3 author marketing mistakes to avoid in 2025 and how to thrive

Are you making any of the common author marketing mistakes? What can you do about it? Here are 3 and how to turn them around.

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Sometimes, I’m a bit like an author’s “Big Brother” from George Orwell’s novel, “1984.”

I’m always watching you.

I watch how you market your books, so I know what you are and aren’t doing and how well you’re doing it.

I ask a lot of questions about what is and isn’t working.

This helps me identify book marketing trends – both good and bad.

I can no longer ignore three that keep jumping out at me. These three are particularly relevant to changes in the marketplace that will have an impact on what does and doesn’t work in 2025.

Here’s what I’d like you to stop doing, along with what you can do to turn each mistake around.

STOP 1. Asking people to buy your book without including a link to a retail site.

In recent months, I’ve seen authors asking their followers to buy their just-published books.

But they don’t make it easy for us.

via GIPHY

Purchase options have included:

• Going to their Facebook author page to get a purchase link and not even linking to the page
• Going to their Instagram profile to get a purchase link and not even including a link to the profile
• Clicking through to their Substack article to learn how they excited are about the book and (maybe?) find a purchase link

What’s worse, they didn’t tell us what their books were about (and some didn’t even include the title).

They’re asking too much of their networks. With every unnecessary step, they lose people.

Tell them to use the search box to find your page or profile, and most won’t bother. When those who do have to hunt for a purchase link on that new location, you’ll lose them, too.

The result? Zero sales (and authors complaining that social media marketing “doesn’t work”).

DO THIS INSTEAD

Make it easy for people to support you.

Any time you ask people to buy your book on social media or via email, include a direct link to the book on your preferred retail site. (“Direct link” refers to the book’s sales page, not the retailer’s home page.)

Some writers like Amazon, others prefer Bookshop, and still others favor Barnes & Noble.

No need to be shy. If you ask us to buy, open the store door for us.

STOP 2. Telling yourself that email marketing is spam.

Yes, yes, we all get a lot of spam email. That’s why God invented spam folders.

But when done right, email marketing is not only interesting, it’s effective. In fact, email marketing is twice as good at selling as social media. (And you’re putting a lot of time into social media, aren’t you?)

It’s time to move past that “all email marketing is spam” excuse for avoiding building an email list and learn how to do it properly.

DO THIS INSTEAD

Study how others are doing it.

Start with the emails you receive already. What do you like about them? What don’t you like?

Next, add yourself to the email lists of:

• Other authors in your genre or category
• Online marketers
• Any individual or company you want to know more about

Study them, too. This process will help you determine your definition of “spam” and “useful.”

Finally, take the time to learn how to be an effective email marketer. Take a course or read a book (I recommend “Newsletter Ninja: How to Become an Author Mailing List Expert.”)

If it’s the technology that’s holding you back, outsource it.

Tap your author network for a referral to someone who can help or contact a local school or college. I often turn to a Fiverr freelancer for this type of work.

Stop 3. Ignoring your readers.

via GIPHY

I follow a food blogger and new cookbook author on Instagram and subscribe to her recipe emails. On occasion, I’ll comment on an Instagram post, and I’ve replied to a couple of her emails.

She never reacts to my comments.

I follow another food blogger on Instagram who consistently replies to comments. Whether someone’s asking a question or thanking her for a recipe, she replies.

Which one of these do you think I’ll support by sharing their content, recommending their work, and buying what they offer?

It’s the one I feel more connected to because of the engagement.

In 2025, it’s all about engagement.

Marketing is increasingly about building relationships with your customers. In your case, that’s your ideal reader. As marketing moves away from traditional approaches that include advertising and shifts to more targeted ways of reaching customers, it’s the authors who engage who will succeed.

“As marketing moves away from traditional approaches that include advertising and shifts to more targeted ways of reaching customers, it’s the authors who engage who will succeed.”Click to tweet

Engaging not only builds trust; it helps you learn more about your readers. And knowing your target audience is one of the most important aspects of book marketing.

DO THIS INSTEAD

When people “talk” to you online, talk back. There’s a lot for both parties to learn from those digital conversations.

Create social media content that encourages engagement. This includes:

• Short videos
• Posts that ask questions
• Interactive content such as polls, quizzes, or Q&As
• How-to information
• Content that acknowledges your readers such as reviews and photos of them reading your book

Send email newsletters that solicit opinions and ask questions that show you want to know more about your subscribers (your readers).

And, respond every time a subscriber replies to your emails. Whether they’re providing feedback, asking questions, or thanking you for helping them, let them know you “heard” them.

What are other author marketing mistakes?

There are a few other perennial author marketing mistakes to be aware of, including:

• Waiting until the book is published to think about how to market it
• Relying on paid advertising too much, especially during the launch period
• Not using a systematic approach to soliciting reviews
• Refusing to use artificial intelligence (AI) as an assistant so you accomplish more

The three I’ve focused on are the mistakes I’m most concerned about as we start 2025.

If you see yourself in any of the above, please set aside time to improve the situation.

The first one is an easy fix. The second will take more time as you subscribe, study, and learn. The third might require learning how to use new tools, or It might only involve using social networks differently. But I know you’ll want to make sure you spend your book marketing time online wisely.

Now let’s flip the perspective: What are you seeing authors do that you think is effective book marketing? Please tell us in a comment!

Want to get more reader reviews this year? Download my free cheat sheet, “9 Places to Look for Readers Who Write Reviews.” Get it here.