The Book Marketing Handbook: A review
Prose Night at the Writing Life, 12 April 2025
I think I might have some idea how to write, having practiced the art seriously, as a hobby or professionally, for the past 30 years or so. As far as marketing myself or my work, however, I am still green by any standards.
People like me often look for techniques or advice for how to do so, especially methods priced well for authors who have to write and publish on a tight budget. We’re also looking for simple, straightforward advice it won’t take a long time to digest. After reading it, I have to say The Book Marketing Handbook: How to sell more books in the Digital Age by Robert Sims would be a good place to start for authors beginning their journey into the marketing world.
This is where I need to give full disclosure that Sims and his company, Biblio Publishing, have been the publisher of my books The Holy Fool and The Yank Striker. With this in mind, we’ll move on.
Originally released in 2014, Biblio has recently released a revised version of the book this year. Edited by Connor Mayhorn, it is a brisk 34-page read covering all aspects of online and in-person marketing.
The straightforward text is organized into “Online Marketing” and “Offline Marketing,” even though some tips (such as book cover advice) could fit into either category. It might have been helpful to further organize the smaller sections in the online and offline marketing sections, perhaps in alphabetical order, but the length of the book means you are almost sure to find whatever section you are looking for.
Some of the advice Sims gives seems almost obvious. For example, building your web site or having a presence on Facebook are things almost any author might try even on their own. However, not every author is technically savvy, so I think it is appropriate to go into this advice. Also, as a teacher, I’ve learned not to assume everyone has the same knowledge as everyone else. For example, being able to have a strong description of your book for online sites is something fundamental to that marketing, so it’s important for you to do it right and make your book compelling to read.
There were quite a few items in The Book Marketing Handbook, however, that I was entirely unfamiliar with. For instance, it covers several tips aimed at those who decide to self-publish, such as promotional tools available through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) program, where to find advice on Amazon search engine optimization, and advice on online advertising. I wasn’t too aware of how TikTok was becoming a hub for those interested in reading and talking about books, but The Book Marketing Handbook has made me rethink perhaps having a presence on there.
It also gives some good tips I was little aware of in the area of offline marketing, such as how to approach both Barnes & Noble and independent booksellers to carry your book. Other tips include programs like Lightning Source, a way to make your book available for distributors. I think these are important, especially for younger authors who may be too focused on online marketing and promotions.
I’m not a fan of every piece of advice in The Book Marketing Handbook. For example, I’m not much of a fan of Twitter at the moment, but some of the Twitter tips there could prove useful on BlueSky, especially the advice to make no more than 20 percent of your content be promotional and at least 80 percent toward giving something of value to your audience. Also, I can’t approve of its advice for lower budget authors to use AI programs to design book covers, although I do think the non-AI features of programs like Canva can give authors a more ethical design option.
However, taken in total, The Book Marketing Handbook is a great starter tool for how to reach out and promote your writing to others. I would definitely recommend it for budget-conscious writers to pick up on Amazon if they have the chance.