leads to the question of what works to sell books, at least for those of us who aren’t celebrities. You may not like my answer.
First, here’s what other people have said or done.
- Nate Silver, commenting on hitting the New York Times bestseller list : “Someone should probably write a trend story about what my partner and I have started to call the ‘Substack Effect’ for book authors. I realize I’m talking to a microfraction of the audience, but if you’re someone who’s working on a book, I’d strongly encourage you to start an email newsletter—just trust me on this one.”
- The Wall Street Journal just reported on the success of crime novelist C.J. Box, who makes the rounds on fishing, hunting, and rodeo podcasts and media to reach readers for his Joe Pickett books.
- Author J.A. Wright spent more than $64,000 on Facebook and Amazon ads to support sales of 25,000 copies.
- Cookbook author Matthew Bounds sells books to his audience on social media, primarily TikTok. (So did Keila Shaheen.)
- Novelist Leigh Stein pulled a prank on Instagram. She wiped away her entire grid of content and announced that she had decided to leave book publishing to go work for a female-led wellness startup called Richual.
- Jeff Ryan toured LL Bean stores with his memoir about hiking the Appalachian Trail.
- Memoirist Ashleigh Renard focused on a pre-order campaign in partnership with an independent bookstore.
Do you see the answer? Every author has found something unique to them that sells books. I don’t know what will work to sell books for you. And unfortunately you may not know either until you try different things. Some marketers today will tell you about the importance of placing “small bets.” That means: Don’t put all your energy and resources into one basket if you’re not sure what to do. Try a few small experiments. Double down on what works.
To brainstorm what might work for you, consider studying ideas from the book Traction; there are many interviews and summaries online. Traction synthesizes all the ways, circa 2015, that startup companies attract customers and ultimately identifies 19 different channels.
Your unpublished book is like a mini-startup; it has no customers yet. The process of finding readers is not unlike how a startup finds its customers. Usually it’s not going to be one thing; it’s going to be several things.
By using Amazon tracking links within their marketing and promotion, the authors of Traction discovered that business podcasts were the most effective at selling books. Here is an explanation of how Amazon tracking (attribution) links work; this requires setting up a free Amazon Advertising account, but it does not require advertising with Amazon, or with anyone.
Tracking tools like this help you answer key marketing questions: Is your presence on Facebook or Substack more effective at selling books? Are podcast appearances selling any copies? Etc. It is invaluable information if you want to save time, sell more, and stop guessing. (Why Amazon tracking links? Amazon will tell you how many copies actually sold from that link. About 60 percent of all books sold in the US today are sold through Amazon, regardless of format. Even if your book sells through many outlets, Amazon sales often serve as a leading indictor of what is working.)
Exercise
Read about the 19 traction channels. Which ones are you already using today? Which ones are you ignoring? Which ones do you want to try? As of today, most authors and publishers focus on PR and advertising, sometimes overly so. As for me personally, I focus a lot of effort on email (as you can tell), but I’m also ramping up speaking and event attendance to support my book. If you plan to be at AWP in Los Angeles this year, stay tuned to this newsletter to learn about an opportunity to have a free mini-consult with me.
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The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (releasing April 18, 2025)
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